Page 7 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

His knot swelled again at the base of his cock, pressing harder.

Serenity squeezed around him, greedy. Wanting.Needing.

But like always, he denied her.

He pulled out at the last possible second, cumming with a ragged groan as his release splashed hot and wasted against her thighs.

The emptiness struck instantly.

A hollow ache where he should have stayed.

She hated it more than anything.

Her hands moved without thinking—backward, reaching for him. She found his thick knot, still pulsing, still engorged, and wrapped her fingers around it. Stroked it slow. Punishing.

Darius cursed and bucked into her hand, teeth sinking into the crook of her neck as his breath stuttered out. His body was taut with restraint, his heart pounding against her spine.

Still, he didn’t claim her.

He never did.

And she never asked him to.

Because forever was for fools. For lovers. For people who didn’t have blood on their hands and empires to burn.

He kissed her again—this time on the mouth.

And she let him.

Because if they were nothing else, they were each other’s only weakness.

When they parted, her lips tingled, swollen and marked.

“You’ll never knot me,” she said, voice hoarse.

He didn’t deny it.

His eyes flicked over her face—desperate, haunted, full of secrets—and he whispered:

“Because I can’t afford to.”

And neither could she.

Not when the war waited just beyond the threshold.

So she swallowed the ache. Swallowed the need.

And she’d walked away, leaving his seed on her thighs and his scent in her lungs.

When they finally collapsed, exhausted and trembling, Serenity felt the familiar emptiness seep into her being—the hollow void that inevitably followed these encounters. It was a lingering shadow that seemed to expand, growing larger and more consuming with each passing instance.

She disentangled herself from him with deliberate movements, recomposing herself without meeting his eyes. Her fingers worked automatically, smoothing her dress, refastening buttons, reconstructing the armor of Serenity Vale, financial consultant and reluctant heiress.

"You have a meeting with the Singapore investors tomorrow," she said, her voice cool and professional as though moments ago she hadn't been calling his name. "My sources say they're hesitant about the shipping partnership."

Darius watched her intently, making no move to zip up those delicate trousers of his and reclasp that belt buckle. "Always business with you."

"What else is there?" she replied, sliding her feet back into her heels.

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