The hatred Ren had nursed like a dying ember was being smothered by the sheer dominance of his Alpha. It was a betrayal of the highest order, but as Cilian’s thumb pressed into his hip, bruising the skin, Ren only wanted more.

He wanted to be consumed.

He wanted to drown.

Cilian pulled back, almost pulling his cock entirely out, and watching Ren’s face intently to see his expression, before slamming back in with a force that made Ren’s vision swim with the stars.

"You’re so loud for me tonight, Darling," Cilian rasped, his face inches from Ren’s, his gold-brown eyes burning with a terrifying, triumphant light. He looked absolutely possessed, his teeth bared in a grin that was more cunning than the last. "Do you hear yourself? You’re screaming for the man who ruined you. Is this how much you love me?"

"Shut... up..." Ren choked out, but the words were immediately lost to a high, keening wail as Cilian began to pound into him with a renewed, desperate speed.

Cilian didn’t stop for a second after that. He leaned down, his teeth grazing Ren’s ear as he inhaled the scent of Ren’s frantic, leaking pheromones.

He was intoxicated and was desperately trying to hold back from cumming. He wanted more, wanted to see more of Ren’s broken face, and wanted to drink in the scent. He wanted to mark every inch of Ren, to ensure that even if they left this island, Ren would never be able to scrub the feeling of this night off his skin.

It feels good. Too good. I want more. MORE. GIVE ME MORE OF YOU, REN.

His thoughts were devouring him, even as he tried to keep a clear mind so as not to hurt Ren.

"Look at me," Cilian commanded again, but it wasn’t airy or light this time; it sounded more like a suppressed growl under his breath. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Ren forced his heavy, tear-blurred eyelids open. He saw the red flush on Cilian’s cheeks, the way his pupils had nearly swallowed the gold of his irises, and the raw, stained obsession written in every line of his face.

It was a psychotic, beautiful sight—the face of a man who would burn the world just to hear Ren moan like this.

Suddenly, Cilian’s movements slowed, turning into a deep, agonizingly slow grind. He pushed himself in as deep as he could go, his heart hammering against Ren’s chest like a trapped bird. Ren felt the internal shift, a sudden, heavy swelling that made his eyes go wide.

This...

"Cilian...?" Ren gasped, his hands moving to Cilian’s shoulders, feeling the heat of the blood still weeping from the wound.

"Shhh," Cilian hushed silently, sweet dripping down from his forehead. "Don’t let go," He whispered, his voice breaking as he felt the first wave of his ejaculation begin to hit, accompanied by a forced knot. "Stay right here, Ren. Don’t move, okay?"

As Cilian’s knot began to form, stretching Ren to a point that felt impossible, a sense of clarity filled Ren, and he gasped.

"Cilian," Ren called again, his fingers digging into Cilian’s shoulder as he trembled. A vivid fear was creeping through his face and settling in his eyes as he whispered, "I... I might get pregnant."

He bit his lip, almost regretting his words instantly. He sounded so vulnerable, so weak, but it was true. He was worried because he hadn’t taken any suppressants since he became Cilian’s slave, and knotting inside him after cumming brought a very high chance of pregnancy.

And he... didn’t want to have a baby. Not for this monster. Not for this Alpha who burned his world. He did not even want to think of a family with him, not to talk of a future with him.

The thought of having a family with Cilian died two years ago. And now, he would rather die than—

"It doesn’t matter," Cilian cut through his thoughts. His expression was terrifyingly soft, his gold-brown eyes overflowing with a distorted, loving warmth as he looked into Ren’s frightened ones. "I’ll take care of you anyway. I’ll take care of the baby too, so don’t be scared, Ren."

He leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to the corner of Ren’s eye. The gesture was so gentle, so fundamentally kind, that Ren’s heart performed a traitorous, frantic flip pitta-patta against his ribs.

He hated it. He hated himself.

Tears slid down the corner of his face as he declared with a spiteful yet trembling voice,

"I hate you, Cilian, I hate you so much."

"I know," Cilian said, as he continued to plant soft, lingering kisses all over Ren’s cheeks and brows. "And you can keep hating me. You can curse at me, and you can think of ways to kill me. But I love you, Ren." Ren’s heart skipped a beat. "So, let’s make do with that."

Love... His heart was thrumming. What a load of bullcrap.

Would he destroy the family of the Omega he loved without batting an eye?

Would he buy him off an auction house and put a collar around his neck, parading him like a trophy?

Would he do all that if he loved Ren?

And if so, then this madman’s definition of love was twisted as fuck.

"Haah, Ren." Cilian groaned, feeling the knot swell even more, and Ren gritted his teeth; the entrance of his hole was stretching impossibly to accommodate Cilian’s knot.

It hurt. It hurt so much, but it didn’t hurt as much as the ache festering in his heart.

The ache that he was still trying to grasp, whether it was hate or something else.

In this nameless Island, they were locked in a ’husband’ and ’wife’ bond, but their hearts were still finding the paths that led them to each other.

The knot eventually began to subside, a slow, pulsing retreat that left Ren feeling hollow and aching. Cilian didn’t pull away immediately; he stayed heavy and warm, his face buried in the crook of Ren’s neck as their shared breath hitched in the quiet of the hut.

Ren lay there, staring up at the dark bamboo ceiling. His body felt heavy, weighed down by an exhaustion that went deeper than his muscles. Every time he blinked, he saw the fire of the plane, and every time he breathed, he felt the possessive weight of the man who had claimed him.

"Go to sleep, Ren," Cilian whispered, "Or are you not tired yet? We could do it again and—" he quieted down right away as soon as Ren scowled at him. He’s so noisy. "Haha, I’ve heard you. I’ll be quiet now."

Then, as the silence stretched, Ren finally closed his eyes, the tears finally drying on his cheeks, and let the darkness of the island swallow him.

Cilian watched him for a while, brushing his thumb over the dried trail of tears on his face, and whispered,

"You’re such a crybaby, Ren. What are you going to do if we have a baby? If the little thing cries, will you cry with it?" He chuckled softly at the thought, his thumb now brushing Ren’s lips. A baby with Ren, now that doesn’t sound so bad. He’ll be adorable. He rested his head on the side and kept watching Ren. Just like Ren.