Asher tried not to put his weight on his legs as he moved down the dark corridor. His hands shook with annoyance, his brows creased with fury. Part of him told him to go back — to not embark on this battle. To not give in to this temptation, while the other part of him, the stronger part prodded him on. Invalidated the consequences he could likely face if he was caught. If he got caught in the Agravarian Palace so late in the night without a purpose or concrete reason whatsoever, his reputation and dignity, what was left of it anyway — would be annihilated to dust.

But he didn't turn back. He had a reason — heck, he didn't need a reason to be there at any time of the day. The Palace would be his home in a few months. It would be his to manage, with Dominic by his side, so no one could question him. The reason for him coming was not far-fetched, given what had happened a few days ago after the ball and garden incident. He'd waited, like a child waiting for Christmas for Dominic to visit and apologize with flowers and sweet words for what happened between them that night. He knew he was stupid feeding that fantasy that perhaps there was a lovey-dovey part of the Alpha — almost everyone tried being romantic once in a while — but the realization that dawned each new day afterward with no sight of Dominic in the Melissa Castle was hard-hitting and cruel.

Dominic was heartless to the core. A beast.

Well, he would show the cocky Alpha. He would prove to the brute that Asher Von Heaven wasn't just anyone he could mess with and not apologize. He would bring Dominic to his knees, make him beg, cry and crawl. And then he'd put an end to his part of the bond by rejecting him.

The mere thought of it — Dominic writhing on the floor and pleading after he muttered the rejection words — was so intriguing and comforting that Asher couldn't help smiling and letting out a relieved breath, walking even faster.

He knew the palace corridors like the back of his hand. Queen Jessica, Dominic's mother had gifted him a map of it when he came the first time, to help him find his way in case he got lost in the huge, exquisite castle. Asher was twelve then and had met Dominic already, three days before. She let him keep it for future purposes and he'd spent long hours studying the valuable sheet. He also knew that Dominic's quarters were heavily guarded by this time of the day — and that the Alpha was still awake way past bedtime. While everyone slept, Dominic worked like a robot till morning then had his bath and resumed working again till noon. It was an endless, boring cycle and if it was any other person, Asher could have felt pity.

But Dominic deserved no pity.

“Who goes there?” A husky voice inquired when he turned a bend, stepping into the corridor leading to Dominic's quarters. Two shiny eyes burned at him from the farthest end of the corridor and he stilled in fright, swallowing a hardened lump.

“It is I. Prince Asher Von Heaven.”

An omega with an eye patch stepped forward now, bowing curtly. “Your Highness. What brings you here during this time of day?”

Asher blinked, suddenly tongue-tied. The words weren't coming forth and for a while, he just stood rigid. The omega cocked his head to the side. “Your Majesty?”

“I want to see Prince Dominic. Is he in?”

The omega nodded. “Yes. But he's busy, Sir. You might want to come back tomorrow. When it's brighter too.”

Asher sucked in a deep breath, a tad bit irritated. He'd come such a long way here to be dismissed as though he meant nothing. It was an insult to his personality. “Tell him I'm around. He will have to see me whether he likes it or not.”

“Your Highness,” the omega's tone turned pleading now. “He'd instructed us not to let anyone in. He doesn't want to be disturbed. Please understand. It'll be best you come tomorrow.”

“I'm not going to take much of his precious time, Estel,” Asher snorted, folding his arms across his chest. “Tell him I want to speak to him. I won't leave until I do.”

Seeing that Asher meant every word of it, Estel turned to whisper to his omega counterpart. Asher wrapped his arms around himself, his teeth clattering as he stood outside in the cold night air, tapping his feet as he waited for Dominic’s response. The omega came back out again and cleared his throat. “The Crown Prince has instructed me to tell you that he’s very busy and doesn’t have a moment to spare. It’d be in Your Highness’s best interest to stay the night here and see him first thing in the morning.”

“No,” Asher said stubbornly, stepping forward towards the closed door. “Tell him to stop insulting me. I’m his mate for heaven’s sake. He has no right to dismiss me without first granting me an audience.”

“If Your Highness might permit me to suggest,” Estel said. “Perhaps you could instruct us to tell the Crown Prince that you wish to discuss a matter of urgency as regards the both of you. I trust he’d be more responsive then. It’s not right to try and make a fuss whenever you come around, Sir.”

Asher blinked, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. “W-What did you just say?” he glowered. “I make a fuss?”

Estel bowed slightly, having realized his slip. “Pardon me, Your Highness. That was so improper of me.”

It was the first time he was hearing this from someone other than Dominic – which he felt always said out of hate and spite. Hearing this from an omega was the highest insult to his person and authority, but now that Asher thought about it carefully, Estel was right. He was always making a fuss with Dominic and perhaps that was why things weren’t working out between the both of them.

“I’m so sorry, Your Highness.” Estel apologized again.

“It’s okay,” he managed to say, subdued. “You can tell him that I want to speak to him about something urgent. I trust he’ll listen then.”

“Very well.”

After a few minutes of solicitations from within, Estel pulled the door open. “Please come with me, Your Highness.”

He slipped inside the bedroom and Estel pulled the door close behind him. Asher lingered there for a moment, his heart beating faster as he stared, awe-struck at the sight of Dominic’s bare back and arse that was turned to him. The Crown Prince stood in front of the mirror, applying a strawberry-smelling ointment to his hair. The air reeked of the sweet-scented oil as well.

“What are you doing here at such an odd time of the day, Asher?” Dominic said, not even bothering to turn and look at him. Asher almost didn’t hear him, surprised by the dreadful reaction the mere sight of Dominic’s firm arse was having on his body. His dick writhed painfully in his underwear and he had to consciously clamp a hand down over it and adjusted his pants so he could be more comfortable.

Dominic locked eyes with him in the mirror and smirked, his hands still messing up his hair. “What’s the matter now, Asher? You’re quiet.”

Asher knew that he was baiting him. And his body was already falling for it. Darn, he really shouldn’t have come in the first place.

Well, I’ll show him!

He strode over briskly, reaching out for Dominic’s arm and whirling the Crown Prince around sharply.

“What the hell?” Dominic’s eyes widened as he dropped to his knees in front of him, face level with his flaccid dick which was now rapidly growing as blood rushed into it.

He stared at Asher with furrowed brows, his nose flaring in protest. “Are you insane? This will take us nowhere.”

Asher suppressed the urge to flip his imaginary wig as he brought his nose closer to the bastard’s cock. “We’ll see.”

Dominic pushed him back, his eyes blazing with anger and lust. “Stop this nonsense at once. You’re too young for this.”

“Stop being such a coward.” Asher snarked, returning to his place. “And stop pushing me. This is the second time you’re doing that. I won’t take it lying down once it crosses the third, and I don’t care if you’re my mate or not if that happens.”

“You’re wasting your precious time,” Dominic folded his arms across that sexy, bare chest, looking at him impassively, his lips twitching in disdain. “I was hardly impressed the first time.”

Snorting, Asher leaned forward and ran his tongue full circle on the pink tip – sliding in a little between the small slit. Dominic’s legs wobbled as he reached out to grip the vanity mirror behind him, shocked.

“You think you’re immune to my tongue?” Asher taunted through their weak mind link. “Just look at you, shameless. I barely did anything and you’re already crippled. Your cock twitching with need. Don’t you see the power I have over you, asshole?”

“Shut up. You can decide to give me the best blowjob I’ve ever had my entire life but it won’t still change a thing. Get used to that, little wimp.” Dominic bit back scathingly.

Asher smiled. Dipping his head to suck a ball. Dominic muttered something incoherent under his breath, gripping the mirror harder, his eyes dark. “The best blowjob, huh? We could work that out.”

“Stop this foolishness at once and go home. This makes you look like a cheap whore,” he smirked at the storms of rage gradually gathering in Asher’s eyes. “A terrible whore.”

Without a word more, Asher clamped his hands around the Alpha’s thighs and gave the cock a long, gracious lick from the base to the tip, shivering at the intense trickle of pleasure coming off Dominic. Damn. If he wasn’t careful enough to put his emotions in check, he could get addicted to this someday.

Yuck.

“Stop.”

Asher fluttered his eyes open and was about to start going off again when the look on Dominic’s face got his attention. The alpha was breathing hard, his back leaned against the mirror, barely holding up.

“Let me sit down first, okay? I can’t enjoy this while standing.”

They relocated to the bed, Dominic sitting while Asher was still on his knees on the floor. “If you want to give me the best blowjob, at least do it right? Put those grubby hands of yours behind your back and don’t remove them unless I tell you so.”

Suppressing the urge to be stubborn, Asher obeyed. Reluctantly.

Dominic widened his legs. Grabbing Asher’s hair, he yanked the Prince’s face closer to his pulsing cock. Asher moaned, nuzzling it.

“You look so pretty,” Dominic praised, his hands working rapidly over Asher’s shirt buttons, reaching in to pinch a nipple bud. He slapped his cock on Asher’s left abs, smearing the precum all over the glitzy porcelain skin, the corners of his lips pulling up in a nasty, delirious expression before roughly pushing his cock between Asher’s waiting lips.

Asher whined, almost losing his balance due to his clasped hands. He glared at Dominic, his words muffled by the cock in his mouth. “Who made you in charge of this?”

“You’re the one who wanted to give me a blowjob, Asher. So you relinquished your control temporarily to me. I decide how things go.”

“Ugh. Control freak much?”

“Not quite,” Dominic said out loud, pushing Asher’s face back and forth slowly, caressing his cheeks. “I just love seeing you like this. Taking it reluctantly. Breaking you until you cave to your dirty pleasures and helping you fulfill your silly fantasies about me.”

Asher choked at that. “You’re sick if you think I waste my time every night, thinking about you nutting me up.”

“Even with a gun to your head, you won’t still agree to the fact that my body and presence turn you on more than yours do to me.”

“It’s not a surprise, though,” Asher rolled his eyes. “You’re still a bleary, bland arsehole even during sex. It’s become a part of you.”

“Who said we were having sex, Asher?” He laughed, his head falling back slightly. “This is far from sex. It’s called child’s play.”

“Child’s play is when I let you fuck my mouth? Are you being serious, right now?”

“Sex requires two consenting adult participants coming together willingly for the sake of pleasure. You’re not even up to eighteen and here you are, insisting on servicing me for some fucked up reason. I try to stop you but you’re such a hothead.”

Now, Asher was really tempted to bite his cock off and chew. But he was also really tempted to suck him harder, to weaken the bastard’s resolve, and prove that he, Asher, was the one with the most control –

Fucked up reason.

He suddenly had a moment of realization. No, he didn’t come for Dominic’s cock. He was here to talk and straighten things out with the brute, and the arsehole’s cock had become a welcomed distraction.

And he’d let it.

Really fucked up. He let the cock slip out of his mouth and stood.

Dominic scowled at him, his brows furrowed in surprise. “Did I ask you to stand?”

Asher crossed his arms over his chest and shot him a smile. God, he was loving every bit of this. “I just remembered that it’s already so late in the night and I’d like to sleep if you don’t mind. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Dominic gave him a withering look, his chest heaving heavily as he tried to contain his rage.

“Why do you look shocked? Did I hurt your stupid ego? Did you really think I was going nuts because of your cock? Take a few seats back, hunny,” he flipped his imaginary wig, chuckling as Dominic’s frown deepened. “My name is Prince Asher Von Heaven and I’m true Melissan royalty. Go ask around, we don’t go nuts over anything. Instead, people and pesky situations such as this go nuts because of us.”

With one last wig flip, he swiveled around on his heels and headed for the door.

But he couldn’t make it that far.