She froze, breath hitching, and then—unexpectedly—lunged into his arms, wrapping around him like a vine claiming stone.

Her face buried in the crook of his neck, golden hair spilling over his shoulder as sobs shook her frame, muffled against his skin.

The Viscountess, unbreakable pillar of Leonidus, clung to him like a girl adrift, her body still pressed hot and insistent against his arousal, but the desperation now laced with vulnerability.

"Why... why did you want to marry her? My Flora... our Flora." The words tumbled out, raw and broken, her fingers digging into his back. "Augustus speaks of it—as if it's sealed, a union to bind you and us. But you... you chose her. After everything we've... after me."

Aiden's heart twisted—not from guilt, but from the fierce protectiveness her pain ignited. He held her tighter for a moment, one hand stroking the silken fall of her hair, the other sliding down to cup her hip, grounding her in his warmth.

Then, with that slow, dangerous smile unfurling like dawn over storm clouds, he eased her back just enough to meet her gaze. "Oh, Cathe," he murmured, voice a low rumble that vibrated through them both. "You think I'd forget you? Ever?"

Without another word, he spun her gently but inexorably, bending her over the altar's edge—the cool marble pressing against her belly through the silk of her gown.

His fingers hooked into the delicate lacing at her back, tearing it open with a sharp rip that echoed like a vow shattered. The fabric parted like a secret revealed, baring the elegant curve of her spine, the swell of her ass, the lace of her undergarments clinging damply to her skin.

She gasped, arching into the exposure, but he didn't rush—freeing himself fully now, his cock throbbing hot against her thigh as he nudged her legs apart with his knee.

He pressed the blunt head to her entrance—slick, ready, her arousal a testament to the fire she'd banked for too long—and thrust deep in one smooth, claiming stroke, burying himself to the hilt.

Catherine's cry was a shattered keen, her walls clenching around him like a prayer answered "Aiiiiddddeeeennnn... yessssss... I missed Thiiissss "

He began to pound her then, hips rolling with measured brutality—each drive pulling a gasp from her lips, her body jolting forward against the altar, breasts spilling free from the ruined gown to scrape deliciously against stone.

"It's okay," he growled against her ear, one hand tangling in her golden hair to arch her back further, the other gripping her hip to pull her onto him harder, deeper.

"If I'm your son-in-law... gods, Cathe, it only makes this better. I won't forget you—never. I'll be closer now... right under your roof, in your halls.

Easier for us... to fuck like this. Whenever we crave it. Your secret, my queen."

Plat! Plat! Plat! Plat! Plat! Plat!

His thrusts quickened, relentless, the slick slide of him inside her building that familiar coil, her moans rising in pitch—long, quivering wails that filled the chapel: "Ooooohhhh... fuuuuck... yessss... mooooore... cuuuummmiiiinggg!"

Catherine nodded frantically, golden hair whipping as she pushed back to meet him, her body a live wire of surrender—walls fluttering wildly around his length, chasing ecstasy even as tears of relief mingled with sweat on her cheeks.

"Yes... oh gods, yes... CLOSER... don't stop... aaaaaahhhhhh... POUND meeeee!" She twisted her head, seeking his mouth in a needy, devouring kiss—lips crashing sloppy and desperate, tongues tangling in a wet, breathless dance as her climax shattered through her, body convulsing in waves that milked him toward his own edge.

Aiden groaned into the kiss, breaking only to bury himself deeper, spilling hot inside her with a final, guttural thrust—ropes of seed flooding her core, leaking in creamy trails down her thighs as she whimpered in bliss, legs trembling around him.

They stayed locked like that, breaths mingling in the sacred hush, the chapel's saints bearing silent witness to their pact renewed—not in vows, but in flesh and whispered promises.

At last, he eased out, gathering her into his arms as she sagged against him, gown in tatters, body glowing in the candlelight. Catherine's blue eyes, rimmed with fading gold, met his—sorrow eased, replaced by a fierce, sated glow. "You're a devil," she whispered, fingers tracing his jaw, "but you're my devil."

Aiden's smile deepened, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead.

"And you're the fire that keeps me chained, Cathe." Outside, the bells tolled on, oblivious to the deeper harmonies echoing below—triumph laced with sin, unions forged in shadow.

But in the heart of Leonidus, another thread tightened in Aiden's web, binding mother and daughter, house and hunger, in ways the feast above could never illuminate.

Then—

A sudden crash from above. Screams. The hall.

Aiden and Cathe turned above.

They fixed their clothes as both of them sprinted up the stairs.

Chaos had erupted. The great feast hall was drenched in overturned wine and shattered glass. Guests fled in terror as one of the servants convulsed on the floor, blood streaming from his eyes..

Augustus stood, shouting orders. "Guards! Seal the exits!"

A shadow's body arched violently from dust and debrie, his veins dark—black as ink. his skin dragon like, and something vast and wrong surged out of him: familiar horns, shrieking like a thousand broken voices.

Aiden froze for a breath. He'd seen this horror before, this. The one who had destroyed the eleven community within the dungeon. Here he thought, he wouldn't be able to come out the dungeon.0

"Aiden!" Flora's voice cut through the noise. She drew her sword, its steel gleaming bright under torchlight. "With me!"

He moved without thought, drawing his blade. Together they charged, steel flashing through the blur of shadow.

When his blade connected, the creature's form wavered like mist. It screamed, splattering the floor with dark ichor.

Flora pressed forward, cutting again, her strikes precise and furious. Yet with each blow, the thing smiled, its laughter echoing across the hall.

Finally, it vanished into the rafters, leaving only silence and the reek of burnt air.

Breathing hard, Flora turned to Aiden. "What was that?"

He hesitated. The truth would raise more questions than it answered.

"Something from beyond the dungeons," he said. "It sought someone… or something."

Her gaze narrowed. "And you seem to know too much about it."

Before he could answer, Augustus approached, his face pale but composed.

"Enough. We will investigate at dawn. For now, no one speaks of this beyond these walls. Understand?"

They nodded.

As the nobles were escorted away, Aiden glanced toward the chapel door. Catherine stood there in the shadows, watching him. The faint golden light in her eyes had dimmed, but not gone.

'this must be just a greeting, he has come to fulfill our promise...' he thought.

And Aiden understood then that the night's peace was an illusion. As he knew the strength of this 'abomination'.

The lion's house had begun to burn from within.

Outside, the moon hung high above Leonidus, pale and unblinking.

From the woods beyond the walls, a figure cloaked in white watched the manor's glowing windows. Arina's crimson eyes reflected the firelight as she whispered to the wind,

"Fuck!! The abomination ....it already reached here...."

She turned toward the path that led to the gates, her blade gleaming faintly at her side.

"Aiden, I will protect you.." she muttered.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.