10. Happily Ever After

10 HAPPILY EVER AFTER

A llie

I am so glad to be looking after the baby. Wrath can't whip me for Cadence and Casey, who are still missing, with the baby in our shelter. The child seems quite happy to be with us, which I take to mean our energy is calm, centered, and safe. I start to think that laying an egg one day might not be the absolute worst thing to happen.

"She's kind of cute, isn't she?" I smile the question over at Wrath, who has made himself comfortable after a long hunt. He looks at ease. If he still intends on punishing me, there's no sign of it now.

"Bwitch," the baby gurgles.

"And she really likes that word."

"It has a certain kick to it," Wrath agrees.

The sound of something like a lash hitting something like bare flesh is emanating from the other shelter, and we are all pretending not to hear it. Me, especially, because I don't want Wrath getting any ideas.

"This is good," he says. "Once Shan is back in control, Lettie will be much less dangerous."

"She's still going to be in trouble, though, isn't she? She's still a criminal. You can't level a city block, crash a ship, and expect no consequences."

"If Thorn finds her, yes, there will be problems. But it is possible that in the future she and Shan will live elsewhere with this little one, thereby avoiding detection, not to mention apprehension and punishment."

I marvel at him. "Wow," I say. "Your plans really do work out for you one way or another, don't they. You're getting everything you wanted. Lettie will be under your control, all the human women are trapped on this planet, and the baby is going to live in your world too."

Wrath smiles at me in a broad, pleased way. I'd call it smug, but it is beyond smug. It is the smile of a male who quite literally cannot lose because the game is not over until he says it is. Lettie is having her ass whipped right now, and Shan, who was a traitor, is now serving his will again too. I feel as though I am finally understanding Wrath in a way I didn't before. I assumed he was a smart, sexy bad guy. But he's way more than that. He's a tactical genius.

"Thorn's never been the alpha, has he? You let him have that big house, and you let him ride his machines around, but he is stuck having to be one thing. He has to follow rules and laws. But you can be anything. You can do anything."

I wait to see if he is going to deny it — but Wrath has never been one to play small.

"You're quite perceptive, Allie," he says. "I knew I liked you the moment I met you. I saw through the frightened little servant, just as you saw through the outlaw. I know what you are. I know you are stronger than you want anybody to know you are. I know that you are a deserving mate. More than that, you are my match."

I smile at him, feeling a very particular kind of warmth sinking through me. I hid my past from everybody it could be hid from. I even managed to make myself forget about it. But he saw it in me anyway. He saw my strength, my resilience, and the darkness. He knew that I had done wrong, and he never judged me for that, not even for a moment.

"Bwitch," the baby giggles again.

"We are going to have to find some other word to entertain her. And a name. This is starting to become ridiculous. At this rate, she's going to be a hundred years old and still being referred to as baby," I say.

"I'm sure she'll pick up all sorts of monikers over the years," Wrath rumbles, amused.

I feel satisfied and content in a way I have not felt in a very long time. There is something about being in this shelter with Wrath and a baby. I like the quiet domesticity of it. I like the sense of belonging that it makes me feel. And I like the way there is no part of me that is not welcome in this room. I don't have to pretend to be a simple cleaner, or a wild pirate. I can be those things, and an ex-soldier, and a woman of the night. I have been the best and the worst, and now I am simply his.

"Is this our happily ever after?"

"It's our happy for now. They'll be coming for us eventually."

"Who?"

"All of them," he says. "My people, Thorn's people, probably Adaine's people. Our disappearance will create chaos in Grave City. Sullivan will want her ship back. Thorn will want to know what happened. Those loyal to me will want me to return. Lettie's rampage will continue to ripple through saurian society for months if not years to come. She's an influential figure no matter what way one looks at it."

A tap at the door of the shelter heralds Shan. Wrath calls out to him, and he pokes his head inside. "We're ready to have the baby back now," he says. "Thank you for taking her."

"Of course. Anytime. She's a joy."

Shan smiles broadly. He seems to be in a good mood. I'm sure he got laid, and I'm sure he got a lot of his frustrations out. I'd say I hope Lettie is okay, but I know she is. That woman seems to be able to do anything and survive it.

I hand him the baby, and he leaves Wrath and me to ourselves.

"So," Wrath says. "Now is my chance to deal with you."

"Me?" I squeak the word.

"I told you, if those other two left camp, you'd be the one getting it."

"You can't be serious," I gasp as excitement courses through me. "That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," he says, lowering his voice to a commanding tone. "Come here."

I do as I am told, because I want to. No order that involves getting close to Wrath is going to be ignored.

He puts a powerful finger under my chin and tips my head up to make me look at him.

"You are going to be their whipping girl."

I feel another tingle of anticipation. He is playing with me, but there is something in his eyes that tells me he is going to play rough. I can't wait. I missed him while he was gone, and I have needed his attention in this way. I did not get to come when he fucked me on our first day here. I have been waiting to be allowed orgasm all this time.

"They disobeyed me," he growls, rising to his feet. All he has to do to dwarf me is stand up. I find myself staring up at him with a mixture of fear, anticipation, and desire.

Wrath is by far the most attractive saurian I have ever laid eyes on. It's not just his appearance, his massive, armored body, mature muscularity, hard lines, and piercing eyes. It's also his gravitas. He is a natural born alpha. I'm sure a saurian like Thorn knows how to be in charge with all of his infrastructure and fancy buildings and soldiers and such, but Wrath knows how to take command from the ground up. He has built his personal empire with nothing but charisma and force of will.

"Take your clothes off," he says. "That suit will not protect you from me."

I blush as I do what I am told, feeling very much as if I am in trouble. That's what he wants me to feel. He wants me feeling naughty, excited, and small.

When I am entirely naked, he picks me up and he kisses me thoroughly. I love it when he holds me. It shows me how weightless I am to him, how easily he can handle me, and how very cherished I am.

"What happens to naughty whipping girls who are too good to be punished for their own sins, but most pay for those of others?" He growls the words in an affectionate tone that makes me smile.

"I don't know."

"They get mated," he says. "In all their holes."

"All of them!?" I gasp, my eyes flying wide open.

"All of them," he says. "After you have been whipped red for me, of course. I don't think you've been properly punished for your disobedience in coming here."

"You're glad I did, though, aren't you," I smile. I'm not really in trouble. This isn't any real punishment, and I am glad for that. Facing Wrath in his, well wrathful state, is terrifying.

"I am glad you are here. I am not happy you disobeyed me to get here. I am not happy you put your life at risk. I am happy you listened to me today and stayed in camp, though. You are learning."

"I tried to be good," I agree.

"You were a very, very good girl. Now show me how much better you can be, and suck me…"

He does not need to tell me twice. I drop to my knees and I suck his freed cock with all the eagerness of a woman who wants her mate to be happy. Wrath deserves my submission, just as I deserve his dominance. We fit together perfectly because we know how to give and how to receive.

Cadence and Casey haven't learned how sweet life can be when you just do what you're told. They're still under the impression that doing what they want, when they want is the ultimate goal. I used to think that too, but now I know that the feeling of being deeply connected this way, flesh to flesh, heart to heart, soul to soul, is like no other.

Wrath's big hand fists in my hair as I suck his cock, doing my best to take as much of him as possible. It's still not much. Not nearly enough. He is going to use all the other parts of me before he is satisfied.

"You're due for another breeding," he reminds me, making my pussy clench with anticipation. "But first, I think you're due for that good whipping girl treatment. Turn around. Hands and knees. Head down. Ass up."

I do as I am told, half-giggling, half-terribly embarrassed at what dirty things I will do for him. I feel a drizzle of something warm and viscous. He must have asked Casey or Cadence for lubricant, which means they have helped him fuck me in multiple different ways.

"Interesting how obedient you can be when you're naked and being taken to task for naughtiness," he says, satisfied. "I am so proud of you, Allie. I love you more than life itself."

SMACK!

A lash lands across my ass. It is whippy and stingy, and I know he must have made it when he was out hunting. He must have gone out and found a tree with just the right sort of branches and stripped the leaves from it and brought it back up here to smack my ass.

I cry out, but of course that is all part of the fun. Again and again, that lash lands, back and forth, whipping my skin to a high temperature and intense sensitivity. The lubrication between my cheeks makes them slide in interesting ways as I wriggle back and forth in front of him, somehow enjoying the pain.

"You're a good girl, and you're going to be a sore girl," he promises me. "Should I make you cry before I fuck your ass, Allie? Do you want to know what it is like to be sobbing while your tight hole is stretched around my cock?"

There's a particular perversion in his threats that makes me tingle. The intensity of the whipping increases. He goes up and down my ass and even onto my thighs. Keeping in position is almost impossible, but I do it because I want him to praise me. I take pleasure in knowing I am doing as I should, even as that lash bites against my ass and thighs over and over.

"Answer me, Allie."

"I don't know!" I whimper. "I can't think!"

He chuckles, knowing what he is doing to me. My mind really doesn't work right now. All I care about is the sensations he's making me feel, and wanting his cock inside me.

"Please," I whimper. "Please… use me."

"That is a sweet request I cannot resist," he growls lustfully, dropping the lash.

"Put your hands back, grab those sore cheeks, and spread them," he orders.

I do as I am told, feeling him over me. Our size difference is intense. I know I am so small compared to him, presented on the floor of the shelter with my ass red and whipped, my hands gripping tingling flesh to keep myself open for him as he lowers his monstrously large alien form over me and pushes the head of his saurian cock up against my lubricated hole.

There's tightness, and there's aching in my butt that is to be expected. I feel myself struggling with this level of submission, staying in place while my ass is spread open a little at a time. Wrath is going carefully, conquering me entirely by slow degrees.

"You are so good," he praises me. "It is fortunate I am no sadist because you are far too sweet and obedient a little mate to deserve cruelty."

I don't agree. I think he is a sadist, and I think that is what makes this so fucking hot. My ass is being stretched beyond the point I thought I could take until this very moment. I'll take this. I'll take any and all cock he wants to give me. He can fuck my ass, he can breed me, he can take me as often and as intensely as he wants because he is the ultra dominant, sometimes sadistic, always adoring love of my life.

"You deserved this on the day we landed here," he says. "You deserved to be put in this position, and have your ass fucked properly. You needed to be shown your place, and the consequences of disobedience."

I squirm, my ass wriggling back and forth with his cock inside me as he lectures me. We never really did finish that punishment session out on the mountainside. We've been far too busy trying to survive.

He fucks me long and deep, my ass stretching for him, giving us both intense, tight pleasure. I rest my head on the back of my hands and I let him do what he wants to do to me. I give myself completely and entirely, and I let the warm feeling of love, connection, and submission reward me.

"You are almost impossible to punish," he grunts. I can tell he is getting close to coming. His cock is getting thicker, the scaled, lubricated length of it plunging deep inside my body. He grabs my ass and pulls me closer, dragging me across the floor to use me better.

This isn't really punishment. I don't want to be punished. I don't ever want to make him sad, disappointed, or scared again. He's never done that to me. From the moment we met, he has been there for me in every way possible. I will never deserve punishment again. And he will never have to give it.

He reaches around me, finds my clit, and starts alternately rubbing and smacking my empty pussy from beneath. I jolt and arch at this rough handling, my sensitive clit being roughed up by my alien mate. He knows what this will do to me. He knows this will send me over the edge.

I am nearly flat on the floor, my hips arched to give him space to torment, fuck, and claim my holes. I feel his thick, long alien fingers curl up around my mound and penetrate my pussy, fucking me in both holes now.

There is no modesty here. There is only filth, depravity, and lust. I am swept up in it, carried along by it. I am coming before I even know what is happening, orgasm swallowing me up as his hand makes a wet smacking sound every time he pulls his fingers out of my cunt and then pushes them back in, slapping my sex hard and fast. I come at his insistence, shuddering and squirming and crying out loudly as he fills my ass up with his seed.

"Yesss!" Wrath growls. "That's right. Make your hot ass grip me. Come for me, Allie. Show me what a dirty little girl you are."

He is coming too. I feel him pulsing inside me. I feel hot flushes of alien fluid in my bowels, and I feel myself falling into a state of submission so intense I am sure I will never escape.

He stays inside me as he picks me up and carries me to the bed, cradling me in his arms. We lie there until his cock slides from my ass, allowing a stream of semen to escape my body. We are two cum-soaked, filthy, messy sexy creatures connected in every way possible, and I am as happy as I have ever, or will ever be.

"I hope Cadence and Casey are okay," I murmur, the thought forcing its way through what remains of my senses. Wrath has fucked me into a state of such divine relaxation I can't imagine anything not being okay.

"Those two? They could survive anything," Wrath rumbles.

"That's true."

I drift off to sleep in my saurian mate's arms, not knowing what comes next for any of us, but knowing I will face it with him by my side. I will never be lonely again. I will never be betrayed again. Wrath is mine, and I belong to him. That is all I need to know.

W rath

My mate lies awash with seed in my arms. I filled her ass tonight, but when I have washed, she will have her pussy bred again. She will lay for me, of this I have no doubt. I will breed her this, and every day until she starts to swell with new life.

In the morning, I will hunt the other two females down. Their punishment will have been surviving the night. I am sure it will not be pleasant, and there is some chance that they will not make it back alive, but those are the consequences of disobedience. That is a lesser matter. There is a greater one on my mind.

I have made a decision.

A new city is going to rise here. Grave City was like this once, a remote place surrounded by impenetrable geography and marked with the bones of a large ancient beast long gone to her rest.

This city will also be built around the bones of a beautiful creature. The human ship, the Mare , is very nearly as large as the skeleton in the center of Grave City, and like that skeleton which provided shelter for our ancestors, the ship's wreckage is already giving us all we need.

Talk of rescue will dwindle in time. We will begin to accept this place as our new home.

This is what destiny has had in mind from the beginning.

I was born to be alpha, not to live in the shadowy underground of an old power structure, but to lead a new one. Our city will not be comprised of those of pure saurian blood, but a new breed of hybrid. Smaller, faster, smarter. True competition to Thorn's old breed. Grave City's nurseries will continue to cast out saurians like Shan, whose dark eyes mark him as an aberration, and we will take them. Over generations, something entirely new, and I believe, even better will rise from the wreckage of this ship.

Allie snuggles into me, and I smile, remembering how she accused me of always getting my way. It is not my way that I am getting. I follow fate and destiny. I do what I must, and I become what I was designed to be. I accept my nature entirely, along with the nature of others. I do not reject differences. I accept, and I suppose, sometimes exploit them.

History will say that this was my plan. They will credit me with decisions I never made, and triumphs I was forced to endure. They will call me a useful monster, or perhaps the destroyer of the saurian world. Or maybe I will be regarded as the founder of not only a new city, but a new species.

I say this is my bid for freedom. I say this is my labor of love.

I say this is the future of our world.