“Hah—ah… ngh…!”

Seraphina let out a hoarse cry, her bedclothes left in utter disarray around her. After days of constant moaning, her throat was sore and strained.

“Sephi, Sephi!”

Damian’s voice was no better. In a raspy, steel-edged voice, he called her name as he thrust himself mercilessly into her.

Seraphina moaned in acceptance of his desire. Her once milk-white body was now covered in bruises — the marks left behind by days of relentless lovemaking. And yet the man who had painted her skin with crimson petals still looked far from satisfied.

Usually, a bearer of special traits endured a cycle lasting no more than three days. Yet they had been together for almost a week now, and Damian still would not stop. His craving for her seemed endless.

Between bouts, he bathed her, laid her gently in bed, and fed her. While she slept, a tray of food was left outside the door. Damian always brought it in himself, feeding her by hand and making sure to give her extra green grapes, her favorite.

The moment she seemed to regain even a little strength, he took her again without hesitation. Day bled into night and night into day as he drove her onward without pause.

So it was—

A full week had passed since the two of them had bound themselves together.

“Sephi…!”

Damian thrust deeply inside her. After their countless unions over the past week, Seraphina had the strange sensation that her inner walls had been molded by him, as though they had been carved to fit his shape. This was evident in how effortlessly he moved through her now.

Yet the pleasure had not faded in the slightest.

He thrust hard, his slick p*nis sweeping rapidly along her inner walls. Each powerful thrust reached deep inside her, filling her so completely that her belly ached with need.

“Hah—ngh—Da… Damian!”

Seraphina clung to him as she reached what must have been her umpteenth climax. Every time she held him, he pressed just as tightly against her in return.

With no space left between them, Damian lifted only his hips and drove into her again and again. Her br*asts were crushed against his chest, and her wetness splashed shamelessly between her legs with each relentless thrust.

“Ah—ahh, ah!”

Seraphina cried out and her face flushed deep red as she reached org*sm. At that moment, Damian, who had buried his face in the crook of her neck, flinched.

Just as his muscles rippled with pleasure, he felt a warm sensation spread across her neck. As his shaft pistoned fiercely inside her, it slammed hard into her deepest spot.

“Ahh!”

“Sephi…!”

The moment Seraphina’s mouth fell open, the muscles in her throat spasmed and clenched tightly around her food. Thick veins stood out along Damian’s straight neck.

Letting out a low groan from deep in his throat, he sank his teeth into her shoulder. Lightly biting her was one of his habits when he was highly aroused.

They had been together so many times that habits like this had formed between them.

But this time, something was different.

“…!”

As he thrust inside her, Damian’s p*nis began to swell. The base of his shaft bulged, creating overwhelming pressure.

“Hngh—what is this—ah, ahh!”

Seraphina winced in pain as her door was forced open. She struggled to push him away, while Damian’s face twisted with frustration.

“D*mn it—why now of all times!”

“Th-this… hngh… what is it?”

Tears pooled in Seraphina’s eyes as she looked at him. Even as she spoke, s*men continued to spill relentlessly from the tip of his p*nis.

Damian frowned and replied in a hoarse voice.

“It’s knotting.”

“K-knotting…?”

Upon hearing his explanation, Seraphina’s eyes widened.

Knotting.

This phenomenon is unique to Alphas and occurs when the base of the shaft swells during a cycle and at the peak of arousal, resulting in an extended period of ej*culation. This instinctive trait is designed to prevent withdrawal from an Omega’s body and increase the likelihood of implantation.

Born of an Alpha’s drive to fertilize as deeply as possible, knotting could last for several minutes.

Which meant—

“So… we have to stay like this?”

“It’ll be over soon. I’m sorry.”

Looking apologetic, Damian pulled Seraphina into his arms. Soothing her as though she were a child, he gently stroked her hair.

Held tightly against him, Seraphina began to cry softly.

Damian’s p*nis was so large and thick that having it inside her was overwhelming. Now that the base had swollen, it was only natural that her previously flat lower abdomen bulged and strained under the pressure.

Clinging to a flustered Damian, Seraphina sobbed.

“No… please take it out… quickly… it hurts…”

She had become an Omega barely a week ago.

Before she had fully understood what being an Omega entailed, she was already experiencing knotting, and the fear made her tremble.

While she and Damian were entangled, she was so intoxicated by pleasure that there was no room for reason. But now, the unceasing pumping of the Alpha’s p*nis deep inside her filled her with terror.

During a cycle, and especially when knotting occurred, an Alpha had an extraordinarily high chance of impregnating their partner — almost a certainty.

Seraphina was struck by an ominous realization: being with Damian was no longer a one-time accident, but a monumental event that would change her life forever.

“I’m sorry, Sephi. I’m so sorry…”

Damian tried to soothe the tearful Seraphina, his voice laden with guilt. As she was comforted by his touch, her eyelids fluttered shut.

It seemed that Damian had released a new wave of pheromones for her benefit. Bathed in the gentle scent, her consciousness slowly drifted away.

The exhaustion that had built up over the days they had spent together hit her like a receding tide the moment she closed her eyes.

“……”

She heard Damian say something in her ear. But before she could make sense of it, she fell into a deep sleep.

***

Why did ominous premonitions always come true?

When Seraphina opened her eyes, she found herself in a completely different world — her life had been turned upside down.

The moment she woke up, she was summoned by the Empress.

Damian, the man who had gone through the cycle with her, was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, she was surrounded by unfamiliar maids as she lay alone in her bed. Judging by their attire, they belonged to the Empress’s palace. With stern expressions, they informed her that she was to prepare for an audience with Her Majesty.

She had no idea what was happening.

Still dazed, Seraphina complied. She tried to question the attendants, but they gave her no answers. They bathed, dressed and adorned her in silence.

By the time they had finished, she had been transformed into a noble lady, dressed in splendid attire.

Only then did the maids escort her to the empress.

Standing in the Empress’s reception room, having received no explanation whatsoever, Seraphina felt unsteady, as though the ground beneath her had shifted. Nevertheless, she composed herself, observed proper etiquette and bowed.

“Seraphina Lindenrosen greets Her Majesty the Empress. May the radiant light of Eisenbart be with you.”

The Empress regarded Seraphina from behind her fan, openly scanning her from head to toe.

Seraphina kept her knees slightly bent and waited for permission to stand up straight. Court custom dictated that one could only stand up after receiving an imperial signal.

Yet the Empress made no such gesture. She simply continued to observe Seraphina in silence.

Time passed.

Seraphina’s legs began to ache as the Empress remained silent. With each passing moment, the air in the ornate reception room grew heavier, bearing down on her.