52. Now listen here, pretty little Princess.

Darius pressed his lips against Ally's forehead, his eyes widening in acknowledgment. The male took a deep breath, his body stiffening in an instant. The Princess faced her first heat, which shouldn't be a surprise, but Darius never considered it as an essential matter before marking her.
All he wanted was to keep Ally safe, and his mark would provide her with the utmost protection known to the world of supernaturals. One who could be brave enough to as much as brush past Ally would sign a death sentence to themselves. A woman marked by a shifter was off-limits, but one, marked by someone as powerful as Wrath, was meant to be avoided. Everyone, men and women, was in danger if they would wrong the Princess. There was a reason why her mark didn't look like any other- usually, women showed off scar-alike bite marks, but one on Ally's neck was a blood-red circle. Circle meant that the mark was left by a deadly sin, red symbolizing his color. Any person, sane enough, would avoid that red as a plague.

Ally moaned, bringing the male out of his thoughts. He couldn't resist the temptation, taking in another deep intake of breath, savoring her scent. Darius had been around a lot of women in heat, even helped most to keep the unmated males away, yet he never thought of how irresistible the scent of his mate's heat might be.

"It hurts," Ally cried out, trying to take off her clothes.

Darius grabbed her hand, clenching his jaw. "Now listen here, pretty little Princess- you are going into pretty intense heat. Take one thing off of that perfect body of yours, and I swear to the Moon Goddess herself that I won't bother to hold myself back. I will give you those dream babies faster than expected." Each word leaving his lips was forced; he had a hard time resisting her, especially in such a fragile state. As much as he wanted Ally, the thought of how heat affects women wouldn't leave his mind. Darius knew that it brought a lot of pain, along with the heatwaves, making it nearly impossible to resist the mating. Ally won't last for long until she breaks, and then it won't be herself who asks for him to take any action. That wasn't what he wanted, nor what she deserved. The male knew that mating, the same as marking, was an important thing in one's life, and he wanted his mate to be entirely sure about her decision. Avoiding pain and heatwaves wasn't the same thing as making important decisions.

"But it's so damn hot in here; I need to get them off of me. Please, Darius, I beg you." Ally whined, crying out in pain. No one had ever explained to her the whole concept of heat, nor did she ever ask anyone to do so. She knew enough about mates, and unlike other shifters, who mated as early as reaching their sixteenth birthday- she wanted to be of age. Her dream was to wait for her eighteenth birthday when she would be considered an adult and decide on her own. Not that she ever thought of meeting her mate beforehand. If she had more knowledge about whatever happens soon after marking- she might have forced Darius to wait until she's entirely ready for such a big step.

"I know, love, but it's affecting me too. Please, listen- I don't want to do anything both of us might regret in the morning. You have no idea how delicious you smell; all I can think of is pushing you against the damn wall and fucking you as if there was no tomorrow. Does that ring any bell?" Finally, the male couldn't take any more of her alluring scent. Darius laid Ally on the bed and stepped back. "Wait here, don't take any clothes off, I will be back in a second,'' he announced, turning around and nearly running to the bathroom.

As soon as his hands left her skin, and his body wasn't somewhat pressed against hers, Ally cried out in agonizing pain. Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to get out of the bed and follow her mate. The Princess knew as much as he had to be near, closeness eased the pain a little. She moved her leg out of the bed, the action followed by a scream. The young woman noticed her mate running out of the bathroom and bolting out the bedroom door. "Fucking prick, leaving me alone, this is all his damn fault," Ally cursed under her breath, still pushing herself to get out of the bed. Despite the anger she felt, the Princess needed to be near him.
Now, she felt pity for every shifter woman alive- going through such torturous pain must be worse than giving birth to five pups at the same time.

As the pain intensified, Ally nearly fainted, but someone kicking the bedroom door open and running to the bathroom brought her back to her senses. It was Darius, with at least twenty bags of ice on his hands. Ally whined, displeased by the fact that he didn't bother to approach her.
Not for long, though, as her eyes were closing in exhaustion, someone picked her up and carried somewhere. The next moment she found herself soaked in an ice-cold bath with Darius holding onto her hand. The male averted his gaze, struggling to look at his mate in such a state. Silently he cursed himself for being selfish for not thinking about what the marking might bring towards them next. Fuck it, he had told her parents he would mark her, but there wasn't anything about damn marking. Even though Ally's parents weren't entirely happy about his appearance in her life- Darius still tried to be as respectful towards the Royals as he could.

"This is great. May I have some more ice, please?" Ally whispered, squeezing his hand gently. A smile appeared on her lips, she understood why he left, and there was no reason for her to act like a brat. Darius went out of his way to ease her pain even without his presence, and the young woman was genuinely grateful for the effort he kept putting into their relationship.

"Soon, baby, soon. I can't add anymore right now; you might catch a cold if I do. Yes, shifters can catch it- pretty difficult, but possible. And right now, it would be easier than under any other circumstances. Your body is burning hot, dropped in a shocking low temperature, we are playing a dangerous game, love. I'm sorry for being the selfish asshole I am; I should have thought about the heat before marking you." Darius signed, bringing her hand to his lips and gently kissing the top of it. He tried his best to avoid inhaling her scent from such distance, to keep himself at least a little sane.

"Alright, I understand. You're doing all of this for me, thank you. This stupid heat is as much my fault as it is yours. We did it together, made the decision together- you didn't force me to do anything. These are just consequences for not thinking everything throughout, but we can make it. I'm sure we can. It's not like this will go on forever or keep on happening all the time," the Princess smiled, trying to brighten his mood. Ally wanted to talk about what is to happen next, yet she had no idea how wrong her statements so far were.

"Silly little thing," Darius chuckled, shaking his head in forced amusement. "It seems that no one had explained to you how heat actually works, have they?" Instead of telling her everything, the male decided to make sure if her knowledge was that poor. She was a Princess; sure, someone told her everything about mates and heat. How couldn't they? Every shifter had to be educated about the topic since it was such an essential part of their lives. Especially women, for they were the ones to go through the heat.

"I know a thing or two about heat, but it looks like you could know more. Please, tell me what is going to happen to me now. Am I going to die if we don't complete the mating process now? I don't want to die; I'm about to turn seventeen, the life had just begun, it's too early." Ally felt how her eyes filled with tears; for some reason, she was more emotional than ever. Did the heat affect her emotions as well? If so- she didn't like it; being a weak cry baby wasn't the type of persona the young woman wanted to be.

Darius laughed, leaning his head back. This was one of the rare times when Ally could swoon over the sound of his melodic laugh. The male's voice was one of her favorite melodies, yet his laugh was something she could listen to till the end of her days. The type of laughter that made her laugh and the kind of laugh that made her happy even if she was sad. "You're not going to die, silly. The first heat is a considerable challenge for any woman who has faced it. It means that your body is ready to complete the mating process even if your mind keeps telling no. Shifters are pretty primitive beings in their nature- often bodies and needs rule over mind and emotions. Sitting in a cold bath isn't a way to get rid of it, but it's a good alternative for the time being. The other option would be staying around me and having skin to skin contact as much as possible, but that would only ease the pain for a little while. The more you resist it, the more your body will push you- that's why you're in so much pain. To stop it completely, we would need to have sex, yet there are no promises that the heat wouldn't repeat itself. Some women get into heat when their bodies need to breed, meaning if she wants pups- she's getting the heat. But that is a rarity; most women don't have repeating episodes after the first mating. It isn't easy on males since most men get instantly overtaken by lust and desire- barely able to stay away. Aside from the heat waves and pain you feel, there is the scent. The scent would attract any unmated male around- it's like a green light for free fuck. Thankfully, around the temple, you can find only women; otherwise, right now, I would be busy killing off any other asshole, trying to get close to you. This is a complicated and highly delicate time for you and your body; I can't push anything onto you until you're completely ready." Darius cupped her cheek, his eyes full of love and adoration. Ally leaned into his touch on instinct, gladly taking any comfort the male gave her.

For a while, both fell silent. Ally never thought that she would mate soon after marking, but now she was considering the idea. Everyone else mated earlier than she intended, but it wasn't important since the young woman finally understood the struggle those shifters went through. Of course, holding the promise she had given to herself was an excellent idea, but it wasn't like she was the only one who was affected by her heat. Darius, once again, proved himself to be the perfect mate. He didn't take the chance of marking Ally gave him; instead, he made sure to make it unique. And now, he might avoid the fuss about the bath and conversations and just tell her that there was no other way out than mating. The more time she spent with the male, the more she admired him. Ally had managed to fall head over heels for Darius, and it wasn't only because he marked her. It was him, his actions and words. The young woman understood how long it took for her to acknowledge the fact of falling in love. It was him from the very beginning; while others warned her, the male always stood close. Everyone kept repeating how evil he was, how he would hurt and abuse her, yet while Darius was a monster towards others- he did everything for the woman he loved. Any other shifter in his place would chase the power Ally had, forcing her to mate fully. Perhaps the Moon Goddess did know what she was doing; after all- pairing them up meant that none would seek personal good in the other. Both had a power of their own over certain aspects, and none wanted even more. Selene was an intelligent woman; no wonder she was responsible for choosing soulmates.

"Okay, good," Ally breathed out, catching the male's attention. "So, how often could this repeat, if we don't do, you know what." The Princess blushed, feeling somewhat ashamed about how inexperienced she was.

"You mean how often the heat would happen if we don't have sex soon?" Darius caught on to how uncomfortable Ally was, calling the things by their real names and having a little fun as he does. Maybe the Princess didn't understand it, but he was proud of her. Most women, and men, these days thought that their mates would want someone with a certain amount of experience, but it wasn't the case with him. If Darius had wanted a true sex goddess, he would sleep with every other woman, jumping into his lap. That was the last thing he thought of. He wanted someone who took the concept of mates seriously enough to understand how important their first time was. He wouldn't shame Ally if she would have had a partner before him, but it didn't mean that he wasn't happy about the opposite facts. Her first kiss, stolen by that stupid boy, pissed the male off, but he kept keeping his distance. If it weren't her first kiss, that would be his; it would be her first time.

"Yeah," Ally cleared her throat, awkwardly looking around. The young woman made sure to avoid eye contact; she didn't want to blush even brighter than she already did. "That's what I mean. So, how often would this thing happen to me? And would it get worse, or fade in time, making each time easier to go through?" She bit onto her lip, wondering if her words even made any sense. How could she feel this awkward around her own mate?

"Well, that's another problem. The heat usually doesn't repeat itself if the mating process is completed, I mentioned the exceptions, but those are rare. As to how intense or weak it would become, I have to break the shitty news- it will worsen each time. As said, your body will keep on pushing you since it's ready, while your mind still has some doubts. I'm sorry, love, but if we get through this without any complications, each of the next steps will become worse. And the more intense it gets, the further away I have to get. I can barely hold myself now, next time will be torturous for both of us, but then I won't be able to keep myself away from you. So it's either I stay away, locked somewhere until it ends, either I fuck you, simple as that." Darius smiled, showing off his extended canine teeth. If Ally could blush brighter than a red traffic light- she probably did.

An intense wave of pain hit her abdomen out of nowhere; she dug her nails in his skin, nearly piercing it. The Princess closed her eyes and screamed out in pain. There wasn't much Darius could do to stop the pain; it would come in waves until the heat stops. Five to seven days of torture to endure. "I can't help much about this love; if you're not ready, I can't do anything to stop it. I know this isn't as promising as you would hope, but it'll stop in about a week. Can you take it?" He didn't complain about his hand, which by now started to bleed since Ally did pierce his skin.

The Princess shook her head violently, unable to speak through gritted teeth. The temperature of her body rose back up, but the male couldn't add any more ice; there still was a huge risk if he did.

"Ally, I can't do anything to stop this. I can ease the pain a little, but the effect of a cold bath is as temporary as skin to skin contact. I'm sorry, love, I wish I could do more." Darius dropped on his knees, next to the bath; it pained him to see the strong, independent woman he loved in so much pain.

"Y-you c-can," Ally barely managed to push the words over her lips. The young woman's eyes were full of desperation, pleading the male to take action. It wasn't just the heat and pain that forced her to make the decision. She wanted to be with him, become one with him, and share her future with Darius. "N-no k-kids y-yet," she stuttered, reminding her mate how it was too early for her to become a mother.

"Are you sure? I can try to find a healer to help you; they might give you some medicine or anything like that. I think some women had to sleep through their heat if it got too intense. Perhaps that would be the best decision?" Darius spoke, way too stunned by her sudden change of mind. Deep down, he thought that Ally wasn't ready for such a step, so the male had to make sure it was her decision, and she wouldn't regret it as she wakes up next to him.

"I'm ready."

The Unwanted Alpha Series (Complete Collection)
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