章節 97: 97 - Bruised Masculinity (2.8 k words)
Romeo's POV
I couldn't get drunk, but I could act. Showing fake vulnerability was sometimes the only way to lure people into a false sense of security. People tend to let their guard down when they feel superior to someone.
It's an art you have to master to survive in the world of politics. You don't build wealth and power without stepping on some toes, and you don't get to keep it without ensuring that nobody steps on yours.
"Don't worry, my dear. I'm not here to take your seat. I'm just here to take your money."
"I'm not here to replace you, just to make you work for me."
"You can have the spotlight. I'll have the control."
"I'm not here to take away your property, just the right to use it."
That's the kind of man I "served" my whole life. The more successful you are, the harder it is to bow down and accept that you were just a piggy bank with a pulse. Romeo sounded better than the nickname Princess had given me when we first met, but it didn't exactly scream: 'You're a good catch' either.
I used to seek goodness and purity to escape the darkness and corruption in my life. My lovers were supposed to be my light, not the embodiment of everything I wanted to escape.
I glanced at Princess, who cuddled with Curtis while she watched how the boys tortured Vick. She inherited her father's talent for making the most unusual people bend the knee. One look at her was enough for you to understand that you were facing a superior being.
There was no aura of a Queen or a Goddess that demanded worshiping but a mere presence of an apex predator that was above any rules or logic. It kicked at your instincts, forcing you to accept that you were no match for it.
It would shake your confidence, and you'd start questioning everything about yourself─your looks, your behavior, your attitude, your age, your past...
I sighed, rubbing my nose bridge. She made me feel like a little insecure boy who was trying to act tough in front of his crush, calling her his princess and treating her like his little girl to stroke his bruised masculinity.
"..." I stared at her.
"..." She stared back and smirked, knowing full well that I was being an idiot. It wasn't a mocking smirk. It was an I-know-how-you-feel-but-I'm-not-going-to-pity-you kind of smirk.
We never went beyond kissing. Like she said, she didn't need a heart that would beat for her, but for her boys─literally.
She split and shared my spousal imprint with everyone except Vick and Karrak. The cost of being a part of her world would break anyone who was not willing to pay the price.
In the blink of an eye, I went from being a single bachelor to a man with seven mates. Her imprint shrunk in size while tiny little versions of her half hearts bloomed on the boys'.
It was like an arranged flash marriage. Curtis, Muir, Gold, Mitchell, and Bart's consent was never asked, and their opinions were never consulted. Skaris didn't want to be left out, so she ended up sharing my imprint with him as if it was just a party favor she could hand out however she liked.
I smiled and looked away. The moment I was going to feel sorry for myself was the moment I was going to stop deserving her.
Bart told me he had asked her what it would cost to become normal again, and she answered: everything. He thought it was a fair offer. The boys also didn't care about her opinion back then and decided to go ahead with their agenda, so they didn't have the right to complain either, he thought.
And the same could be said about me. She was a red flag I spent a long time deciding if I should pursue. I had the time and resources to look for other alternatives, but I was haunted by the regret of letting her slip through my fingers. So, I made the biggest risk I had ever taken in my life, and it turned out to be the most rewarding.
I might not have been intoxicated by the alcohol, but I was definitely drunk on her.
"He is used to be the center of attention, not a decoration, I guess," she said, making me skip a breath.
My heart fluttered, and my arms around Gold tightened. She was such a tease, ah.
I leaned against the blond man, resting my chin on his shoulder. His gaze was fixated on her, and when she looked his way, his body tensed and his ears flushed.
We were all so in love with her, it was almost ridiculous how hard we tried to suppress our urges.
Vick had been the cause of her libido's death for the past few months. She didn't have it in her to enjoy herself or others during certain times.
For example when Skaris was abducted, she would take over the role of a dominant partner and not let anyone fuck with her body or her feelings.
Gold didn't shake me off his shoulder and let me do whatever as he sat at the empty spot on the U shaped sofa. I sat next to him. I knew that he would let me kiss him, hug him, and even have sex with him. He would sacrifice anything for the sake of our family's happiness. And I decided not to exploit that, and waited until he wanted it for himself.
Gold poured me spring water and gave it to me, saying, "Drink this."
I smiled. That was his way of asking: Are you okay?
"Yes," I replied, sipping my water, "Thank you."
He nodded, and I placed my head back on his shoulder. He let me. They were all so easy to love it was cute. I could spend my whole day doing nothing, just admiring their beauty and appreciating their existence.
The light I've been looking for could only be seen with the help of the darkness that allowed it to shine.
It was an odd realization.
I was always told that I was a good man─too good, even. I had heard this more times than I could count, but it was never meant as a compliment. It was more like the biggest flaw a man could have.
It was funny how everyone's perception of a thing depended on their perspective.
"You are a scum of the world, who befriends its filth, and makes a business out of it."
That's how Princess used to see me, no matter how much I tried to paint myself in a good light.
"It's a compliment. With so much filth surrounding you, it's a miracle you still have a drop of decency left inside."
That day, my nickname changed from a "piggy bank with a pulse" to a "golden goose".
It was my first time wanting to give light to a person's eyes and not just looking for a place where I could find it. It was a haunting thought that wouldn't let go even after her departure.
"I met a few males, who wanted to meet Princess," I said, causing everyone's heads to turn my way.
Curtis stopped sewing a new outfit for Plushy and tightened his tail around Princess', "No more males, Sweetheart. No more."
Mitchell immediately stopped feeding Vick hot peppers and rushed toward Princess, "Let's hide her."
Muir stood in front of her like a guard, "How strong are you, Karrak?"
The screen buzzed before turning on, "I can defeat Yaya in a fight. Is that enough?"
"WHAAAAT?!?! NOOO WAAAY!" The trio exclaimed and surrounded the phone, "HOOOW?!?!"
"With my eyes closed," Karrak answered. He had a strange sense of dry humor and nobody knew if he was for real or not.
"Are you telling me that you are stronger than Vick?!" Mitchell began pulling at his hair, "This needs to stop, Darling! If more of Karrak's likes pop out of nowhere, I'll turn bald. Do you want a bald mate? NO. No, you don't. And that's why no more males, no more!"
Princess peeked from above Curtis's snail, "What if it's a female?"
"Females are even worse!" Mitchell said, looking horrified, "The Tiger Queen isn't even your mate and you are already treating her better than all of us combined!"
Curtis agreed with a nod, "If you accept a female, I'll eat her."
"I'll cook her for you," Skaris said.
"I'll set the fire," Muir offered.
"I'll dig the hole," Bart said.
Even Karrak got into the bandwagon, "I'll hide the evidence, so you don't get caught."
Everyone stared at Karrak.
"I'm kidding," the screen buzzed.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ha. Ha," Mitchell deadpanned, "So funny, Karrak. You're killing me here."
"Just joking, just joking," the screen went black, "But not really."
"Hey! Come back!" Mitchell shook the screen, "I'm talking to you, Mister Mysterious. What do you mean, not really? Are you serious or not?! Don't take back what you said! You are helping us hide the evidence, got it?!"
"Only if you mess up," Karrak said, "You can do it, I believe in you."
"We'll be counting on you, Karrak!" Skaris patted the screen.
"..." Mitchell slapped Skaris's back, "Why are you already assuming we will fail? That's a very pessimistic approach to life, Skaris."
"It's called realism, Papa Mitche. We can't outsmart Dear. She's too smart. Too clever. Too talented. Too-"
"Alright, alright. Enough flattery," Mitchell said, "We need a plan, boys."
A few moments later...
"NO MORE MATES," the boys started pleading at Princess' feet, "NO. MORE. MATES."
Princess shrugged, "It's not me, who keeps bringing them, though?"
"You are the cause!" They said at the same time.
"And you are the culprits," she countered, "If you feel there's too many of you, just get rid of each other. No? Oh, I see. You are afraid you'll like the newcomer and won't have the heart to kick them out. Am I right or am I right?"
They glared at her while Mitchell took the lead in their rebellious campaign, "You are being a menace to us again! Whoever decides to approach you, will get mauled by us! There is no way we will let you take another mate no matter how strong and amazing he is! Understood?!"
"After you promise not to get bribed by their wealth, power, or influence, then you can talk. But until then..." She threw them a mocking snort, "You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do."
At this point, they kept telling the "NO MORE MATES" to themselves than to her, like a mantra.
"No matter what he offers, don't get fooled," they said.
"No. Matter. What," Muir insisted before getting ready to sleep. "No. Matter. WHAT." He kissed the top of her head and glanced at the boys, "We will be the ones offering more and better things in the future, got it?"
"Got it!" Bart, Skaris, and Mitchell answered before they switched their attention to the head male, who was on the verge of throwing up, "Got it?!"
They didn't take Vick's silence as an answer and began shaking him like a snow globe, "VICK?! SAY IT! GOT IT?! WE'LL PROVE THAT THERE'S NOBODY BETTER FOR HER THAN US! OKAY?! VICK?!"
They enjoyed bullying the man more than they should, but nobody said anything because they all thought the same thing: serves him right. Who knew when they would get another chance like this again? They had to enjoy Vick having no control of his body as much as possible.
Princess changed her Plushy's clothes into pajamas that Curtis finished sewing. It was a simple green onesie with a hoodie, which had frog eyes on the top.
"There," she smiled, "Now you are officially a cute, little frog. Do you like it?"
The Plushy couldn't talk, but both Princess and Curtis acted as if they could read the look on its face.
"Of course he does," Curtis said, poking the little teddy's nose, "I made it."
"It's time," Bart said and went to pick up Plushy's pillow and blanket.
Skaris took Plushy from Princess and carried it toward the sleeping Muir.
Muir's beast form didn't even stir when his wing was lifted and a little frog bear was slid inside. He opened his eyes, glanced at Plushy, and moved a little, so the teddy could lie comfortably by his side.
Gold stood up and walked toward the wardrobe, rummaging through the pile of clothes and took out a beautiful, sleeveless, silk dress.
It had a low neckline, which was embroidered with small pearls, and a long skirt.
They undressed Princess and put the dress on her.
"Don't move," Mitchell warned, picking up a necklace and matching earrings. He put the jewelry on her and asked her to spin.
Princess turned her back to everyone, making them whistle and applaud.
"Beautiful," Bart said.
"Gorgeous," Gold said, putting on a pair of sandals, which matched the color of the dress.
"Done," Skaris announced and stepped away after fixing her hair.
Curtis and Mitchell wiggled from side to side, unable to contain their excitement. They all loved dressing her up and looked like a bunch of kids in a candy store.
"Romeo, take a photo," Curtis waved his hand, urging me to act.
I was still in a daze and couldn't process the sight in front of me.
"Come on, hurry up. Before she takes it off," Mitchell said, giving me Karrak's phone, "Take a photo. Hurry, hurry!"
I snapped out of my thoughts and accepted the device. She didn't teach them how to use the camera and Vick was out of commission, so they relied on me to capture the moment.
She stood in the middle of the room, her face glowing and her figure enchanting. "..." I looked through the phone's screen, adjusting the focus, zooming in, and adjusting the light.
The boys were behind her, smiling and trying not to move. They looked so happy.
"Alright, now smile," I said, but before I could snap a photo, she released her pheromones.
It was such a sudden, unexpected, and intense burst of aphrodisiac, that it knocked us all off our feet. Our spousal imprints began beating rapidly, and the urge to make love to her consumed us.
The phone slipped from my hand and fell onto the floor. The sound of it hitting the ground echoed throughout the silent room.
She walked over the writhing bodies on the ground and picked it up, placing it back on the table.
I was hard and throbbing, and could barely keep my eyes open without the urge to devour her.
"I have a surprise for you," she said, her voice sweet like honey, her tone mischievous. "Boys, come."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Can't move," Bart's hoarse voice came from the floor.
"Too early. Need to prepare," Skaris said, and the sound of his teeth grinding against each other filled the room.
They were high and unable to function.
Princess kicked Vick, who leaped at her like a spring, out of the balcony. It looked as if he was ready to die for her, but not in a way you'd expect. He was ready to die inside her, not because of her.
Her pheromones awakened a Kraken, and it was now raging inside him. His body was a ship and his will was the sea. If she had a desire to see a tsunami, then she would see one. He was so out of control and aggressive, even the beast was afraid of him.
We pinched our noses, crept toward the balcony, and saw the dire situation inside the lake.
She broke one of VIck's tentacles, but another wrapped around her neck and slammed her against the hill. Another pressed itself against her thigh.
Princess summoned her machetes and swung them, piercing the tentacle on her neck, and the one between her thighs. Again, her pheromones exploded, and the water rippled.
"I'm going to make you cum so hard, your brain will melt," she promised, pulling the tentacles off her, "You're going to die and come back to life. And I'll bring you back just to make you shot an empty load all over again."
She was not afraid nor intimidated by the sight of his giant, monstrous, and grotesque form.
The Kraken was thrashing, its limbs flying all over the place, hitting the alley walls, and we had to do everything we could to defend the Mansion's construction.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Romeo's nickname stuck with everyone, so I'll be keeping it like that. 😁
Poor guy, to have his spousal imprint ripped apart and handed around. Well, that's what he signed up for when he agreed to her condition. 😁
I think she secretly admires how he refuses to let the darkness of his world consume his heart. 🤫
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