It had been a week since Makal left, and I felt completely alone, especially because of the changes that had taken place in the castle. The entire technical staff had been replaced, and some who held leadership positions were demoted to servants — after all, they needed to keep their jobs. The changes became more evident when I didn't recognize the council itself. Sir Magnada had been replaced; he was our general and head of the royal guard, now retired. Yurick left him with the title and lands — I believe he did it for me, after all, he owed nothing to the enemy soldiers he had fought for so many months. These were difficult times.
The colors of Neopolita had been replaced by the red and black of Roham; the flag that used to be raised every morning now hung like the flag of the enemy army, signaling our defeat. The worst part was having to look at it from the balcony as soon as the first rays of sunlight appeared.
It seemed increasingly evident that the people were dissatisfied with these changes. Perhaps that's why the king moved up our wedding to the first day of winter — that is, there were less than three weeks left for that idea to become concrete before the population, since Yurick noticed that people generally loved me. So it seemed coherent to anticipate the political marriage we had. Despite that, I was feeling sad to have to see everything I knew change so suddenly: the routine, the people walking through the palace corridors, and now the different faces reminded me of a new era to which I had to get used.
Yurick, in his first measures, established a war council. After all, Neopolita was just the beginning; now that he had the capital Neolia, he could conquer the next cities with my support — although against my will. I sent four letters at Yurick's command to our most important cities, asking for their surrender, since with the capital fallen, it would only be a matter of time before the other places met the same end — in other words, it was just a diplomatic matter for those rulers to accept the king as their sole governor.
There was nothing more to be done in Neopolita except to accept, so we were just waiting for the letters to be delivered and returned with their surrender requests. Yurick would then send the people who should govern those places after the resignations reached his hands, replacing the governors and rulers, imposing conduct rules followed in Roham.
It was all as the king of Roham desired. Of course, I was worried — politics wouldn't be established in just a week — but Yurick was quick to take the necessary measures and ensure all winter supplies were properly distributed. A large quantity of grains, animals, and other food was being prepared to be sent to the kingdom of Roham, which had two smaller cities and the capital. It was a massive amount of provisions; I feared we wouldn't have enough food for everyone. But when I tried to confront Yurick about the issue, the answer was obvious:
— Do you think I waged war to see my people starve? Then those who have much will have to share with those who have nothing.
I understood that, so I had no more arguments, especially because it would be cruel to deprive others of food when we really did have stocks for the winter. At the moment, I was sitting on the bed, watching the coming and going of people who were preparing my clothes. I didn't know what would happen to the old ones, but knowing the little I did about the king, he wouldn't burn them. I let out a few sighs, noticing that the predominant colors in my wardrobe and room were already quite different. And the servants seemed quite cheerful. Yurick assigned a beta to follow me, serve me, dress me, help me, and mainly watch me, obviously. Her name was Lara, and she was extremely enthusiastic about her new role.
— Look at this, sir, it's magnificent. — Lara said, pointing to the outfit I would have to wear for dinner, separating it from the others. In all the clothes, my arms were exposed, as was my stomach. The winter clothes weren't much different, although made of thicker fabric — I would die of cold. That was the goal of my future husband: to kill me by freezing.
— King Yurick said you must choose a place on your body to wear the royal jewels. — That was a problem: the earrings and the tattoos. It wasn't just about piercing my body, but rather piercing it several times and having a design for the rest of my life. On the wedding day, this would be done on my hand — the design would symbolize our union. Yurick would do it too, but unlike me, the older man was used to having needles piercing his body; on his back, cut through by the scar, there was the design of a majestic lion, carrying the meaning of his family's surname.
— How exciting. — I murmured, bored. I threw myself on the bed, staring at the ceiling. When would the king return? He was in a meeting with his newly formed council. I felt excluded because, even if no one listened to me, at least I used to participate in important councils.
— Your Highness, better change clothes before the king returns. — Lara pointed to the outfit. The artisans and servants had already left; everything was properly arranged and modified. Removing each piece of fabric from my body was painful — it was like tearing off my skin, symbolically stripping away my identity, as that was the last piece of clothing I had left. Now it was on the floor, and my body was bare, with no fabric to protect me from the situation. My heart pounded irregularly in the presence of Lara, who smiled as she approached me. The clothes were tailored; every part that touched me felt like it burned my skin, reminding me of my reality: I was Yurick's husband, someone who belonged to the King and to Roham. It was done.
The pants were loose at the top; I wouldn't wear closed shoes — all shoes from now on were open-toed, or I would walk barefoot with jewels adorning my heels. My exposed arm was covered by bracelets and armlets, rings on almost every finger that didn't quite fit, my stomach exposed with fabric that seemed to cover only my nipples, and on my shoulders, a sleeveless cloak that went almost to the floor, both in the front and back. It was comfortable; however, I felt naked and uncomfortable. Looking in the mirror was difficult — it was like someone different. My face was the same; my eyes were still emerald-colored, and my red hair now had to always be tied up.
— You look beautiful. — The voice came from behind. Yurick removed his cloak, exposing his body as always. — It matches your hair, and now your features are more exposed, which makes everything even more charming. — The taller man didn't seem to be lying about the compliments. I touched my freckles that were on my shoulder and all over my face. I frowned for a few moments because of the sensations still impregnating my body — the alpha complimenting me didn't help to lessen the discomfort and sense of not belonging.
— Good to know. — I said, drained. The taller man dismissed Lara, who happily left through the door. Her happiness annoyed me, and I knew that was terribly wrong.
— You'll soon get used to the clothes and your new appearance. I don't intend to give this up because it's my image you must represent when talking to other important authorities. — The alpha was explaining something I already had an idea about, but it seemed like he just wanted to comfort me in his way, which didn't reassure me. I just turned toward him, stepping away from the mirror.
— You can pierce my ears, and the only tattoo I want on my body is on my hand on the wedding day — nothing else. — What was left for me was to accept, but in my way, so that I could at least feel like Seyrim.
— Very well, come here. I'll pierce your ear. — Yurick stood up, wiping his hands in a basin of water, then picked up a small box with some gold earrings, adorned with jewels and red pearls. I was nervous; I didn't imagine he would be the one to pierce me. When I sat on the bed, I was facing the taller man, who looked at me with his smile that seemed to cast some sort of spell on my empathy for him, which was terrible for my plans.
— Will this hurt a lot? — I tried not to let my voice tremble when he picked up a needle to make the piercings.
— Not much. — I knew Yurick wouldn't try to console me, so I tried to believe his words. — But since you're not used to piercings, you'll probably feel it a bit more.
— Great, good to know it'll be hard. — Keeping my breathing calm in that circumstance was very difficult. I closed my eyes when the alpha's large hands approached me, touching my ear — they were warm and firm, contrasting with the needle that touched my cartilage. The piercing was painful; I couldn't hold back my voice, so I bit my lips hard not to moan over such an insignificant pain.
Yurick placed the first earring at the top, cleaning with a cloth soaked in alcohol. My body suddenly heated up, leaving me confused. Pain was something that had never pleased me; seeing people battling in arenas was just unpleasant. However, when the second piercing happened, my whole body shivered — every part of me felt strangely aroused, especially the lower part of my body. My face flushed entirely, so I grabbed Yurick's hand when he placed the other earring.
— How many are left? Can we take a break? — I asked pleadingly, looking his way. The king seemed to realize that something was very wrong, but smiled almost kindly at me.
— Only four more left, don't worry. I'll finish soon, and you can rest. — That false gentleness and softness in his voice hadn't gone unnoticed. The taller man knew something was wrong with me and was taking advantage of the circumstances. Holding my sensitive ear, all the earrings would be in the same spot, which made everything more painful. At the third puncture piercing my ear, I let out a low moan — my entrance contracted inevitably while becoming wet from the arousal that the pain provided me.
I wanted to ask him to stop, but it would be humiliating to admit that it was turning me on. These were needles piercing my body — it should be the opposite of arousal — but I was hard and wet, my scent escaping uncontrollably. Yurick's finger passed over the other newly made earrings in my ear, sore and swollen, which made me feel even more aroused. I didn't know if I could hold back for much longer.
The last three piercings were too much for my body; I was more bent over and the alpha had to hold me to insert the last earring in my ear. I could never have supposed that I would have fetishes for piercings to the point of being classified as perverted. Of course, the taller one had noticed how sensitive I had become—my scent, my expressions, and my limp body completely gave me away. To be even more cruel, the alpha touched my newly pierced ear and caressed each of the piercings he had put in; I ended up feeling the strongest shiver throughout my entire body, every fiber trembling in an ecstasy I had never felt in my life.
Did I orgasm from that? Yurick just cleaned the area, applying something I couldn't identify because my body was completely bent over on the bed and trembling.
—So you like needles?— The silence was broken by that impertinent comment. I lifted my body, looking at him tearfully from the humiliation that was now entirely my fault. The alpha touched my face with strange tenderness, lightly stroking my cheeks and smiling—I didn't know what to say, I couldn't confirm it, but my scent and my expression said everything about his question. His hand even went down, caressing my nipple. —How about here? We can fill your body with earrings if you want, I think it would look beautiful. We all have them, although this isn't a sexual act, but we can make it just between the two of us.
Yurick squeezed my nipple over the fabric, pulling it toward him; I let out a more whiny moan than I should have. I wanted to be touched, my whole body was burning with desire, my mind was numb from the sensations. I didn't want more earrings, but at the same time, that was what I desired the most at that moment. However, everything ended abruptly when he stepped away from me.
—Sorry, Seyrim, only after the wedding—I forgot. Yurick was teasing me, making me burn and then wanting to back off. That man was fully aware that his actions made me desirous. —But your scent is the sweetest I've ever smelled, so it's hard to resist.— He admitted provocatively with that cheeky smile I loved to hate. I bit my lower lip; the right thing would be to just get up, take a shower, and ignore the alpha's existence. However, every fiber of my being burned with desire from his previous words. We weren't going to have sex or consummate the act, it had nothing to do with that, right? So it was allowed. I can't believe that after all those years resisting lustful acts, I was just giving in to carnal pleasure so weakly.
I brought my hand to my shirt that barely covered my belly, slowly lifting it, exposing my nipples toward him. I knew that was common among the people of Roham—alpha and omega men and women pierced their nipples—but to me, it now seemed like a sexual act that made me feel very good.
—You can pierce them.— I said with a trembling voice. Yurick just smiled as if he had won the challenge; his arrogant trait only caused me displeasure. However, when the alpha showed the clean needle, my body shivered completely. He grabbed the skin around my nipples, touching the tip of the needle; the erection showed itself even before the taller one pushed the tip in painfully. I just moaned without as much shame as before, gripping the sheets tightly below me. The earring he put was a slightly thick gold ring. When he did the same with the other nipple, I couldn't hold it, feeling the same intense sensation as I was pierced there; the ecstasy blinded me and kept my mind blank for a few moments. The orgasm came strong; I only managed to properly recover when Yurick put the second ring, fastening it on my nipple, leaving both equal.
I was dizzy, my whole body trembling, hair standing at the slightest touch. My clothes were in a lamentable state on the lower part, completely soaked. I was panting deeply, unable to hold my torso up; noticing this, the taller one just pushed me down onto the bed. I bit my lower lip harder when I saw him grab another clean needle—where else was he going to pierce? I didn't want to ask because the idea didn't scare me anymore; it was making me totally anxious for what would come next. I just allowed Yurick to pierce me where he wanted. I never imagined I would give that kind of permission to an enemy, to my political marriage, just because my body desired every act that came from him.
—I'm almost done, Seyrim, and you will be perfect.— The alpha held my sensitive, pierced right ear, only wanting to persuade me and succeeding superbly. I closed my eyes for a few moments, just enjoying the sensation. There were six piercings in total on my ears, each causing a unique and thrilling sensation in my body. Needless to say, my third orgasm came when the piercing was in my navel; apparently, that was the last place he was going to pierce. —This will be the last one... for now.— What did that mean? Where else would he put them? I couldn't imagine which part of my body could have more of those earrings. I was so exhausted that I just passed out.
My entire body had reached its limit thanks to what Yurick had done; fainting next to a person I didn't trust wasn't prudent, but I couldn't stay awake.
The night was dreamless; my body didn't even have the capacity to dream. When I woke the next day, I felt sore. The Alpha wasn't in bed, but that wasn't important now. My ears felt like they were burning, my nipples and navel were so swollen. I went to the mirror with a satin sheet around my waist. I noticed I was clean—had the alpha cleaned me? That was so embarrassing. Even more so when I saw my body in the mirror; I looked so different, my ears had gold rings and earrings with red details and rare, precious jewels, my nipples also had ornaments. The navel was the one with the largest jewel. My heart was pounding hard as I saw myself that way.
Remembering every detail of what had happened the day before. Yurick said those weren't the only piercings he would make on me. My nose, my lips, my tongue? Who knows, but instead of being scared by those words, I felt incredibly anxious, wishing for the moment the needle would touch my skin to come soon.