Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It feels like the air stills the second Rhaenyra opens the door.

Haloed under the dim glow of the porch light, is Alicent.

Her best friend, and the woman who's owned her heart since they were children all wrapped up into one. Now stands before her with tears in her eyes, her mascara gone to complete shit looking utterly shattered.

(more like beautifully devastating).

"He—he— in our bed," Alicent chokes out, voice fraying around the edges. "Rhaenyra, he—"

She doesn’t finish.

She doesn’t have to.

The pain in her eyes tells Rhaenyra everything she needs to know, and she pulls Alicent inside and into her arms.

Alicent collapses against her as sobs shudder through her body. Her usual comforting scent is sour, tangled with salt and grief. Rhaenyra only holds her tighter then guides them toward the couch and pulls Alicent onto her lap, steading her even as her pulse roars in her ears. Alicent clutches at her, twisting her fingers in the fabric of Rhaenyra's shirt, hitching between sobs.

"How could he do this to me? To us."

Rhaenyra swallows hard.

She’s asked herself how Criston was ever worthy of Alicent for years.

Because the truth is, he never ever deserved Alicent's brilliance, her fire or how she reframed ordinary moments into extraordinary events in the first place.

And Criston?

Criston Cole is a blob of a human being and a weak, waste of an alpha, as far as Rhaenyra is concerned. 

Rhaenyra has known no one has ever really deserved Alicent's attention since the day she smiled at her from across the cafeteria and fundamentally rewired the inside of her twelve year old brain.

And introduced love in her life.

Real, true honest to god love. The kind that settles in your bones and never leaves.

It built quietly over time, from sharing secrets under blankets at sleepovers, in the way Rhaenyra’s hands shook when she asked Alicent to their first school dance (as friends) and she said yes. She loved Alicent during her awkward braces phase, and when she joined the debate team, crushing her opponents (which garnered her quite the hard ass reputation), yet it wasn't long before others started noticing Alicent the way Rhaenyra always had. First up was a beta during their sophomore year, then an omega and another and another - one after the other, people started paying attention to how stunning her friend has always been and lined themselves up for a chance with the beautiful, brilliant Alicent Hightower.

And Rhaenyra stood by, silent and aching.

Until finally Criston came along a few years ago and eventually popped the question.

Alicent showed off the ring and Rhaenyra forced herself to say, "I’m happy for you".

Because Alicent’s happiness mattered more than anything - and the fact that Criston would even think- ! Rhaenyra grunts, feeling the surge of something reckless, something primal rising in her chest the more Alicent cries.

She cups her face, brushing away tears, and locks their gaze, lets herself be honest, and admits everything without so much as a word.

You deserve devotion with someone who sees you the way I do.

Someone ... that is me.

Alicent’s breath catches, brown eyes flickering in recognition, spotting Rhaenyra's want that's always been there and for a split second hesitation —and then—

Alicent kisses her.

Rhaenyra freezes even as her grip tightens on Alicent’s waist. "Ali—" she starts to protest, even as every nerve inside her body ignites like its being set on fire. Alicent doesn’t pull away. Instead she presses closer, lips parting quietly, desperately. "I need," she breathes. "I need you. "

And Rhaenyra—Rhaenyra is lost the moment Alicent leans back in and brushes their lips together.

She's never been great at denying her. If you asked their family and friends, they'd all unanimously agree she was absolute shit at it in fact.

Not when they were kids and Alicent's idea of fun was spending hours in the library, or when she was feeling rebellious against her father and wanted to sneak out past curfew. Or when Rhaenyra considered giving up a scholarship to Yale because it would separate them for the first time in their lives, and Alicent basically cussed her out and threatened to stop talking to her for being so stupid. And after all that rage, at the end of summer she hugged her tight at the airport pressing a clumsy, lingering kiss to her cheek leaving Rhaenyra to hold onto the memory until they were back together again. 

And certainly not now that she's getting to experience just how soft Alicent’s lips are, or how desperate she feels against her, fueled by hunger and need as she deepens their kiss, unlocking decades worth of longing inside Rhaenyra. Her fingers tangle in Rhaenyra’s short hair and Rhaenyra groans right into her mouth, as she pulls Alicent’s by her hips closer until their bodies flush against each other. And the heat she feels - that she knows Alicent feels too - is intoxicating. Especially when Alicent grinds down on Rhaenyra’s thigh nearly choking the air from the blonde's lungs. Oh my god! 

And when she does it again, it's almost as if she's giving permission to Rhaenyra’s body, allowing every inch of her to wake up. Eyes half cast, witnesses the second Alicent feels the strain against her jeans and the hardened cock beneath, gasping when Alicent moans in return, and shifts her weight to feel the damp heat between Alicent's legs.

Nearly snapping her last restraint.

But she knows better. Losing it while Alicent is hurt, betrayed and desperate to numb her pain is the last thing they should be doing. Not when Alicent isn’t thinking and clearly not herself.

She's spent more than half of her life being a best friend to Alicent to take advantage. "Ali—" Rhaenyra’s voice is rough. "We shouldn’t—" strained when Alicent grinds over her length and trails her lips along Rhaenyra’s jaw.

"Please," she says, voice wrecked. "I don’t want to think. Help me not think."

Fuck.

This is—it's not— Alicent isn’t choosing her. She’s running and seeking comfort in the one person she's always been able to depend on.

It would be dumb to think—

And she would be a mess if—

Rhaenyra has loved Alicent, ached for her for so long. She's torn between being the friend Alicent needs or the pure desire in a lover she wants. And to have her here, now when she's vulnerable and most likely to regret it when clearer minds prevail, would destroy Rhaenyra. Yet as Alicent’s claims her mouth again and slides her tongue against Rhaenyra's, all of her restraint finally snaps. One hand stays firm at Alicent’s waist while the other slides up her soft thigh, and under the skirt of her dress, committing the landscape to memory. 

"Tell me to stop," she gives her one final chance. One final moment to run away and pretend this never happened. When no argument comes, her fingertips trace the edge of Alicent's underwear, ghosting faintly over the wet seat she can feel clinging to her skin. Igniting her baser instinct to push toward the front at the proof of the arousal she caused in the omega.

Greedy to feel more of it, she slips her thumb under the fabric, right over Alicent's lips and nearly hisses at the heat she finds there. Alicent shakes in her lap with an all new purpose, jerking her hips forward as she brokenly moans her name. 

"Fuck," Rhaenyra breathes, the thirst she hears in Alicent matching perfectly. "You’re—"

Mine.

Alicent’s pants against Rhaenyra's lips, dark eyes blazing into Rhaenyra's as she presses their foreheads together, and rocks her hips to match the pace of Rhaenyra's thumb when the rough pad of her finger catches on to the tip of her clit, she grunts, charging the air into a thick burning fuse as Rhaenyra shifts her panties fully to the side and guides her into a slow roll against the swell of her cock. Encasing Rhaenyra between Alicent's trembling thighs and soaking the denim.

"Feel that?" Rhaenyra rasp against Alicent’s mouth, catching her bottom lip between her teeth and draws out a whimper. "Feel what you do to me?"

Alicent moans, clawing at Rhaenyra’s shoulders as she keens, chasing the pressure coiling in her stomach. Rhaenyra slides her thumb back up to her stiffened clit, and it throbs under her, pulsing as she strokes around the area Alicent desperately needs her. Over and over again, until a pool collects on Rhaenyra's thigh and she can feel her best friend flutter under her touch, like she's begging to be filled. She swears she grows harder at the thought. "All of this is for me?"

Alicent falls forward, her breath coming in ragged as Rhaenyra’s fingers drops to her entrance, teasing entry but never pressing in, never giving Alicent what she needs. "Please—" Alicent chokes out, trying to force contact.

But Rhaenyra savors the way Alicent’s body begs, the way she's dripping for her. The way her nails bite into her shoulders as those desperate sounds fall from her lips over and over again. The way she can practically feel the heat from Alicent bare cunt on her cock only makes Rhaenyra want to take her time so she can properly devour her whole. She presses her lips to the curve of Alicent’s shoulder, sliding her tongue between the valley of her breast and nips at the softness she finds there. Grins when she feels Alicent's grip tighten in her hair and drags the cup Alicent's dress down until her lips circle around a stiff nipple, and sucks. 

Alicent’s rhythm falters, as her body bows in Rhaenyra's arms. When Rhaenyra scrapes her teeth against the sensitive bud, all patience is gone as she dips her fingers inside Alicent for the first time and quickly comes to the conclusion that this is how she wants to spend the rest of her life. With Alicent in her arms, desperate and eager for her. "That’s it." Rhaenyra rasps against the swell of her breast, dragging her tongue across to suck at her other one. Groaning as she feels Alicent's tight pussy squeeze her fingers and pull her in more.  "Take what you need—fuck yourself on my fingers just like that."

Alicent’s hips jerk forward with a shattered gasp, the spring in her stomach so tight she knows she's seconds away from coming all over Rhaenyra's hand she can almost taste her orgasm. The white, hot pressure builds collecting at the base of her spine as her muscles tighten around Rhaenyra's thick long fingers as if her body is adamant she stays put as Alicent grinds down, chasing the full delicious burn inside.

When Rhaenyra curls her fingers and presses into that spot, Alicent can't hold on anymore. Rhaenyra's name rips from her throat as her back arches high to the ceiling, body locks up as he pussy clenches tighter around Rhaenyra, and tears build behind her eyes for an all new reason. "Look at you," Rhaenyra's voice comes hot in her ear, as Alicent blinks the room back into focus. "Baby, you’re making such a mess all over my hand."

Baby. The word bounces around Alicent’s head, twisting the last drop of her orgasm out. She whimpers, rolling her hips in desperate, uneven circles. "Fuck—" But Rhaenyra isn't done. Far from it in fact and continues to tease spongy softness against her fingertips.

"There?" Rhaenyra presses her palm tight to her clit and moves he hand in sync dragging Alicent quickly back to the brink. 

Alicent nods frantically. "Y-yes, there, please—"

Rhaenyra nods, like she's just taken basic instruction from a superior and sucks a nipple back into her mouth, fucking into Alicent like this is all she's meant to be doing since the beginning. The wet, filthy sounds fill the living room mixing with Alicent's moans, and Rhaenyra lets Alicent's nipple fall from her mouth as the brunette's back arches further. A string of saliva keeping them attached as she watches Alicent lose herself, the way her stomach tenses, the way her breast heave as her cunt clenches tight round two of Rhaenyra's digits like it never wants to let go.

"You feel so good," Rhaenyra breathes, watching. "So fucking perfect, taking me like this."

Alicent sobs, her hips faltering, on the edge of coming again but Rhaenyra only pulls her in closer, forcing her to swallow her fingers to the knuckle and Alicent’s breath halts, trapping in her throat as her spine curves tensing like a wire pulled too tight as she shatters for the second time in minutes. It's almost violent the way Rhaenyra makes her cum, her pleasure all consuming as Rhaenyra fucks her through it, dragging out everything she has to offer until she falls limp against Rhaenyra's shoulder, gasping.

Only then does she slow, keeping her fingers buried inside as her lips brush against Alicent’s damp skin.

Alicent’s eyelids flutter, her chest rising and falling as deep uneven breaths fall from her parted lips. She can’t speak, can’t do anything but fist a hand in Rhaenyra’s hair and drag her into a searing kiss, all teeth, tongue and lingering heat.

Rhaenyra circles her fingers before sliding free with a slick drag, slow enough to make Alicent whimper at the loss and quivers, still sensitive from climax but Rhaenyra doesn’t leave her empty for long lifting her wet fingers to her lips, her dark gaze locked onto Alicent’s as she traces her tongue along her middle finger, slowly savoring her taste, in a display of ownership.

A soft hum vibrates in her throat. “And you taste good too.”

Alicent’s breath catches, lips parting as she watches Rhaenyra’s tongue swirl around the pad of her finger then suck it deeper, cheeks hollowing slightly. The sight is filthy. Mesmerizing. It sends a another pulse of heat between Alicent’s thighs.

And of course Rhaenyra knows, she curls her lips and offers her ring finger, hovering just beyond Alicent’s mouth—asking. She leans in, capturing her finger between her teeth, teasing, before drawing it into the heat of her mouth tasting herself and it's intoxicating, tangy sweet. She laps at Rhaenyra’s skin like she’s starving for it and seals her lips tight adding pressure straight from her hand down to Rhaenyra’s hips, jerking them forward. 

She groans, and grips Alicent’s curls at her nape, hard enough to make her eyes roll in pleasure. Alicent is aching, hips rolling, seeking the more friction, more of Rhaenyra’s body against hers. She can feel Rhaenyra's length pressing against her, and she needs her desperately. Rhaenyra nips at Alicent’s lower lip, pulling her finger away to kiss her full on as her hips rise in response, pressing hungrily back. Her arms flex around Alicent’s waist, as she stands carrying Alicent with her down the hall keeping their mouths fused in a hungry kiss. Every step sends a delicious heat between their bodies. Alicent’s thighs clench around Rhaenyra’s hips, her dress riding up, core pressed hot against the hard plane of Rhaenyra’s stomach.

The moment they cross the threshold of the bedroom, Rhaenyra slows, lowering Alicent down at the foot of the bed. She slides her arms around Alicent’s waist, and spins her until her back is flush against her front. A gasp tares from Alicent as Rhaenyra’s teeth scrape the curve of her neck, her pulse fluttering like a trapped bird beneath her skin.

Mine.  

The word pounds through Rhaenyra again, her instinct demanding she bite down, claim what has rightfully been hers all along. She inhales, pressing herself to control the baser side but just barely, and sucks a bruising kiss into Alicent’s throat right below her scent gland as her hands roam with intent.

“You’re so fucking soft,” Rhaenyra's palms glide up to Alicent’s breasts, the weight a perfect heaviness in her palms and she pinches her nipples, rolling them as Alicent arches into her touch.

Her lips curve into a wicked smile at Alicent's responsive to her touch and drags one hand down her body, savoring every inch and memorizing all of her for what could very well be the only time. The dip of her waist, the sinful flare of her hips—Christ, she’s dreamed of this for years, even if the circumstances aren't perfect, none of that matters now, not when Alicent is here, dripping and willing.

Rhaenyra’s heartbeat thrums with the kind of hunger only years of denial can breed.

She hooks the hem of Alicent’s dress and pushes it up exposing creamy skin inch by torturous inch until her underwear comes into view, and drags a low moan from Rhaenyra. “You're so fucking sexy, Ali. Baby,” she murmurs, directly in her ear and there's that word again, soaking Alicent for the second time that night. Right below her navel, Rhaenyra drags her fingers along the waistband before dipping inside to the wet heat waiting for her releasing mutuals sounds of want from both and Rhaenyra really cant take it anymore, gripping the sides of the flimsy cotton and yanking, tearing them away with more force than she anticipated. 

Alicent gasps, her body arching as cool air kisses her skin and Rhaenyra doesn’t give her a second to adjust, sliding between Alicent’s thighs with a rough groan as slick heat coats her fingers. “I’ll buy you a new pair, promise,” Rhaenyra purrs, circling Alicent's clit in filthy strokes to make up for her aggression.

Alicent whimpers, breath caught in her chest as Rhaenyra’s touch sets her on fire.

Then Rhaenyra’s hands glide higher, taking her dress and letting it whisper to the floor. A firm palm places against the small of Alicent’s back and bends her forward, down onto the bed and Alicent’s perfect ass sways in the air in invitation.

Rhaenyra bites her lip hard enough to sting, cock aching in her jeans as she drinks in the sight before her. Finally.

After a million stolen glances, and nights spent imagining the exact shade of pink between Alicent’s thighs, here she is. Spread out, flushed and ready for her. Rhaenyra’s fingers dig into the softness of Alicent’s hips.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this,” Rhaenyra roughly states. She crouches down, and drags her tongue along the seam of Alicent’s thigh, relishing in the taste before tracing upward, over the curve of her ass and presses a kiss to the small of Alicent’s back making her shiver. Groaning at her taste, salivating at her smell so close, and wet. She grips her cheeks and spreads her open, and—fuck—the sight alone is enough to make her release then and there. Alicent’s pussy is  glistening, dripping as her folds part in invitation and before she knows it, she's leaning in, stiffening her tongue against Alicent’s entrance in one filthy stroke, drinking her in straight from the source.

Alicent curses, loudly, her hips push back against Rhaenyra’s mouth like she can’t help it. The mattress muffles her moans as she buries her face in it, twisting her fingers in the sheets. Rhaenyra groans against her, the vibration wringing another desperate sound from Alicent. She grips her hips tighter, holding her in place as she laps her up in deep, steady strokes that have Alicent’s thighs shaking.

Rhaenyra kneels behind her on the floor like she’s in worship, and maybe she is because when Alicent curls lower on the mattress, and pushes her ass higher as if she's presenting herself to her alpha, Rhaenyra thinks this must be heaven. The way her omega opens for her, the way she grinds back against Rhaenyra, chasing every flick and thrust of her tongue, it’s fucking perfect. Rhaenyra drags her tongue down to circle her clit, sucking it between her lips and Alicent’s cries as her entire body tenses, leaking all over Rhaenyra's chin.

"That’s it," Rhaenyra growls. The words feel like they’re vibrating inside Alicent, sending another sharp tremor through her. "Let me hear you. Let me feel you come on my tongue."

And when Alicent does, her body bows tightly leaving only her hips to stay in place thanks to Rhaenyra’s grip as her body jerks uncontrollably against the blonde's face, and Rhaenyra doesn’t relent. She devours her. Sucking her stiffened click with more intent before dragging her tongue back up to drink down every last drop of Alicent’s climax until her moans fracture into sobs, until her fingers twist in the sheets, pulling a corner loose, until she collapses, gasping, onto the sheets.

Rhaenyra pull back, lips glistening, breath ragged and she drags the back of her hand across her mouth and licks that too, refusing to let a drop go to waste. 

She is throbbing. 

Her palm slides possessively up the inside of Alicent’s thigh, fingers pressing into the soft skin there, over the round swell of her ass cheek and slaps it lightly, testing Alicent's reaction who whimpers in response. Rhaenyra moans, feeling as ruined as the omega looks, spread out and trembling, eyes glassy and unfocused. Her wild curls are a tangled mess from Rhaenyra’s hands and the relentless pleasure wrung out from her. Help me forget echoes in Rhaenyra's mind and she's only a few steps closer to accomplishing her goal. 

Alicent watches through heavy-lidded eyes as Rhaenyra grips the base of her cock through the outline of her jeans, tightening around the length as she strokes herself to ease the inevitable before standing up and lifts her t-shirt off and unbuckles her jeans, sliding them and her briefs down before sliding out of Alicent’s sight briefly. When she returns, the condom stretches taut over her length and Alicent can feel herself pulse at the sight, at the thick vein running atop down to her dripping head, pulsing red. Rhaenyra braces a knee on the mattress, right outside of Alicent’s hip and it dips under the pressure of her weight as she drags the tip through Alicent’s soaked folds, pressing in collecting the wetness she finds there and groans at the sensation she feels burning through the latex. It's almost too much as she spreads it over Alicent’s needy cunt before pulling back just enough to slap it lightly against her entrance.

The sound is a filthy, sharp, wet smack that makes Alicent choke back a moan as her hips hump back, begging. Rhaenyra's transfixed by Alicent’s arousal clinging to her cock in glistening strands, the sight making her stomach and teeth clench in unison.

“Fuck,” Rhaenyra growls, her voice rough. “Baby.”

Alicent whines, her back arching deeper, tilting her ass up even more in shameless offering. She is desperately in need of Rhaenyra to enter her. To fuck her. 

Rhaenyra grips Alicent’s hip while the other guides herself forward, the broad head of her cock pressing against Alicent's entrance and the first inch is pure bliss —Rhaenyra cries out as Alicent’s tight sheath swallows the rest of her greedily, her walls clamping down like a vice. Rhaenyra inhales sharply, her muscles tensing as she bottoms out, balls slapping against Alicent as every inch sinks inside, stretching Alicent open as she take every thick inch.

A ragged pants punches out of Alicent. “Oh— oh fuck —” as she moans, she's so full. The stretch of Rhaenyra inside burns so perfectly. It’s overwhelming, the way she grips Rhaenyra’s cock like it was made just for her.

Rhaenyra leans over her, her free hand slides up Alicent’s spine, twisting in Alicent’s curls. “You're taking me so fucking well,” she murmurs darkly with approval, pulling back almost all the way, that only the tip remains before thrusting in with a sharp snap of her hips.

Alicent’s scream tears through the room, raw and unfiltered. The muscles in her stomach clench as her nails bite into the sheets hard enough to rip.

Rhaenyra doesn’t relent, she can’t. Not when Alicent feels this good around her, this wet, this merciless grip that refuses to let all of Rhaenyra go. Every move is calculated, brutally perfect as she drives deeper, as Alicent clings and whimpers. The slap of their skin meeting creates a loud echoing sound as Rhaenyra’s cock continuously punches the breath from Alicent’s lungs, stroking over that sweet, swollen spot inside her making the omega's entire body shake under her. Alicent is leaking slick dripping with arousal all over her thighs and the blonde's pelvis, clenching around her like she’s trying to milk Rhaenyra dry.

And Rhaenyra fucks her like she’s trying to brand herself into Alicent’s bones. Like she's trying to ruin her for anyone else, especially if that someone is Criston.

“I—I’m gonna—!” Alicent sobs. She’s quaking, her orgasm right on the horizon and coiling like a live wire in the pit of her stomach, she’s so close - she’s -

But Rhaenyra wont allow it. Not yet.

Cruelly, she stills her hips abruptly and grinds down. Denying Alicent. The shift is agonizing, the thick length of Rhaenyra’s cock lodged inside her, pressing mercilessly against the oversensitive patch inside Alicent that's making her vision white out.

“Not yet,” Rhaenyra digs possessively into Alicent’s hips, holding her still. “Stay with me a little longer. Can you do that for me, baby?”

Alicent whines, high and broken, she's strung so tight on the edge. She’s close, all it would take - all it would take -! Rhaenyra holds right on the precipice until Alicent’s entire world narrows to the thick length inside of her and the heat of Rhaenyra’s breath against her neck.

“Good girl,” Rhaenyra growls, rewarding her with a slow, filthy roll of her hips, the thick ridge of her cock drags against Alicent’s walls in a way that makes Alicent collapse under Rhaenyra, curling her toes. “You’re such a good fucking girl for me.”

Alicent’s breath comes in ragged gasps, her skin on fire. She tries to rock back, but Rhaenyra’s grip tightens.

“Ah-ah,” Rhaenyra murmurs, her voice a velvet threat. “Be good.”

Tears prick Alicent’s eyes, she can't -she cant hold on anymore. It’s the only thing she wants, the ache worsening when Rhaenyra pulls out, leaving the head of her cock to catch on Alicent’s swollen entrance before sinking back in with a swift torturous glide, leaning down to brush her lips against the shell of Alicent’s ear. “Beg me for it.”

The words fall from Alicent without preamble. “Please-fuck—please let me come,” Alicent nearly screams, voice raw. “Please , let me come —”

Rhaenyra grunts, cock twitching inside her as she starts to fuck her again, snapping her hips harshly in and out, moaning with Alicent as the omega’s pussy never truly lets her get far before sucking her all the way back in.

“But you’re so pretty like this,” Rhaenyra moans, her free hand sliding up to cup Alicent’s breast, her thumb flicks over a nipple, rolling it between her fingers. “Desperate for me. You really can’t hold on any longer, can you?”

Alicent sobs, her pussy clamping down at the feel and the words falling from her friends mouth. She’s wound so tight she feels like she might actually break at any second.

When Rhaenyra finally relents.

“Come,” she growls roughly, snapping her hips. “Come for me, Ali.”

Alicent shatters.

Her orgasm crashes through her, her back bowing up until all of her is pressed to all of Rhaenyra like a second skin as she screams loud enough to shake the walls.

Rhaenyra’s neighbors could hear her.

The whole goddamn city could hear her for all she cared.

No other orgasm has ever felt so good.

She's clenching around Rhaenyra relentlessly, draining Rhaenyra for all she's worth as her orgasm triggers Rhaenyra’s own climax. Her knot swells, bracing against Alicent, slipping inside with minimal resistance as if Alicent's body needed that too and locks them together as she empties what feels like a lifetime inside condom pulling every last aftershocks from the base of her spine to crown of her head. She sinks her teeth into Alicent’s shoulder to muffle her own scream, her sight nearly blinding out she's coming so hard.

For a long, breathless moment, they stay like that; shaking and spent, tied together as Rhaenyra eases them back down to the bed and wraps her arms possessively around Alicent.

Around her omega.

The next morning, Rhaenyra wakes with a soft body pressed against her and a mouthful of curls.

Pale sunlight filters through the half-drawn curtains, casting light across the rumpled sheets where she lies tangled. For one disorienting moment, she wonders if last night had been a fever dream, another one of those aching fantasies her mind conjures up during weak, lonely moments.

But then she shifts.

And oh.

That's definitely a body sprawled across her. Warm, solid and real. Alicent’s cheek is smushed against Rhaenyra’s bare chest, her breath slow and even as a quiet snore escapes, a thin trail of drool glistens on Rhaenyra’s skin.

Holy shit.

Rhaenyra squeezes her eyes shut as if it might reset reality. But the dull ache between her thighs, the soreness in her shoulders —

Last night happened.

It actually happened.

She opens her eyes again, and stares at the ceiling as if it might offer some kind of explanation but when none comes, she carefully looks down.

And Alicent is there.

Waking up beside Alicent isn’t new. They’ve shared beds a thousand times over in their friendship during sleepovers as kids, almost all of their college visits, and a plethora of lazy Sundays after failed movie marathons.

But never naked and intertwined with the scent of sweat and sex still clinging to the sheets. The unmistakable evidence of what they’d done, of what Rhaenyra had done throbs dully, like she's been drained to completion. 

Fuck.

Alicent stirs slightly, nuzzling closer, her fingers flexing against Rhaenyra’s ribs like she’s subconsciously seeking more contact.

Rhaenyra freezes.

Because ... because last night, Alicent had been heartbroken. Vulnerable, and clearly not thinking straight.

And Rhaenyra had let it happen. Had encouraged her by kissing her back, touching her. Had taken her, even as some small guilty part of her whispered that this is wrong.

But god, it hadn’t felt wrong. Nothing had ever felt more right.

Alicent’s lips on hers, her hands fisted in Rhaenyra’s hair, the way she begged her, "please" like it was the only word left in her. Alicent sighs in her sleep, curling her fingers tighter around Rhaenyra as if even unconscious, she’s reluctant to let go.

And Rhaenyra should move.

She needs to move.

To breathe.

To think —

Yeah. Think. About what comes next. About what the hell they’ve done.

Carefully, she slips out from under Alicent’s weight, holding her breath as she eases away. Alicent stirs slightly, but only to clutch the pillow tighter and bury her face into it with a soft, sleepy grunt.

Rhaenyra, stark naked as the day she was born, nearly trips in her plan to escape but catches herself just in time as she topples off the edge of the bed.

Real fucking graceful.

She freezes, watching Alicent for any sign she’s woken up but nothing. She's still asleep. Still oblivious.

Still here.

Rhaenyra exhales shakily and tiptoes backward to the bathroom, her bare feet silently skating across the hardwood. The moment the door clicks shut, she presses her forehead against it, sucking in a breath like she’s been drowning.

Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck. Fuuck.

She leans back, slapping both hands to her cheeks, and stares at her own wide-eyed reflection in the mirror. "Fuck," she whispers, as if the word might make sense of any of this.

It doesn’t.

Because Alicent kissed her. Alicent touched her and Rhaenyra had let her. Had given in. And taken everything she’d ever wanted without stopping to ask if Alicent would still want this —her— in the morning.

She turns on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face like it might shock her back into reality.

It doesn’t help.

Her skin still burns with the memory of Alicent’s mouth. Her thighs still ache from the way Alicent had clung to her. Her heart —

Her heart feels wild and reckless. Her instinct growling and pounding inside of her, upset that she's questioning last night at all. As if it knows this might be the only time she gets to feel this way about the omega currently passed out a couple feet away.

But what happens when Alicent wakes up, when she remembers, what then? Will she see Rhaenyra, her best friend? Or will she see the woman who took advantage of her?

Rhaenyra grips the edge of the sink, knuckles whitening. "No." She tells herself firmly, shaking her head as she grabs the toothpaste.

This is Alicent.

And while last night was ... a lot, there's no way they'll let a little sex ruin everything they've built over two decades worth of friendship.

Will it be awkward? Oh, for sure. For the next few days—weeks, maybe even months but it was just one time. And sometimes, best friends accidentally slip up and sleep together.

Out of convenience. And comfort. Or sheer emotional exhaustion.

Yeah. That’s all it was.

A really convenient way to relieve stress and distract Alicent from the grief of ending an engagement. Yeah, it's just one friend helping another through a moment of crisis. A totally normal, platonic, no-big-deal thing.

Her reflection in the mirror rolls its eyes as she aggressively scrubs her teeth.

She knows it's bullshit.

Last night was not convenient. It was not platonic. And it sure as hell was a very big deal because when Alicent looked at her like Rhaenyra was the only thing keeping her from falling apart, she took it seriously. When Alicent had moaned for her and Rhaenyra moaned in return, she gave her everything because it would be the only time she’d be allowed.

She spits into the sink, rinsing her mouth with a bitterness that has nothing to do with toothpaste.

She can lie to herself all she wants but the truth is, she wants last night to have meant something.

She groans, rubbing her face with both hands then placing her toothbrush back on its charger. Moving toward the walk-in just off the bathroom, she throws on an old t-shirt and shorts before quietly stepping back into the bedroom. She holds her breath as she finds Alicent still asleep, sprawled across the king sized bed like she owns it, which, given how thoroughly she’d claimed Rhaenyra last night, she does.

Act natural. Just act natural.

Moving carefully around the room, she gathers their discarded clothes from the floor. Her clothes go in the hamper without thought and Alicent’s wrinkled dress gets folded neatly and placed on the chair by the window. Her heels placed carefully at its feet.

Then she sees them.

Alicent’s panties.

The ones she had ripped off last night in a moment of desperation.

Her face burns.

Before she can stop herself, she lifts the soft fabric between her fingers. The faint trace of Alicent’s scent still clings to them, smelling of her intoxicating sex, warm and hers.

Rhaenyra breath catches.

Then—

A loud, unexpected snore startles her.

She jumps, heart lurching into her throat as if she’s just been caught doing something unforgivable, the cotton slips from her fingers as Alicent snores again, rolling onto her side, blissfully unaware.

Creep. You’re a creep.

Mortified, she snatches the panties off the floor and shoves them into the trash can like they’re evidence of a crime and all but flees the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

The kitchen is a sanctuary of normalcy.

She moves on autopilot, cracking eggs into a bowl, and lays out bacon in a skillet before popping biscuits into the oven. The coffee machine gurgles to life, filling the apartment with its rich, grounding aroma.

This is fine.

This is normal.

She’s made breakfast for Alicent a hundred times before. The fact that Alicent is currently naked in her bed doesn’t change anything.

Except her hands won’t stop shaking and every time she blinks, she sees Alicent’s face twisted in pleasure, hears her breathless sighs. She glances at the bedroom door, half terrified, half desperate for it to open.

She flips the bacon over, the sizzle loud in the quiet morning.

Everything is fine.

Everything is normal.

The coffee finishes brewing and she pours two mugs full, Alicent takes hers with cream and just a hint of sugar.

Rhaenyra stares at the second mug then with a slow exhale, adds sugar.

When breakfast is nearly done, Rhaenyra has just drizzled melted brown sugar over the golden tops of the biscuits when she hears the shower turn on in her bathroom and she gulps, grip tightening around the spoon.

Everything is fine.

She forces herself to focus, whisking eggs and adding salt, pepper and a generous handful of shredded cheese. The mixture sizzles as it hits the skillet, swirling in melted butter. By the time she plates two servings of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and the caramelized biscuits, the bedroom door creeks open.

Alicent steps out, dressed in Rhaenyra’s clothes, her damp hair dripping down her shoulders like she hadn’t even bothered with a towel.

Rhaenyra’s breath catches and she nearly drops the plate in her hands but manages to recover, sliding it onto the kitchen island just as Alicent takes a seat.

“H-hey.”

“Morning.”

Alicent’s cheeks flush, and that eases something in Rhaenyra’s chest. At least she won’t be the only one acting weird.

“How’d you sleep?”

The blush on Alicent’s face deepens. Her brown eyes flicker down to her plate, and instead of answering, she picks up her fork and stabs into the eggs. Fair enough.

Rhaenyra sets a mug of coffee in front of her and Alicent hums in quiet thanks then comes the real test.

Rhaenyra rounds the kitchen island, hesitating. Should she take the stool right next to Alicent, like always? Or skip one, and give her space?

You're being stupid. Stop being stupid.

She forces herself to slide into her usual spot, their elbows nearly brushing. Alicent tenses just for a second before exhaling, her shoulders relaxing as Rhaenyra settles in beside her.

Silence stretches, broken only by the clink of silverware. Rhaenyra cuts open her biscuit, and spreads a tea spoon of honey inside and a dollop clings to her finger, without thinking, she licks it off—

“Hhk—” Alicent chokes beside her, coughing violently into her fist.

Rhaenyra’s eyes widen. “Shit, you okay?” She reaches out, patting Alicent’s back, but she waves her off, face burning.

“I’m fine—I’m fine,” she rasps, taking a frantic gulp of coffee, hissing when the heat touches her tongue and coughs some more.

Worried Alicent's is seconds away from coughing to death, Rhaenyra lightly thumps her back, freezing when she notices the deep red crawling its way up from Alicent's neck to the tips of her ears as if—

Oh.

Alicent is flustered.

From watching her.

Her gaze darts to Rhaenyra’s mouth, then away quickly.

And suddenly, Rhaenyra remembers the way Alicent had kissed her last night. The way her teeth had scraped over Rhaenyra’s bottom lip. The way she’d moaned when Rhaenyra had licked her fingers clean of her.

Now its her face heating up. She clears her throat, and picks up her fork, gripping it a little too tightly.

“Um,” she starts, trying to fill the silence. “Can I, uh… get you some water?”

Alicent stares at her then, miraculously, she laughs a soft, disbelieving sound. “No,” she says. “No, I'm fine now. Thanks.”

Rhaenyra nods, relief flooding her.

Maybe they’ll be okay.

Maybe they’ll figure this out.

Or maybe they’ll just keep stealing glances over breakfast, pretending their hands aren’t shaking, pretending Alicent isn’t staring at Rhaenyra’s mouth like she’s remembering the exact way it felt against her.

Maybe they’ll pretend, just for a little longer, that last night didn’t change everything.

But Rhaenyra risks another glance and Alicent’s lips are parted, breath uneven and Rhaenyra knows they’re both thinking about it too.

They finish eating in silence, the clink of silverware too loud between them. Alicent takes it upon herself to clean up. Normally, one cooks, the other cleans but this time Rhaenyra can tell this isn’t out of habit. Alicent moves stiffly across her kitchen, stacking plates and keeping her gaze fixed anywhere but on Rhaenyra. The only full sentence she’s managed so far is a mumbled "thanks for cooking breakfast," spoken to the sink rather than to her.

And Rhaenyra can’t take it anymore. She leans against the counter across from where Alicent loads the dishwasher, arms folded, watching, and before she can second guess herself, takes the plunge.

"So, are we going to talk about last night, or…?"

Alicent freezes mid-motion, the plate in her hand hovering over the rack. For a heartbeat, she doesn’t move. Then, slowly, she closes the dishwasher and turns to face Rhaenyra fully and she straightens, forcing herself to be braver than how she truly feels.

"What’s there to talk about?" Alicent says, carefully neutral.

Rhaenyra sighs, uncrossing her arms. She feels dangerously close to throwing an adult tantrum complete with whining and stomping her foot—the whole shebang. "Alicent."

Alicent exhales, flushing more. "Sorry. Sorry." She drags a hand through her damp curls, like she’s steeling herself. "So…" Rhaenyra nods, leaning back against the counter. Alicent mirrors her, arms folded tight over her chest.

"Last night really happened," Rhaenyra says, letting her gaze drag slowly down Alicent’s body lingering on the marks peeking out from the shirt collar, the faint bruises where her mouth had claimed parts that were not hers to claim.

Alicent swallows. "...Yeah." Her arms drop from their defensive position to twist nervously at the hem of her shirt.

Rhaenyra can’t help it, she grins, injecting a bit of levity. "Loudly." Alicent’s mouth drops open slightly then after a beat, breaks into a smile before covering her face in embarrassment. "My neighbors are probably drafting a petition to have me evicted me as we speak," Rhaenyra adds, grinning wider when Alicent whines behind her hands.

Slowly she drops them to reveal even redder cheeks and a soft grin spreading across her face. "Yeah … sorry about that. I’m usually not so … vocal."

"Oh, I don’t know," Rhaenyra muses, nudging her foot playfully against the brunette's. "I think you sounded perfectly natural."

Alicent’s blush deepens, but she doesn’t look away this time, biting her lip.

The air between them shifts, the awkwardness melting into something warm and familiar because this is still Alicent , still them , still the same two people who’ve laughed and bickered and been stupid together for countless years.

Only now, there’s this.

Now, there’s the memory of Alicent’s hands digging into her shoulders, nails leaving crescent moons in her skin and how she arched into Rhaenyra’s touch, moaning her name. And the sight of her afterwards — completely satisfied, and ruined like Rhaenyra had woken something new inside of her and will forever remain implanted in the alpha's core.

Alicent exhales, slumping. "Are we going to be okay?"

Rhaenyra reaches out, takes one of Alicent's hands and pulls her closer. Alicent only hesitates for a moment before stepping into her space, their bodies bumping together as Rhaenyra looks into her eyes.

"I think so," Rhaenyra murmurs, thumb brushing over Alicent’s knuckles.

Alicent smiles, relief steadily encompassing her. Hopeful that what she says is true.

Chapter Text

Something is up with Alicent.

The trail lies cool and quiet in the early morning. Sunlight barely filters through the dense canopy of trees as she and Laena settle into their usual Saturday run. This is part of their regular routine. They run in the park through the upper East Side for an hour, stretch afterward before grabbing breakfast while most of the city still sleeps.

What’s unsettling Laena is Alicent's unusual intensity. 

Because Alicent hates exercising.

It’s a necessary evil, sure, but on a regular Saturday morning she talks nonstop even as she struggles to keep pace but today she runs in silence, and slightly out of sync.

Also … her left ring finger is bare. Laena keeps glancing at her hand, where the engagement ring should be.

She’s never loved the ring per-se. It was flashy and overly ostentatious, but when Criston dropped to one knee with that proud, expectant look, she forced a tight smile and accepted it, never taking it off because it meant so much to him even though the heavy platinum band was a constant eye sore.

But the real tale something is wrong is the lack of Rhaenyra based topics today. 

Normally Alicent would have mentioned Rhaenyra at least three separate times by this point in their run. A stupid joke the blonde may have shared or how she needs Laena to remind her to text Rhaenyra when they get back to the car because she can join them for breakfast today. (spoiler alert: Laena never has to remind Alicent about anything Rhaenyra related). Laena peers at Alicent from her peripheral … Alicent hasn't even mentioned Rhaenyra’s reluctance at being dragged to floral consultations or how she tries to slip away from venue tours for her wedding which she knows has been annoying the brunette to high heavens lately.

Laena notices this and the hunched shoulders, and collects these observations like puzzle pieces to a mystery. A missing ring is one thing. 

The missing Rhaenyra is something else entirely.

They reach a halfway point that bleeds into a spring around the bend settled deep in a cluster of birch trees that lean forward and all Laena hears is their synchronized breathing, the whisper of leaves overhead and the occasional interruption of other early trail users. The spring flows quietly beneath these sounds, clear water swirls around smooth stones and as usual, this is where they pause to catch their breath, where Alicent typically launches into some upcoming plans she and Rhaenyra have planned.

Today, the silence is deafening, heavy in the humidity.

"Okay," Laena huffs, she can't take it anymore. She throws her arms up, lacing her fingers behind her head as she gulps in oxygen. The sun glints off her skin, sweat trickling down her temples. "What's wrong?"

As if startled from a trance, Alicent seems to finally register her surroundings. Her running shoes scuff against the ground as she mirrors Laena's stance, chest heaving, cheeks hallowing on every inhale. The only sound for a few seconds is their breathing slowing down when Alicent opens her mouth—

"I slept with Rhaenyra."

The words hang between them, stark and heavy, as motionless as the stream before them.

And that’s the sanitized version of the truth.

The real fucking truth is Rhaenyra absolutely ruined her.

What happened was not just sex. It wasn't a polite, tender fumbling between friends hooking up for the first time. 

No . Rhaenyra took her apart like a woman possessed, like an alpha that's been starving for its omega for years.

Their kiss alone had devastated her, Rhaenyra’s taste claimed her through pure hunger. She mapped Alicent’s body like it belonged to her, rendering her pliant and when Rhaenyra finally entered her, that thick, perfect length split her open in a burning stretch that was all pleasure, it shattered whatever coherence she had left.

Even now, just remembering it steals her breath.

And god, did Alicent think about it constantly, and it's only been a day.

She thinks about Rhaenyra pinning her down, about her soft lips trailing fire across her skin and the addictive slide of their tongues. She thought about her long fingers curling and finding that spot, wringing pleasure from Alicent until she was spilling in her hand. To the lean, powerful body behind her, tight with muscle, slick with sweat and defined abs that lead down to the V of her hips, to the thick, heavy cock standing proudly between muscled thighs. 

Standing here now, Alicent’s skin prickles. Her instinct writhes beneath the surface, craving the alpha’s presence and just one more taste. One more earth-shattering climax. One more moment of being utterly wrecked with Rhaenyra thrusting through the aftershocks, holding her close like she was hers.

Alicent gulps. Sweating . The memory of realizing her best friend fucked like an animal possessed crashes through her.

The forest holds its breath around them. No birds sing. No wind stirs the leaves. Only the distant rush of blood in Laena’s ears breaks the silence as she processes Alicent’s confession. A confession that’s warping her brain. Never in a million years did she think Rhaenyra would be brave enough - or that Alicent has finally realized she’s -

Alicent watches, unblinking, as Laena’s face cycles through shock, disbelief, then dawning comprehension. 

Then, at last, Laena exhales, "fuck." She says again as the full understanding of what Alicent did really hits her, and she nearly trips forward. The ground tilts beneath her as she stares at the brunette praying this is a joke but Alicent remains deadly serious, and that's when her legs actually give out and she collapses into a heap in the dirt, landing with a thud.

"Oh my GOD! Alicent!" Laena's shriek sends a flock of birds scattering.

Pink burst across Alicent's skin, creeping up her collarbones (over the fucking hickey Laena somehow missed!) all the way up to her hairline as she stomps hard enough to kick up dust as if that explains everything. 

"I know." 

"You fucked Rhaenyra?!" Laena says again, voice climbing two octaves.

"I KNOW!" Alicent’s voice does the same, face burning a deep red.

Laena finds purchase in the dirt. "How? When? Why? What the actual hell, Alicent?"

Alicent inhales, exhales through her nose. The air suddenly feels too thick as she explains returning from her work trip. Catching Criston in bed with another woman. Driving straight to Rhaenyras’ and … and -

"And next thing I know we’re making out, then I'm in her bed. Naked ." Alicent's voice wavers on the last word.

“The naked part is kinda implied considering you fucked -”

Alicent whines, stomping again as she paces in the grass. “Laena.”

“Sorry, sorry. ” Laena breathes, "I'm just surprised, that's all.”

“You’re surprised!” Alicent throws her hands up. “Imagine how I feel. How I felt !”

“When? As it was happening or … afterwards?”

“Laena !”

“What?” She giggles. “I don't know what you want me to say.”

Alicent huffs, and Laena seizes her opportunity, yanking her down before she wears a hole into the trail. The lake sits before them mirroring the sky in an endless expanse of blue. It's absurdly peaceful considering the bomb that detonated in Alicent’s life.

“Tell me what to do?”

A corner of Laena’s lips twitch.

“Or - or tell me I didn't just massively screw up a twenty year friendship because I wanted to get back at my cheating fiancé in the same way and used Rhae in the process. Please tell me I didn't do that.”

Laena clamps her lips together.

And Alicent moans, distressed, tilting her head towards the sky as if forgiveness for her stupidity lies there only to be met with nothing and the sound of a passing runner behind them. 

Laena turns her head slightly and asks the pressing question that's been on her mind from the jump, "so … how was it?"

Alicent tenses but can't stop the blush from resurfacing making her freckles stand out, mouth falling open wordlessly, as if one word would give justice to that night, and buries her face in her hands, groaning but Laena waits, patiently, plucking at blades of grass as Alicent wrestles with herself when finally the admission comes. "Amazing."

Laena’s brow rises, a smirk curling her lips as she watches Alicent admit the burning truth out loud. 

"Really?"

Alicent nods, holding her breath for what feels like minutes before sighing deeply as if preparing herself for Laena's judgment but even then, she won't lie and pretend that she cant feel the phantom press of Rhaenyra’s body and feel the delicious ache lingering between her legs … could still hear the way her best friend talked her through it. 

Jesus.

She clamps her legs together and Laena bursts out laughing like Alicent knew she would. Groaning, she flops back onto the grass and throws an arm over her eyes, as if the unforgiving sky might judge her too. 

“Damn. That good, huh?”

There’s no point in refusing. "Yeah," Alicent sighs, heavy with exhaustion and something dangerously close to longing.

“Well, good for you.”

Alicent peeks from beneath her arm, brow quirked. “I tell you my fiancé cheated on me, only to turn around and immediately have sex with my best friend and that's," She trails off as Laena nods before she can even finish. “… good news?” 

“No offense sweetie, but you're glowing. You look spooked as hell, but you're glowing and that can only be a sign of a good dick down.” Alicent tries not to laugh but fails, Laena has always found a way to make her laugh during chaos. “... and if I’m being honest, I haven't seen you like this in a while, certainly not with Criston.”

Alicent's upper lip curls up slightly at the mention of his name. While he was never a ‘rockstar’ in bed … with enough coaching he eventually managed to satisfy her. If she focused hard enough. If she directed his hands and pretended not to notice his clumsy enthusiasm.

He was not Rhaenyra. 

The thought of her makes Alicent unconsciously rub her thighs together again. Rhaenyra fucks like she was born for it, divinely crafted to give pleasure without instruction. 

Specifically Alicent’s.  

“I guess so.”

Laena pats her thigh, “trust me, Ali. It’s written all over your face.” Alicent doesn't gratify her with a response leaving Laena to prompt. “Alright so you slept with Rhae. What happened next?"  

Alicent tilts her head to the side, "what do you mean?"

Laena smacks her lips, yanks a handful of grass and sprinkles it over Alicent’s face like confetti. "What do you mean ‘what do I mean’? You don’t just fuck your best friend and roll out like she’s a random one-night stand. What happened next?"

Alicent swats the grass away, sitting upright and folds her arms over her knees. She shrugs, but the motion is too stiff to be casual. "We talked. Agreed, nothing is going to change. It was just … an emotionally charged incident.” Laena huffs, the sound dripping with skepticism. Alicent ignores it, pushes on. ”I needed comfort, and Rhaenyra was…" She trails off, swallowing hard. "...nice enough to offer."

Laena chuckles. "I bet she was." She wiggles her eyebrows, grinning as Alicent shoves her.

"After that, I left." 

"You left?" Laena sounds more confused now than when this whole thing started.

"Well, yeah," Alicent gestures vaguely. "I couldn’t just stay after all… that." Her fingers twitch at her collarbone, toward the hidden marks she'd spent ten minutes concealing this morning. Her instinct once again brushes the surface, she hadn't exactly been the biggest fan of that move or leaving her alpha behind. "I checked into a hotel. Criston’s expecting me back tonight, anyway. And I’d really like to tell him to fuck off in person when I tell him our engagement is over, and I needed time to think. I couldn't do that with Rhaenyra …"

“Walking around with her dick out?”

“For fuck sake, Laena.” (but yes, exactly that).

Laena nods slowly, tugging more grass. “Trust me, I get it. I remember the first time Harwin folded me up like a pretzel.” Her eyes glaze over, “I almost marked him, it was so good. And that scared the bejesus outta me.”

Laughter peels out of Alicent’s chest, vividly remembering the first time Harwin and Laena crossed paths, how their scents mingled and constantly drove Laena crazy until he finally asked her out. “It didn't really take you that long afterwards.”

Laena shrugs, unashamed. “When you know, you know, Ali.” She looks at her pointedly, studying intently. Alicent squirms. "Some connections can't be denied, no matter how inconvenient the timing." The look lasts only a heartbeat before Laena blinks and it’s gone, but Alicent feels the weight of it. “And now look at me, happily mated with two pups at home … who would've thunk it.”

Party girl Laena Velaryon? Now a successful gallery owner, devoted mate and mother? Alicent tucks her smile into the crook of her elbow, resting her chin on her knees as warmth spreads through her.

She did. She’d known since the moment Laena introduced Harwin and her restless energy had calmed. How her scent, untamed like the sea, finally seemed to settle as she leaned into him without thought, like her body had decided long before her mind agreed.

Kind of like the seeds being planted in Alicent.

That some bonds announce themselves like a thunderclap, loud and impossible to ignore. While others ... 

Others simmer beneath the skin, waiting for the right moment to boil over.

“Anyway,” Laena visibly shakes off the quiet sentiment, having reserved anything she qualifies as yucky tender feelings for her daughters and her daughters only, and rises to her feet, dusting pine needles and dirt from her legs before extending a hand to haul Alicent up. “You know you could've come over. We’ve got more than enough room.” She says as they pick back up on the trail. 

“I know, and I appreciate it but the alone time really did me some good.” At least in regards to processing what Criston did. What he’s probably been doing.

Rhaenyra on the other hand - she’s determined to shove that down and ignore it as much as possible. 

“Besides, you’ve got a full house.” With her husband’s massive frame underfoot, two very energetic toddlers and brother in a 'figuring it out' phase of life was more than enough people to be nestled in a house even if it was more of a mini mansion on the shores of Long Island. It still would’ve been limiting. “Maybe next time.”

Laena snorts, “the next time a fiancé of yours cheats, or next time as in tonight?” Alicent shoves her hard enough to stumble.

“Next time I get cheated on, I'll know where to go.”

“My door is always open. I can’t sleep with you, Harwin and I are more the monogamous type nowadays,” she laughs as Alicent shoves her again, “but I’ll leave a guest room on stand by.”

They walk slowly along the dirt path, sneakers crunch over loose gravel and dried pinecones. The morning sun has climbed higher now, light filters through the canopy of leaves above them, painting patterns across the trail. They fall into step naturally, shoulders brushing as they navigate the path, both mentally preparing to finish their interrupted run.

Alicent’s mind feels clearer now, less congested with the suffocating weight of the past twenty-four hours. Talking to Laena has helped force her to put words to the mess she's made into something manageable. She exhales, long and slow, expelling any remaining doubt. Criston. Is a no-brainer. She’d break up with him over text if she could, and the thought alone brings an ounce of relief.

Rhaenyra however ...

The thought makes her pulse stutter.

Without warning, Laena barks out in laughter, loud enough to startle a passing runner who nearly trips in surprise.

She wheezes, wiping her eyes, "Who the hell knew Rhae had it in her?"

The absurdity of it all crashes into Alicent like a wave. A giggle escapes her first, then another, until she’s laughing so hard she has to press a hand to her cramping side. Her cheeks ache from the stretch of unfiltered absurdity, the sound echoes through the trees.

Laena shakes her head, still grinning. "I mean, I kind of always assumed. She's never lacked confidence, but you never really know with alphas."

Alicent groans, covering her face with her hands. "Oh my god, tell me about it." Memories flood back of Criston and past alphas before him who thought their scent alone would be enough, who relied on their presentation alone rather than any actual skill.

"They should have mandatory classes," Laena declares, as if she’s just stumbled upon the most brilliant idea in history. "We’ll call it ‘So You Suck in the Sack: A Survival Guide.’"

Alicent snorts. "I’m pretty sure something like that already exists. At the very least, there’s some poor beta or omega on YouTube giving out free advice on how they like to be pleased."

"Yeah, but sometimes it takes someone like you to really drive the point home," Laena counters, pausing for a quick stretch before they resume their run. She kicks her legs up in a few high knees to warm up. "Do you think Rhaenyra would be open to giving tips? It’d be an easier sell to Harwin if he knows he’s not the only one giving lessons."

Alicent laughs, bending to stretch her hamstrings. "I’ll ask."

The trail curves ahead, sunlight breaking through the trees in golden shafts, illuminating the path before them. 

Criston is a closed door.

Rhaenyra's door is ... complicated.

But this breathless, raw laughter between friends is simple.

Dumping Criston is surprisingly easy. Three years of her dating life, and six months engaged is officially down the drain but it’s more than worth it.

At least, from her point of view.

Criston, on the other hand, is a different story.

"Alicent, please. It was an accident."

She freezes mid-step, fingers tightening around the armful of clothes she yanked from the closet. Slowly, she turns to face him, far calmer than she expected to be. "An accident?" A sharp, disbelieving laugh escapes her. "You were fucking her. In our bed. How, exactly, is that an accident?"

He opens his mouth, looking to spin some pathetic excuse that’ll explain how his dick ended up inside another woman. And that's what pisses her off more than anything. Not the cheating. Not the betrayal. But that he can’t even own up to his own fuck ups. He’s never been able to fully admit when he’s wrong, but now he’s trying to gaslight her into believing it isn’t that bad.

Her skin itches, nerves bristling beneath the surface as she paced like a caged animal at the insult. She whirls back to her packing, shoving clothes into her suitcase before she does something drastic like clawing his tongue out. She doesn’t need much, just enough to last her until she can arrange for a moving truck to collect the rest of her things.

Because the worst part of this whole ordeal is that the condo is his. She can’t kick him out, can’t watch him scramble to figure out his own mess. No, she’s the one who has to leave, who has to uproot her life because he couldn’t keep it in his pants.

Criston trails after her, still stuttering and searching for the magic words that’ll somehow sway her. "Alicent, talk—talk to me. Please. I can fix this."

She doesn’t spare him a glance back.

Wrenching the hideous engagement ring out of her pocket and hurls it in his direction, uncaring where it lands. It clatters against the hardwood floor of the foyer, skidding somewhere out of sight—a dull, discarded metaphor for their relationship.

And walks out.

The lock beeps as Alicent swipes her keycard, the heavy door swings open to reveal her temporary sanctuary. The penthouse sprawls before her, its floor-to-ceiling windows framing the city skyline below. A king sized bed dominates the space, its crisp linens neatly turned down by the staff and the blackout curtains already drawn against a pinkish, orange sky. She exhales, relieved to finally be alone, and drops her bag onto the luggage rack. It slides off immediately, landing with a dull thud on the floor.

A fitting metaphor for her life lately.

Alicent collapses onto the mattress, sinking, as she stares blankly at the light fixture above. The hotel's bergamot diffuser does not quiet the storm in her mind. How had everything unraveled so completely in two days?

She and Criston were never some grand love story but then, who really was? Their relationship had been built on practicality, mutual respect and shared goals. At least, that's what she thought.

When they started dating, he checked every box.

His career and six figure salary earned her father's immediate approval. His practiced charm (sort of) won over her brother and friends. Laena's indifferent "he's fine" and Gwayne's half-hearted thumbs-up after their engagement announcement was good enough at the time. He could discuss sports and drink a good craft beer with Harwin for hours. He doted on Alicent's goddaughters when they visited the Velaryon-Strong household. He even managed to appease Laenor with travel stories about Tuscan vineyards and Swiss ski resorts.

She sighs at the incoming pain, pulsing behind her eyelids and squeezes them shut.

She loved him. Didn't she?

Enough to say yes. Enough to plan a wedding. Enough to promise him her claim on their wedding night, and bear his children and build a fucking life together.

She loved him. She had to.

Then why does it feel like an anchor is being lifted off her chest?

Alicent presses her lips together until they sting, swallowing back the sob threatening to claw its way out.

When Rhaenyra's face materializes in her mind, she's wearing that carefully polite smile she wore around Criston as her dutiful best friend, one who never openly objected even as her eyes glazed over in his presence.

"He's so boring, Ali," Rhaenyra murmured once. "Are you sure?" She asked when Alicent showed her the ring, turning the diamond over in her hand, barely containing her hesitancy.

At the time, Alicent laughed it off because she was certain.

Wasn't she?

Now, lying alone in this sterile suite, realization settles in her stomach like lead.

Rhaenyra had seen the truth all along while she continued to willfully ignore what's been staring her in the face all along.

Alicent sits up with a huff, bangs tumbling into her eyes. She shoves them back impatiently, and reaches for her computer bag, yanking out her laptop with more force than necessary. The screen flickers to life and one by one, she constructs terse messages to caterers, the venue and florists — 'CANCEL' headlines each subject. Her fingers strike the keys forcefully with no explanation, no apology, and no room for negotiation. Just a cold, efficient termination of contracts that was supposed to decorate a future she no longer wants.

She schedules all the emails to send first thing tomorrow morning, ensuring they won't get buried in the weekend influx of messages then snaps her computer shut, nearly flinging it across the bed before stomping into the bathroom. She twists the faucet, starting the jacuzzi tub's flow of steaming water, and orders room service while waiting for it to fill. The food arrives just as the tub reaches capacity.

Stripping off her clothes, she leaves them in a heap on the marble floor before sinking into the hot water. Alicent takes an aggressive bite of the burger and follows it with a drink of Zinfandel straight from the bottle, a few drops leak from the corner of her lips, trailing down her neck, and drips into the water.

The heat of the water soaks into her bones. The wine burns her throat.

When the haze of wine and a full stomach have softened Alicent's frustration, her limbs are heavy, content for the time being as she emerges from the bath. Her skin is pruned and pink from the long soak, steam clings to her body as she wraps herself in the hotel's robe, the embroidered logo stark against the fluffy white fabric. She ties the belt securely, padding barefoot across the cool marble floor toward the bedroom when a knock comes. Alicent pauses, looking out toward the living room curiously, moves toward the door and presses her eye to the peephole nearly falling over when she sees Rhaenyra standing on the opposite side.

She stands tall in the hallway, eyes flickering toward the peephole and for a heart-stopping moment, Alicent swears Rhaenyra can see her through the tiny lens. The alpha tilts her head slightly, lips parting as if she can taste Alicent beyond the door then raises her hand and knocks again.

Alicent’s entire body thrums. Through the door, she can feel Rhaenyra’s presence, can smell traces of the amber spice of her scent and gooseflesh spread across her skin, stirring her impulse restlessly under the surface.

Hesitating, her palm hovers over the doorknob and before she can talk herself out of it, opens the door.

"Are you stalking me?" Alicent asks, leaning against the doorframe.

Rhaenyra's cheeks pinken, gaze darting past Alicent and into the room, expression twisted curiously. "Hello to you too," she counters.

"How did you know I was here?"

Rhaenyra rolls her eyes and steps past Alicent inside, her shoulder brush lightly against Alicent's as she passes. "I was gaming with Laenor," she says, hands settling on her hips as she surveys the space. "When I asked about you. Imagine my surprise when he said he hadn't seen you, like, at all."

Alicent groans. Stupid Laenor.

"So to make sure you weren't murdered in a ditch somewhere," Rhaenyra continues, holding up her phone to display Life360 before sliding it into her back pocket. She wanders through the suite and Alicent closes the door and follows. "You lied." 

This time it's Alicent's turn to roll her eyes. Rhaenyra has always been so dramatic. She stuffs her hands into the robe's pockets, perching on the edge of the bed. The wine has her pleasantly fuzzy, and the way Rhaenyra's shoulders look in her t-shirt isn't exactly helping keep her head on straight.

"I didn't lie," per se. Rhaenyra drops down beside her, blowing a raspberry and fixes her with a look that's begging for honesty. "I said I was going to Laena's, which I did—this morning, for our run."

"Oh, come on—"

"What?" Alicent interrupts. "It's not like I could go home. Criston. Cheating. Relationship over. Any of this sound familiar?" Rhaenyra pokes her forehead, and Alicent falls back onto the bed with a giggle.

"You know what I mean," Rhaenyra presses. "Why are you here and not at Laena's?"

"Because as much as I love her and everyone else, I needed peace and quiet."

Rhaenyra nods, she can understand that. "Makes sense, but why not just stay with me? I have a whole ass guestroom, Alicent." At some point during Rhaenyra's lecture, Alicent's eyes slip shut. She peeks one open to stare at the blonde, clearly stating, you know why that wasn't an option and Rhaenyra scoffs. "I have self-control," she insists, poking Alicent again. The touch earns her another giggle, which fades into a soft smile. "It's not like I'm going to jump you just because we—we..."

"Had sex?" Alicent supplies, teasing.

Rhaenyra gulps, eyes widening before she turns away and scoots to the edge of the bed. "...Yeah."

Alicent draws her knees up, tucking the robe securely between her legs before pressing them to Rhaenyra's side, murmurs. "This seemed like the best option at the time."

"Well, it's not," Rhaenyra sighs, peeking over her shoulder and adds, "Come home with me."

Alicent blinks, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Rhaenyra's arms spread, questioning. "Why?" Her voice cracks, and she slides back pulling Alicent's legs into her lap. The robe slips, revealing more skin and leaving only the barest hint of her modesty.

Alicent doesn't answer immediately. Her tongue feels heavy, trapped in her mouth as Rhaenyra's eyes darken around the irises. The alpha's gaze flickers up for only a second before dropping back to the tie securing the robe, and Alicent can practically see her thoughts racing—debating whether or not she should pull it free. Her scent shifts without permission, blooming into a thick sweetness spreading in the space between them in an unmistakable invitation that makes Rhaenyra's nostrils flare. 

They shouldn't—Alicent knows they shouldn't.

But. But.

Primal energy erupts between them, that undeniable pull that calls an omega to her alpha, that magnetic force demanding an alpha claim what belongs to them. Alicent feels it in the way her mouth floods with saliva, her canines threatening to lengthen, to pierce skin and stake hers permanently. Her pulse hammers in her throat, her scent saturating the air—thick with honeyed arousal, betraying every logical thought screaming at her to stop.

Their eyes lock, and Rhaenyra’s grip tightens around Alicent’s calves where they rest in her lap. Stroking slow, deliberate circles against the soft skin, trailing higher up to the sensitive curve behind Alicent’s knee. There’s no conscious thought behind the movement, only instinct guiding her touch—a silent question, a plea for permission they both swore they’d never seek again.

Rhaenyra’s hand spreads, her palm cupping Alicent’s right thigh possessively, fingers pressing hard enough to make Alicent’s legs fall open wider, dispelling more of her heady scent into the air between them. A low, rumbling growl escapes Rhaenyra’s throat, vibrating through Alicent’s skin, and Alicent isn’t even sure if Rhaenyra realizes she’s made the sound—but she does. Alicent is noticing everything .

The way Rhaenyra’s pupils swallow the blue of her irises. 

The way her inhales rumble in her chest at Alicent’s thickened scent.

The way her fingers flex, as if fighting the urge to take more.

Alicent’s body betrays her completely, heat pooling low in her stomach. Arousal slickens between her thighs and she tries to steady herself, but her heart pounds so violently she’s certain Rhaenyra can hear it, can feel it beneath her fingertips.

Her hands curl into the sheets, knuckles whitening. The robe has slipped further, the fabric barely clinging to her hips now, leaving her exposed. The damp curls at her center from the bath now lay dewy for an entirely different reason, all for Rhaenyra to see, for her temptation to take .

Rhaenyra’s hand slides higher, her palm skimming up Alicent’s outer thigh, fingers tracing the apex of her hip just shy of where Alicent needs her most. A whimper catches in Alicent’s throat, her hips lifting unconsciously, seeking.

And Rhaenyra— bless her —doesn’t make her wait.

Her thumb dips down, meeting the wet heat gathering between Alicent’s legs, and her back arches off the bed at first contact. Rhaenyra drags the wetness upward, spreading it over Alicent’s clit, swollen and poking out its hood, hardening under her attention.

A gasp tears from Alicent’s lips.

Rhaenyra’s groans, hungry.

She shifts, settling back on her haunches between Alicent’s spread thighs, gripping firmly to pull them wider and drapes them over her waist, hooking them behind her. The position leaves Alicent exposed, the lower half of her robe completely open from the waist down and leans forward, abandoning the teasing circles to replace it with two deft fingers and presses against Alicent’s clit with pressure. Alicent’s breath stutters, a sharp mewl escaping her throat as Rhaenyra rubs her just right in firm, measured strokes that make her hips jerk off the bed.

Her grip loosens, she collapses and Rhaenyra follows, crashing their lips together in a messy kiss. Alicent’s tongue slides against hers, briefly taking control as her hands scramble for purchase under Rhaenyra’s shirt, fingers digging into the hard planes of her back and pulls her down until her weight lands squarely on top.

She moans as Rhaenyra’s fingers dip inside her, sinking deep before setting a smooth pace thrusting in and out, curling her fingers on every instroke, filling her so perfectly it steals her breath.

Rhaenyra breaks the kiss, a thin string of saliva connects their lips as she stares down at Alicent, blue eyes darkened with need. She doesn’t speak. Simply watches as she pushes in deeper, her fingers working Alicent into a frenzy.

Alicent’s mouth falls open, her lower lip trembles as pleasure coils tight. Her eyes slam shut when Rhaenyra curls her fingers just right, rubbing that sweet spot inside her while her palm grinds against her clit in tandem. The dual stimulation is too much, the pressure building too fast—

Her orgasm crashes over her so abruptly, so violently, she nearly chokes on her own gasp. “Shit!”

Rhaenyra groans, her own arousal spiking at the way Alicent clenches around her fingers. She smashes their lips back together, swallowing Alicent’s whimpers as she slips in a third finger and stretches her wide. The wet, filthy sound of her thrusts fills the room, Alicent’s arousal coats Rhaenyra’s hand as she fucks her through it, refusing to let up.

Alicent’s nails scrape down Rhaenyra’s back, her thighs trembling around her waist. “Fuck— please—”

Rhaenyra's fingers twist expertly, curling just right to draw Alicent's orgasm out in slow, torturous waves until her body seizes helplessly around them. Alicent cries out against Rhaenyra's shoulder, nails carving trails down the alpha's back as pleasure crashes through her relentlessly. A tear escapes her clenched eyelids, tracking down her cheek as her climax overwhelms her completely, leaving her gasping.

Rhaenyra slows but doesn't withdraw, keeping her fingers buried as Alicent continues to flutter around them, milking every last stroke of pleasure from her body. Her lips wander Alicent's collarbone, her shoulder, pressing kisses to whatever skin she can reach while murmuring against the surface. Alicent collapses onto the mattress, limbs liquid and chest heaving.

Her mouth trails up the column of her neck, pausing when she reaches the swollen scent gland behind Alicent's ear. Her lips brush against the hypersensitive skin, making them both shiver violently when her teeth bite down. Not enough to break skin, but enough to make Alicent's hips lift off the bed, spreading her legs wider in invitation. The wet heat between her thighs leaves a dark patch on Rhaenyra's jeans, the fabric clinging obscenely to the curve of Rhaenyra.

Riding the aftershocks, Alicent's hands slide down Rhaenyra's toned back with purpose. Her fingers make quick work of the button on the alpha's jeans, the zipper parts with a rasp that seems impossibly loud in the charged air. She bypasses her briefs entirely, wrapping her hand around the thick length of Rhaenyra's cock for the first time, her fingers barely meeting around the impressive girth.

Rhaenyra bucks violently into the contact, a groan tears from her throat as her teeth scrape against Alicent in response. When her mouth seals over the swollen flesh and sucks hard, the sharp burst of pleasure-pain makes Alicent's back arch, her hand tightening reflexively around Rhaenyra in a grip that draws another desperate sound from her chest.

The room fills with their combined scent of arousal as Rhaenyra's hips begin moving in shallow thrusts in Alicent's fist, she's precum leaking and Alicent feels her control slipping with every drag of her palm over the weeping head, the knowledge sends another pang of heat between her legs.

"Fuck," tares from Rhaenyra in a moan. 

Alicent twists her wrist, gliding through Rhaenyra's precum with a swipe, unable to wait any longer, not when she can feel her heartbeat throbbing directly between her legs, hot and insistent. She strips her hand away to roughly push Rhaenyra’s pants and underwear down to her hips, and the alpha’s cock springs free, slapping against her stomach before landing heavily against Alicent’s soaked cunt. The thick weight of it draws a loud, unrestrained moan from her throat, echoing off the walls.

Her mouth waters at the feeling, at the sight. Rhaenyra is so fucking hard, the swollen head of her cock pressed against her folds is almost enough to stave the thought of being filled, of Rhaenyra sliding inside and it has her starving.

She reaches for Rhaenyra, eager to guide her where she needs her most, but the blonde catches her wrist in a firm, gentle hold.

"W-Wait," Rhaenyra stammers, unsteady. Alicent’s touch feels too good, and she knows exactly what the omega is aiming for—that tight, wet heat she never thought she’d get a chance to experience again. The memory alone nearly undoes her, but she forces her hips back before she does something reckless, like fuck Alicent raw without a second thought. "C-Condom. I didn’t—I don’t have—"

Alicent whines, fully aware of how petulant she sounds, but she doesn’t care. Not when she’s this close to what she’s craved all day. What she’s craved since the moment she woke up naked in Rhaenyra’s bed the day before.

A soft, breathless laugh escapes Rhaenyra’s throat as she sits back on her haunches, her cock twitching against her stomach. "I wasn’t exactly expecting this when I came to pick you up," she admits, running a hand through her hair.

Alicent huffs, frustration curling in her stomach even though she knows Rhaenyra is right. She’s clean, and she trusts Rhaenyra is too but she’s not on any suppressants, and doubts Rhaenyra is either. The risk is too real, too dangerous for an omega and alpha caught in the throes of this kind of desperation.

Rhaenyra exhales, sliding her hands up Alicent’s thighs, her thumbs press into the soft skin of her knees before gently closing them, locking the temptation away. She needs to think with the head on her shoulders, not the one between her legs, no matter how difficult it is with Alicent spread beneath her.

They sit in silence for a moment, the air thick between them until laughter bubbles up from Alicent unexpectedly, bright and disbelieving. She drapes an arm over her face, her body shaking with it, and Rhaenyra’s grip tightens where she still holds her knees, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she gazes down at her.

God, Alicent is beautiful like this with her curls splayed wildly across the hotel sheets, lips swollen and bruised. The robe hangs precariously from her hips, one breast fully exposed to the chilled air, nipple pebbled tight under Rhaenyra's hungry gaze. Her stomach quivers with each ragged breath, the smooth muscles fluttering like a trapped bird. Lower still, the thatch of auburn curls between her thighs are barely concealed by the trembling press of her legs. She looks like every fantasy Rhaenyra has ever had—better, because now she’s real, laying here ready to be devoured.

Rhaenyra leans forward, pressing a kiss to Alicent’s kneecap, her tongue darts out to taste the salt of her skin. Alicent’s breathy laughter fades into a shuddering inhale as Rhaenyra’s lips trail further south, mapping the soft expanse of her thighs. She nips at the flesh, savoring the way Alicent responds, the way her scent spikes the closer she gets to her center.

When Rhaenyra reaches her destination, Alicent is shaking, her breath coming in short and unevenly. Rhaenyra brushes her nose to Alicent's clit and drags her tongue through her soaked folds in one deliberate stroke, and groans at her taste.

She's sweet. She's so perfect.

Alicent’s back arches, moans tearing from her throat as her fingers fist in Rhaenyra’s hair.

Rhaenyra does it again, slower this time, savoring the way Alicent’s thighs clamp around her ears, the way her hips hump helplessly against her mouth. She laps at her greedily, moving up to circle her clit with the tip of her tongue then sucks lightly, choking a sob from Alicent.

Alicent is drowning in the heat of Rhaenyra’s mouth, the scrape of her teeth, the relentless pressure building low in her stomach. She’s close, so close, and Rhaenyra hasn’t even—

Rhaenyra slips in a finger, curling it just right against that spongy spot inside that makes Alicent's entire body seize. She drinks down Alicent's orgasm like a woman parched, working her tongue relentlessly around Alicent's clit while her finger pumps through the convulsions.

Alicent's hands fist in her hair, knuckles turning white as overstimulation sets in. She whimpers pitifully, humping in weak attempts to escape the overwhelming sensation but Rhaenyra holds her firmly in place, lapping up every last drop until Alicent collapses in a heap, gasping.

Only then does Rhaenyra withdraw, palm drenched by Alicent's orgasm and she doesn't waste a drop, using the cum coating her hand to fist her aching cock, which has been straining against the bed the entire time. Three rough, desperate strokes is all it takes and Rhaenyra comes with a guttural groan, pressing her forehead against Alicent's twitching pussy as thick ropes stripe the white sheets, soaking them in her release.

Panting, Rhaenyra lifts her head to survey her handiwork. Alicent looks thoroughly ruined, her chest heaving, her skin flushed from belly button to her cheeks, her pussy fluttering with aftershocks. The sight makes Rhaenyra's spent cock twitch with renewed interest.

"Holy fuck..." Alicent tries to speak, voice hoarse from screaming. She swallows hard and tries again. "Fuck."

Rhaenyra plants a kiss to her mound then licks her lips clean of Alicent's taste. "... yeah." She breathlessly agrees, dragging her tongue through the stickiness decorating Alicent's thighs, humming in satisfaction.

And peeks up, holding Alicent's gaze to ask again. The reason why she’s here in the first place. “Come home with me, Ali. Please.”

Alicent shivers at the words, at the control in Rhaenyra's tone. She should protest, should remind them both why this is a terrible idea. But as Rhaenyra leans up to kiss her, tasting of her sex, coherent thought filters through the cracks of her brain.

The bed squeaks as Rhaenyra climbs fully on top of her, her body a heavy, welcome blanket. She slots a thigh between Alicent’s legs, pressing just enough to draw another gasp. "Baby?" she murmurs against Alicent’s lips, her hand already drifting south, fingers teasing through slick folds.

Alicent’s answering moan is all the agreement Rhaenyra needs.

Chapter Text

It has been a month since Alicent’s temporary move in with Rhaenyra.

Not that it was ever meant to last this long. 

She has more than enough in her savings for a down payment, and first month’s rent to secure her own place but between work, the messy unraveling of her entire future (add in the exhausting effort it takes to avoid Criston) and she’s simply letting the debris of her life settle where it may.

There just never seemed to be enough time to escape.

And now, Laenor has sent out invitations to each of his closest friends, demanding their presence at an exclusive resort to kick off his birthday month. The trip looms on the horizon, and it’s another complication, another delay and another excuse to remain tangled in Rhaenyra’s orbit for just a bit longer.

Not that Alicent necessarily minds … 

From her seat at the dining table, Alicent’s gaze lingers on the alpha as she moves across the living room, her body a study in effortless power, her scent a clinging underlay in the room teases Alicent every single time she inhales.

The blonde stands in front of the bookshelf lining the exposed brick wall, her stylus trapped between soft, pink lips as she scrolls, deep in thought. Her biceps flex when she grabs a book, and it sends a slow, burning heat deep in the pit of Alicent’s stomach. 

Alicent’s eyes drop to those toned thighs encased in shorts where the seam is too high—god, those thighs— makes her mouth go dry. The memory of how they felt trapped between her hips makes it difficult to breathe.

The stylus slips from Rhaenyra’s lips, and she tucks it behind her ear with a distracted hum. The hem of her loose t-shirt rides up, revealing a sliver of toned stomach and the sharp V of her hips leading down—

Alicent swallows hard, fingers tightening around her mug.

This wouldn't be the first time she imagined tracing that V with her tongue. How many times has she fantasized about dropping to her knees before Rhaenyra and pressing her mouth to the defined ridges of the blonde’s stomach, working lower until—

Rhaenyra turns, catches her staring.

Her nostrils flare and she smells it, smells her. The sweet scent of Alicent’s arousal seeps from her pores and saturates the air of the living room, unbidden. 

For a heartbeat, neither moves. 

Just Rhaenyra’s sharp jaw clenching, her throat bobbing as she swallows down the tremor she can feel in her throat. “Uh—” Her voice is rough in ways Alicent has only been privy to twice before as she grabs another book then another, stacking them precariously on top of her iPad before fumbling towards the patio, cracking the sliding glass door open with too much force. “I’ll—I’ll be out here. Working.”

She slips through the gap, knocking hard against the frame and curses under her breath before sliding the door shut.

Alicent exhales, dropping her cup to the table with a clink that echoes in the suffocating silence. She presses her forehead against the cool wood, teeth sinking into her lower lip to stifle the groan that’s been clawing at her throat for weeks .

A month of coexisting in this fragile, agonizing limbo of domesticity and sexual frustration is madness . Between sharing meals, accidental brushes of fingers and Rhaenyra’s scent clinging to every piece of furniture after she’s left the room has been a little too much for Alicent.

It’s not her heat.

But she almost wishes it was.

At least it would explain the desperation clawing at her veins, but she's absolutely sure. There were no telltale signs, no feverish sweat on her skin, no desperate urge to burrow in Rhaenyra’s clothes and build a nest, no primal, mindless need clawing at her sanity.

At least, not a maddening amount. 

No, this was just raw, relentless, undiluted horniness for Rhaenyra. Her best friend.

Her best friend, and her stupidly, infuriatingly perfect body, her dumb lazy smirks ... just thinking about the way Rhaenyra walks into the living room every morning, stretching languidly, muscles flexing beneath sleep-warm skin makes Alicent drip without a single touch.

Her cunt aches, empty and throbbing, and she grinds her thighs together just to feel a modicum of relief.

This morning, Rhaenyra opened her bedroom door as Alicent watched from the kitchen, hunched over a cup of coffee, and bore witness to the alpha stretching wide and sleep rumpled. Her shirt rode up, revealing so much taut skin her abs were hard enough to fling Alicent into the stratosphere, ready to be torn into pieces by the sun.

Throw in her regular work out routines and it's a wonder Alicent still has a pulse. One time, Rhaenyra returned home from the gym, and her pheromones were so pungent Alicent could almost taste it. She was drenched in sweat and Alicent’s poor tongue ached to trace the salt at her collarbone, to lick the dampness from between her breasts. 

Worst of all, sometimes Alicent catches her looking, like she knows what she’s been thinking and wants it just as badly. Her gaze is always hungry, like she’s replaying every single second of Alicent falling apart then imagines new, filthier ways to tear her apart.

Living together should be easy since they’ve technically done it before. There were brief stints in college, weekends blurred together by frat parties and too much alcohol, lazy mornings where they made sharing a twin sized bed work. But this? This is torture. 

It’s a constant push and pull on Alicent’s composure as she tries to remain cool under the pressure of Rhaenyra’s existence. When all the while Alicent has to pretend she hasn’t spent the last four weeks fantasizing about sinking to her knees and taking her cock so deep down her throat, she chokes on it.

She doesn’t know how much longer she can take it.

"I don’t get why you’re not fucking."

Laena’s voice crackles through the speaker on Alicent’s phone. After pulling herself together at the table, dumping her mug in the sink, she retreats to the false sanctuary of her bedroom, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Rhaenyra who remains outside for both their sanity.

Alicent flops face down on her bed, her phone bounces beside her as she rolls over and stares up at the ceiling looking for answers. "It was one time," she says.

Laena snorts. "Didn’t she eat you out until you agreed to move in with her? Or am I trippin’?"

Alicent’s thighs clench at the memory of Rhaenyra locking onto her as she pinned her down and dragged her relentless tongue hot and firm against her clit, then fucking her pussy until Alicent was sobbing and coming with the alpha’s name ripping from her throat. When she slid long, calloused fingers and curled them inside, working her open until she couldn't refuse any longer.

She squeezes her thighs together again.

At her silence, Laena carries on, "look, all I’m saying is you’ve already crossed that line. You two clearly have no problem cohabitating, and last I checked: haven't disowned one another as friends. Things aren’t unbearably awkward—"

Alicent nearly chokes. She wouldn't say that.

Last week, Rhaenyra stumbled into the kitchen around midnight.

Alicent was already there ... (so what proceeds after was never her fault!)

Both were sleep-deprived and restless which is fine— normal —except Rhaenyra sauntered in wearing nothing but an old jersey cut into a crop top and briefs so skintight, the thick outline of her hard cock strained against the fabric, impossible to miss. Alicent stood frozen at the sink, mouth watering, flesh crawling with heat before she grabbed her water and fled. She collapsed onto her bed and shoved her hand into her panties, rubbing furiously over her clit as she imagined Rhaenyra following her into her bedroom, ripping her hand away and sinking her thick —

Before the fantasy could fully play out, Alicent came moaning into her pillow. She’s pretty sure Rhaenyra could hear her from her room across the apartment, so she spent the rest of the week avoiding any late trips to the kitchen and just barely started looking her in the eyes again.

"You both clearly want to," Laena continues, oblivious. "So why not?"

Alicent sighs, "you know why not."

"Ah, yes. Some made-up imaginary rule you and Rhae have stupidly put in place." Laena deadpans. "Newsflash, babe—you're horny for your best friend, and she’s obsessed with you. Let nature take its course and go bone, at the very least get each other out of your system so I’m not subjected to sad, desperate Alicent anymore. You’re only denying yourself ya’know? Denying yourself a good, hard fuck—"

"Do you kiss your daughters with this mouth?" Alicent cuts in, cheeks flaming, grip tightening around her phone like it’s the only thing tethering her.

Laena’s laughter is loud and unrepentant as it rings through the phone. "In fact, I do," she says, voice dripping with amusement. "Ali, I need you to get out of your head, okay? You and Rhae have been attached at the hip since the beginning of time, a little sex won't get in the way. I promise you.”

She groans, pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead. She wishes it were that simple. Sex doesn't seem to be the problem. Alicent knows how to have sex - and apparently Rhaenyra does too. The two incidents were mutually satisfying in every conceivable way for both parties. 

It's everything that comes after. If they have sex - what does that mean? Are they in a relationship now, are they not? For crying out loud, she just kicked Criston to the curb a month ago, is she even ready to commit to someone like that again? And that someone isn't just someone, it’s Rhaenyra.

But … What if Laena’s right?

The thought turns in Alicent’s mind, tempting the tiny devil on her shoulder, wrapping around what little is left of her common sense and squeezes the life out of it like a serpent. Maybe she just needs to get Rhaenyra out of her system one last, reckless time so they can go back to normal. 

Then there will be no more stolen glances burning holes in her resolve. No more frenzied masturbation sessions late at night, in the shower or whenever she’s home alone …

Certainty prickles her skin in gooseflesh that one more good, hard fuck will do. If she could have just one more time with Rhaenyra’s tongue tracing the seam of her lips before sliding lower. Just one more time of her fingers curling inside her, stretching her open before filling her with her thickness, angled just right to reach all of Alicent; surely it would be enough to cure the alpha from haunting her dreams.

She blinks up at the ceiling, the lazy spin of the fan above her mirrors the dizzy unraveling of her resolve.

Yeah.

The clarity is sudden, intoxicating like she's emerging from a fog.

They’ll do it. Just one more time.

The coastline stretches out in a perfect postcard dream of white sand and turquoise water so clear it looks like liquid glass. Palm trees sway in the salt-kissed breeze, their leaves whispering into the evening sky as the group arrives at the sprawling oasis of infinity pools, private cabanas, and open-air villas perched above the sea like something out of a fantasy.

Harwin, Laena, and Laenor arrive first and waste no time in transforming the space into their personal playground. Laenor immediately puts his sister and brother in law to work, directing them to decorate everyone’s suite and places gift bags in each of their rooms, filled with knot friendly condoms, sunscreen, ribbed condoms, Liquid IV packets, Tylenol, tiny bottles of tequila and vodka, hand sanitizer and a few chocolate edibles because why not.

By the time the rest of the group trickles in, the trio is waiting in the lobby.

Laenor’s boyfriend, Joffrey, sweeps in with a kiss and an armful of flowers. Arryk and Mysaria follow, half-drunk from the flight, their fingers tangled together like they’ve forgotten how to separate.

And lastly Alicent and Rhaenyra.

Laena’s grin is a little too knowing as she leads them to their shared villa. The path winds through lush foliage, the air thick with and heady of plumeria, until they reach the secluded bungalow suspended over water. Each one is spaced far enough apart that it feels like their own private world in a luxurious bungalow suspended over the water. It’s a masterpiece of indulgence with an open sitting area with plush seating facing the ocean, a small but well-stocked kitchenette off to the side and a tall half-wall divides the main room from the bedroom.

Beyond it lies a bed.

A California king-sized monstrosity, draped in crisp white linens, so large they’d never have to be in each other's space if they really didn't want to. It faces a wall of linen curtains that flutter in the breeze, revealing glimpses of the private patio beyond with a lounge area under billowing canopies, the sound of waves lap against the stilts below in a constant, rhythmic tease.

Rhaenyra’s throat goes dry as she takes it all in. Most importantly, there’s only one bed.

Alicent stands a breath too close behind her, exhales softly, warm against the nape of her neck.

This, Rhaenyra thinks, is going to be a problem.

Laena doesn’t hide her smile as she hands them their gift bags. "Laenor wants us all ready for dinner in one hour," she reminds them, looking between Alicent’s flushed cheeks and the sheen of sweat glistening at Rhaenyra’s top lip. She nods toward the bags, voice dripping with implication. "For your... indulgences," then saunters off, leaving them alone in their room.

Alicent swallows hard, pulse roaring in her ears as she risks a glance at Rhaenyra beside her and the alpha freezes, her fingers flexing at her sides like she’s fighting the urge to pull her closer. 

Or run.

Alicent exhales, slowly. One more time, she thinks. Just one.

Rhaenyra rubs her palms against her thighs, wiping away damp heat before reaching for their luggage and placing them at the foot of the bed. The air is charged and every breath feels like swallowing lightning.

"If you want to go first in the shower—" Her voice comes out rougher than she intends, scraping against her throat like gravel. Alicent doesn’t answer with words, just nods, eyes unreadable and it’s too heavy for Rhaenyra to hold for long before the omega turns away after fishing out her toiletry bag.

Rhaenyra forces herself to move toward the sitting area like she’s fleeing a crime scene. There’s no walls looking out at the water, just curtains, the kind meant to be pushed aside by eager hands. The island air is thick with heat, the breeze from the ocean doing little to cool the fever under her skin.

She doesn’t see the endless blue horizon, doesn’t see the way the sunlight glides over the waves. All she sees is the ghost of Alicent’s fingers on the zipper of her suitcase and the way her bottom lip had caught between her teeth for a second too long like she was biting back asking for what she truly wanted.

The shower turns on.

The air turns humid, hanging thick with Alicent’s body wash and her deeper, muskier natural fragrance. It permeates the steam curling under the door seductively. Rhaenyra collapses onto the couch, and tilts her head back against the cushions, exhaling slowly through flared nostrils in a failed attempt to calm down.

It’s no use because Alicent smells so fucking intoxicating, and her scent is drifting toward her, wrapping around her and mingling with her own scent until the entire room smells like their mutual wanting. 

Like her bedroom that night. Like the hotel room.

She can smell her, and she can picture her standing naked under the spray, water cascading down the delicate slope of her shoulders tracing rivulets down the curve of her spine. Rhaenyra imagines how the droplets would catch in the faint dimples at the base of her back before sliding lower, between the swell of her ass. Her dark curls cling to her skin in ringlets, dripping from the ends to trail between her shoulder blades. She's probably got her head tipped back, throat exposed, lips parted as the spray catches on her tongue -

Rhaenyra's knee jerks involuntarily, thighs tensing as she knocks them together, and wills herself to breathe.

It’s been a long fucking month.

Coming home to Alicent buried in work with her hair tied back and glasses perched on her nose as she chews the corner of her lip in concentration, glancing up over her laptop with those devastating brown eyes locking onto Rhaenyra has caused walls and doorframes to mysteriously materialize out of nowhere. Her body collects bruises from misjudged corners; enough to map the entire apartment's layout from catching stolen moments of Alicent’s peace, curled on the couch in Rhaenyra’s sweatpants that pool too low around her hips, the waistband slipping around the curve of her hip.

The memory of that night in the kitchen plagues Rhaenyra.

She knew she shouldn’t have stepped out of her room like that, hard, in nothing but her briefs, her cock straining against the fabric. But she’d heard Alicent moving around, the soft clink of glass, the faucet flipping on, the quiet hum of the omega’s voice as she muttered to herself. And before she could think better of it, her instincts dragged her to the kitchen, barefoot and breathless, bringing her face-to-face with the one person who didn’t want her in the same way.

“Just grabbing a snack,” she mumbled through the lie, sounding pathetic to even her own ears.

Alicent’s gaze had dropped. Lingered. Her teeth sank into her plush bottom lip as honeyed jasmine exploded around them, thick with want and drowning Rhaenyra. The omega hadn’t looked away. Hadn’t flinched. And Rhaenyra— fuck —she’d let her look. Let her see the pulse hammering between her legs, see her cock twitching under Alicent’s stare, screaming for her to take.

She wanted Alicent to ask, to step forward and close the distance, to slide her fingers beneath the waistband of Rhaenyra’s briefs and grab hold of her.

But Alicent only shakily exhaled before fleeing to her room.

And now they’re here.

Trapped in this villa with one bed, one shower, and no witnesses.

Fuck.

Could she crack the door open, step inside and pin Alicent against the tiles? If she licked the water from her throat and slide lower to have a taste, would Alicent mind? Would she let Rhaenyra take the edge off, one more time just to keep her from doing something irreversibly damaging like confessing how in love she’s been with her since they were barely teenagers.

That she’s terrified of ruining this.

But at the same time she craves more.

Her fingers dig into the couch cushions, biting into the surface as the water shuts off.

And the door creaks open.

Alicent steps out of the bathroom, her skin glowing pink from the scalding heat. The towel wrapped around her is too small and barely contains the swell of her hips and the curve of her breasts. Water beads along her collarbone, one in particular slides down between the valley of her cleavage before disappearing beneath the towel’s edge.

Rhaenyra’s mouth goes dry.

She should look away. She really, really should but she doesn’t.

Alicent meets her gaze, holds it and doesn’t flinch, doesn’t cover herself just stands there, dripping, like she knows exactly what she’s doing to Rhaenyra before disappearing behind the wall that cuts the room in two. And Rhaenyra's imagination takes off again. She pictures the towel sliding down Alicent’s body, pooling at her feet. Can still see the water on her skin, clinging to toned legs, thick thighs and up to the soft curve of her stomach rising and falling with each breath. And higher to full breasts,  heavy with dark nipples pebbled tight.

If Rhaenyra rounded the corner right now, would Alicent gasp? Would she instinctively cover herself or would she let Rhaenyra look? Let her take what she’s been craving.

Alicent rummaging through her suitcase sends another wave of heat crashing through her veins. She can see it in her mind—Alicent bending over, tilting her ass up just the way Rhaenyra had her that night, giving the alpha a perfect view of her pretty pink pussy, wet and eager to be filled.

Fuck. Her cock throbs against her shorts, straining painfully. She shifts in her seat, but it does nothing to ease the ache. Somewhere in the back of her lust-fogged mind, she knows she should say something to break the tension that’s been building between them for weeks but all she manages is a ragged exhale as she listens to Alicent moving.

Another breeze drifts in from the water, cool against Rhaenyra’s flushed skin. She tells herself that’s why she’s shivering—not because of the image of Alicent naked behind that wall, not because she’s imagining replacing the towel with her hands and tongue.

A floorboard creaks and Rhaenyra's head snaps up. "Hey, uh—" voice cracking. She clears her throat. "You finished in the bathroom?"

"Y-Yeah. All yours."

Rhaenyra stands, coiled tight. She hadn’t planned this far ahead, hadn’t grabbed her shower bag before Alicent went in. Which means she has to walk back there. 

She rounds the corner, and the sight punches the air from her lungs.

Alicent sits perched on the edge of the bed, her damp curls tumbling over one shoulder like spilled ink. The damned towel is a cruel joke, barely clinging to her curves as the terrycloth slips dangerously low where it’s tucked under her arms. It’s too small, too thin, and Rhaenyra can see the shadow of her body beneath it, the way the fabric strains over the swell of her hips.

She’s bent slightly forward, one leg crossed over the other as she works lotion into her skin, her fingers gliding over the inside of her knee, up the smooth plane of her thigh, and Rhaenyra’s throat goes dry. She tries not to stare, but it’s impossible. The way Alicent’s muscles flex with the movement, the way the towel rides higher, revealing what's tucked underneath —

Alicent pauses, gaze flicking up before dropping down right to the bulge straining against Rhaenyra’s shorts. Silence. The air between them crackles.

And Rhaenyra forces herself to move, crossing the room toward her suitcase when her body betrays her. Her steps slow as she nears Alicent, drawing her in like a magnet and stops too close—close enough to smell her soap, and her fresh scent drifting from her damp skin.

Alicent gulps, swallowing her breath and Rhaenyra freezes.

The bottle of lotion slips from her hand and hits the floor with a dull thud. Neither of them reach for it. Neither of them breathes.

Alicent’s lips part, “Rhae—”

The name, soft and wrecked, is all the permission Rhaenyra needs and before either of them realizes what’s happening, Rhaenyra is standing between Alicent’s legs, her crotch level with the omega’s gaze and the shift is all Alicent needs. One moment, they’re drowning in anticipation, the next, her hands are on the alpha, digging her fingers into the crests of Rhaenyra’s hips as she drags her forward until her breath ghosts over the strained fabric of her shorts.

Alicent’s eyes are black, swallowing the soft amber of her eyes whole. The towel around her body barely holds on, slipping a treacherous inch and revealing the soft swell of her breasts, the dusky pink of her nipples, already pebbled and begging for Rhaenyra’s mouth as Alicent works the drawstring loose, the knot gives way and the waistband slackens. Her nails scrape lightly against Rhaenyra’s thighs as she tugs the shorts down. The thick vein along her length chords around the thick phallus, winding up to the weeping head, twitching under her stare. A pearl of precum beads at the slit, and Alicent’s mouth waters.

She whimpers, wrecked.

Rhaenyra’s hips jerk forward, her entire being needy for the woman in front of her, and as Alicent’s soft hand circles around her, any semblance of patience drains from Rhaenyra’s body.  She fists a hand in Alicent’s hair, tilts her head back and claims her mouth. Alicent moans, lips parting instantly as her tongue seeks out Rhaenyra’s with equal hunger. Her hands scramble for purchase, one grips Rhaenyra’s hip hard enough to bruise while the other wraps around her cock with a squeeze that makes the alpha groan.

The kiss breaks with Alicent nipping at Rhaenyra's lip hard then laves her tongue over the sting before trailing wet, open mouthed kisses down the alpha's jaw. But she's only buying time, what she wants throbs in her hand, leaking hot against her palm.

Rhaenyra's cock is the perfect size to ruin her; long enough to punch deep into her womb but not overly so, that delicious curve to the right she knows from experience will grind against her spot with every thrust but it's the thickness that makes her mouth water with the way her fingers barely meet when she wraps her hand around the shaft. If she sat on it, her pussy would stretch wide, and she'd walk around for weeks feeling the phantom memory of being split open.

She squeezes the girth from base to tip, watching as another fat pearl of precum wells up and spills over the flushed head. Rhaenyra's rich scent hits her as she brings her closer, breath ghosting over her shaft. Rhaenyra shakes in her grip as Alicent teases the slit with her tongue. The taste explodes across her senses, heady and addictive. It makes Alicent clench around nothing. She's so wet she could come just like this; all it would take is a few quick passes over her swollen clit.

You'd come harder with a mouthful of her, a wicked voice purrs in her mind. Imagine her fucking your throat until you choke, until tears run down your face -

Alicent leans in, lips parting—

BANG. BANG. BANG!

Laenor’s slurred voice shatters the moment. "Hello? Anyone alive in there? We brought tequila!"

His voice is an ice-cold splash against the heat of the room. Rhaenyra growls a low, primal vibration that rolls through her chest and into Alicent’s bones. Beneath her, Alicent digs her nails into the alpha’s hips, body locking up in a silent scream of frustration as the doorknob rattles with clumsy, drunkenness.

Rhaenyra whines a pitiful, agonized sound that is utterly at odds with her frame. She looks down at Alicent to find the omega’s lips are parted, breath shallow as her tongue darts out to wet her lips in an unconsciously.

Her cock gives a furious twitch against Alicent’s chin. The flushed, ruddy head is slick and a single pearly bead wells at the slit before tracing a hot, glistening path down the shaft. It leaves a damp trail on Alicent’s skin, the scent of Rhaenyra’s arousal fills the scant space between them, leaving its mark. 

It is mere millimeters from her mouth. One slight tilt of her head, one desperate, yielding inch, and she could taste her. She could close her lips over that aching flesh and swallow the alpha’s pleasure, and from the wild, pleading look in Alicent's eyes, she knows it, she craves it.

Joffrey's drunken laughter loudly echoes through the door. "And limes! Don't forget the fucking limes!"

So close. They'd been so fucking close.

The door rattles again, harder this time. "Come on, we know you're in there! Open up before we start singing!" 

Alicent pouts, a tiny, frustrated snarl escapes her swollen lips as she lets go of Rhaenyra and sits back, the loss of contact is a physical ache. She pulls the towel back up, cinching it tightly around her.

Rhaenyra whines, a low, pathetic sound from deep in her throat at the sight of Alicent covering up, hiding that beautiful, responsive body she was so close to having. The sound is pure, undiluted frustration. Alicent doesn't meet her eyes, squeezing past her rigid form, her body brushing against the alpha's waist, making her shudder. She grabs a white robe from the closet and yanks it on, tying the sash as the pounding on the door starts again, more insistent this time.

Rhaenyra stands frozen at the edge of the bed, trying to will her racing heart to slow, to wrestle the feral, possessive instinct roaring in her blood back into its cage. She looks down at herself, at the painful, undeniable evidence of her arousal straining against her stomach, and a wave of pure self-pity washes over her. 

It was all right there, and it was all ruined by her fucking friends.

She yanks up her shorts and stalks out of the room after Alicent.

She rounds the corner into the sitting area just as Alicent pulls the door open. Laenor and Joffrey fall into the room, dying of laughter as they stumble over the threshold. They are laden with a half bottle of Don Julio 1942, a cup of limes, and a stack of plastic shot glasses.

“Ali!” They chime in drunk unison, grins wide and slightly unfocused. Their eyes then land on Rhaenyra, and they are utterly, blessedly oblivious to the storm cloud on the alpha’s face.

“RHAEEEE!” Laenor bellows, surging forward. He shoves a plastic shot glass into Alicent’s limp hand and then one into Rhaenyra’s, which hangs clenched at her side. “The night is young and we are not letting you two hide in here like hermits!”

Joffrey is already pouring generous measures into their cups. “We’re pre-gaming,” he announces, sloshing a bit onto the floor. “The resort is hosting food trucks outside which is right on time, so we can grab a snack before hitting the club.”

Rhaenyra’s jaw is so tight it aches. She looks from their beaming, idiotic faces to Alicent, who stands stiffly, holding her shot glass. The robe covers her completely, but Rhaenyra can still see the faint flush on her chest, the rapid flutter of her pulse in her throat. She can still smell her.

Laenor picks up on the absolute silence emanating from his two friends, and squints. “Whoa. Everything okay in here?” His eyebrows raise. “You guys look… tense.”

Rhaenyra forces her fingers to unclench, and throws back the tequila in one burning gulp, never breaking eye contact with a blushing Alicent. 

“Not a thing,” She lies.

“Well then, cheers to another year around the sun. I love you both!” Laenor bellows, taking Rhaenyra’s word.

Joffrey refills their empty glasses and Alicent and Rhaenyra’s hands are forced into motion, slightly delayed and a fraction out of sync with the energy flooding the room. They tap their shots against the others’, the sound like a death knell to the moment they’d just been torn from.

“Cheers,” Rhaenyra forces out. She throws another shot back.

Alicent follows suit, the alcohol hitting her system like a shock. She feels the flush immediately, heat spreads across her chest and up her neck, but it does nothing to cool the heat between her legs. She feels it cooling on her inner thighs, a testament to how thoroughly she had been ready.

They’re dying a little inside, performing for their friends while their bodies scream to finish what they started.

After another shot, Rhaenyra seizes her chance, sitting her cup down on the table, announces, “gonna go finish getting ready.”  

“Wooo!” Laenor takes his boyfriend's hand in one, and Alicent’s in the other. “Show us what you’re wearing!” 

“Yes! Fashion show! Fashion Show!” Joffrey adds, and they begin to drag her, stumbling and protesting weakly back into the bedroom. Alicent throws a helpless look over her shoulder just in time to see Rhaenyra snatch her shower bag up before slipping into the bathroom.

The second the door locks behind her, Rhaenyra slumps against the solid wood, chest heaving. The air is still steamy from Alicent’s use, and it’s saturated with her clean scent and the warmness of her skin. It’s woven through and Rhaenyra can detect the sharp, cedar of her own need. Their pheromones are mixed in the damp air as if their bodies have already intertwined, already mated.

The thought alone—of belonging to Alicent, being hers in every way—makes her cock jump, pulsing in time with her hammering heartbeat. She pictures Alicent’s teeth in her neck, marking a permanent brand of her possession and it’s so vivid it steals the air in her lungs.

She can’t wait. 

Shoving her hand into her underwear, her fingers wrap around the length of her shaft in a pathetic, clumsy substitute for Alicent’s touch, but it’s immediate and necessary. She’s so hard it’s a near-painful ache, the skin stretched taut and sensitive. And a fantasy of Alicent emerges, taking her, claiming the proud Targaryen alpha and bringing her to her knees. Not by force, but by pure devotion for the Hightower. The thought makes her knees buckle.

She pumps her fist twice frantically, and her head falls back against the door with a solid thud. Behind her eyelids, it’s not her own hand she sees.

It’s Alicent.

Alicent on her knees, looking up through her lashes, her lips red and swollen, a single drop of cum glistening on her plump bottom lip. It’s Alicent beneath her on the rumpled sheets, back arched, hearing her plead and choking back curses as she takes every inch of Rhaenyra. Her perfect cunt claiming Rhaenyra from the inside out.

“Alicent—” The name rips from her before she can stop herself, and she can only hope she hasn't been heard from the other side of the door as her orgasm rips through her, violent and overwhelming. Her spine bows and her free hand scrambles for purchase against the doorknob as she spills hot and thick over her fist, stripes of cum painting her abdomen. The climax is less release and more of a seizure of need, leaving her breathless in its wake.

She sags against the door, panting, the aftershocks making her thighs quiver. She swallows the saliva building in her mouth, the taste of want sharp on her tongue. The phantom feel of Alicent is still etched into her nerves, a ghost of her touch more real than the cool air. She's throbbing with the echo of it. She pushes herself upright and stumbles toward the shower, her body humming with only the physical. Her mind and soul still ache for the real thing.

By the time she steps out of the shower, Joffrey and Laenor are gone to finish getting ready for the night.

Alicent remains.

And now the room feels large and too quiet.

She’s changed into a dress the color of a setting sun made of silk and looks like it was spun from summer itself. It hugs her body, a deep slit reveals an expanse of toned thigh every time she shifts her weight. The neckline dips dangerously low, a bold declaration that showcases the generous swell of her breasts. Alicent sits at the vanity, putting the final touches on her makeup, and their eyes connect through the mirror. Her gaze is intense as it lands but doesn’t stay on Rhaenyra’s face. It tracks downward, on a journey over the reflection of Rhaenyra’s body, damp and clad only in a towel. The omega’s eyes linger on the cloth wrapped around Rhaenyra’s hips, on the very obvious outline of Rhaenyra’s cock that hasn't softened in the slightest—not from the time apart, and certainly not from the rushed, lonely release in the bathroom.

A tiny, audible sound escapes Alicent as she worries the flesh of her lip between her teeth. For a heartbeat, the air is thick enough to choke on, charged with everything unsaid and everything they want. Then, as if pulling herself from a trance, Alicent drags her eyes back up to Rhaenyra’s face in the mirror, she sets her makeup brush down with a clatter that seems unnaturally loud.

"I'm going to go to Laena’s," she says, voice betraying a slight, breathy flutter. She stands, as gracefully as she can. "Let you get dressed."

She doesn’t look back. The door clicks shut behind her, the final sound leaves Rhaenyra alone with her thoughts and the lingering, taunting scent of Alicent's perfume. She exhales a ragged breath, her fingers tightening in the terrycloth.

Later.

The promise echoes in her mind. She and Alicent will have their time later, when the others are asleep, when the villa is quiet and dark … and there’s limited opportunity for interruptions. The thought is the only thing that steadies her. Rhaenyra dresses and twenty minutes later, she finds the group in the open lobby full of laughter and pre-game energy.

Harwin spots her first, pats her roughly on the back. His expression is a mix of amusement and brotherly concern, “you alright?” He asks, the look in his eyes says he knows. (in actuality, he overheard his wife, Alicent and Mysaria in their room, had spotted the flustered look on Alicent’s face when she knocked on their door).

“Fine,” Rhaenyra attempts to smile, but it feels more like a grimace.

Harwin squeezes her shoulder in a gesture of sympathy, as if to say nothing worse than a case of blue balls, before Laenor is clapping his hands, gathering everyone's attention. Joffrey moves through the group, passing out elegant silver flasks inscribed with Laenor's name and the birthday. Rhaenyra accepts hers, unscrewing the cap. She brings it to her nose and sniffs the contents, immediately coughing at the potency burning her nostrils.

More tequila.

“Attention, family!” Laenor cuts through the resort’s bustle and humid evening air. His flask clutched in one hand while the other splays over his heart. “I gathered you all here today in celebration of me.”

The circle of his loved ones erupt in a chorus of laughter. Rhaenyra’s lips curve into an automatic smile, but her attention is fractured cutting across the circle to Alicent, who is tucked securely between Laena and Mysaria. Laena has an arm slung around Alicent’s shoulders, and Mysaria whispers something that makes Alicent’s cheeks flush and Rhaenyra tries to catch her eye but the brunette’s focus is stubbornly fixed on the intricate pattern of the stone beneath her feet. The rejection stings.

“I know I stopped by your rooms already,” Laenor continues, softening into genuine warmth. “Thank you all, but really … having you here means the world to me. So once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

Another wave of affectionate cheers rolls through the group. Harwin lets out a sharp whistle that makes everyone grin.

“To a night full of debauchery!” Laenor proclaims, thrusting his flask in the air. “I better see each one of you crawling back into this place sweaty from the club, drunk off your ass, or—” his eyes scan the crowd, pinpointing the blonde, “—in some of y’all’s case…” He winks at Rhaenyra as subtle as a firework. “With a hot piece of ass on your arm! Cheers!”

The crowd whoops again, flasks clinking together.

All except for two.

The crude, well-intentioned suggestion hangs in the air between Rhaenyra and Alicent. A fresh wave of self-consciousness washes over Alicent, her gaze snapping up from the ground only to collide with Rhaenyra’s. The air crackles. There is no hiding from it now. Her flush deepens, spreading down her neck and across her chest, visible above the neckline of her dress, remembers being that "hot piece of ass," with Rhaenyra’s dick in her face. The memory is so potent she can suddenly feel the ghost of her shaft against her cheek, and her thighs clench.

Rhaenyra sees it flash in Alicent. She sees the arousal that instantly shadows the omega’s face. Her own body responds in kind, demanding heat coils low in her stomach. Laenor’s joke isn’t the joke he thinks it is.

Their shared look lasts only a second, but feels like a lifetime. Then, as if by mutual, terrified agreement, they both quickly look away, the moment breaking as the group begins to disperse toward the hoard of food trucks. They grab a quick bite to eat before heading toward the rented SUV, laughter echoing into the night. 

The humid Havana night clings to their skin like a second layer of clothing, thick and heavy with the scent of salt and the sweat of hundreds of bodies moving as one. The nightclub is pulsating, nestled in the valley under a string of lights that drip from the palm fronds like stars. The bass from the DJ’s booth, positioned at the center of the dance floor vibrates up through the soles of their feet.

Their group splinters like shrapnel, Laena drags a grinning Harwin deep into the crowd, their bodies already moving as a unit. Arryk and Mysaria follow while Laenor pulls a laughing Joffrey toward one of the long bars facing the dance floor.

It leaves Alicent and Rhaenyra standing at the edge of the undulating crowd, an island of charged silence in a sea of noise. The awkwardness from the villa threatens to descend again, a cold mist in the tropical heat but Rhaenyra refuses. She came here to celebrate with her friends, not hide in the shade of her own doubts. Tonight is for Laenor, for fun, for forgetting everything except the beat and the woman in front of her.

Before she can second-guess the impulse, Rhaenyra’s hand closes around Alicent’s. Her skin is startlingly cool against the oppressive heat and without a word, she pulls her into the current of dancers, spinning her once, twice, until the omega’s back is flush against her front. The alpha’s hands settle on Alicent’s hips in a firm anchor as she begins to sway, her own hips rolling in a slow, hypnotic roll that directs Alicent’s movements. A startled breath hitches in her throat, going rigid for a single, suspended moment, then as if a string has been cut, all the tension drains from her. She melts back into the solid wall of Rhaenyra’s body, head lolling back to rest against the alpha’s shoulder and slips her eyes shut. She lets the music and Rhaenyra’s lead consume her.

They move like that for what feels like hours, lost in the crush of bodies and the thundering soundscape. Sweat dots along Alicent’s hairline, tracing a delicate path down her temple. A single, persistent bead rolls down the valley of Rhaenyra’s spine, a slow, maddening caress beneath her shirt. The air cooks around them, amplifying their scent, and beneath it all, the increasingly potent, sweet musk of Alicent’s endless arousal, a perfume meant solely for the alpha whose body she’s grinding against.

Alicent’s hands, which had been tentatively resting on Rhaenyra’s waist, grow bolder. One slides down, her fingers digging into the solid muscle of Rhaenyra’s hip, possessive and needing. The other drifts up, tangling in the sweat-damp strands of hair at the nape of her neck. Rhaenyra’s strong hands remain perched on the small of Alicent’s back, but her thumbs strokes lazy, burning circles against the omega’s spine. Their hips move in seamless, sensual sync. A slow grind that is less a dance and more conversation. The tension that had eased is back, but it’s different now. It’s not the awkward buildup of unsaid things; it’s a thick, syrupy tension of too many things said with their body, a collection of moments playing on a loop with every brush of linen against silk.

When Alicent pulls back for the second time, wiping a sheen of sweat from her eyes with the back of her hand, Rhaenyra chuckles. She leans in, lips brushing the shell of Alicent’s ear cutting through the music. “Let me grab you some water.”

Alicent nods, throat too dry, and her mind too fogged with desire to form words. As Rhaenyra peels away, the sudden absence of her heat is a shock. Alicent watches her cut through the crowd with an innate authority before turning and weaving her way toward Mysaria and Laena, who had danced their way over to their corner of the floor, giving their partners a reprieve. The two women welcome her with wide, knowing grins, eyes flicking between Alicent’s flushed face and Rhaenyra’s retreating form.

“How’s it going?” Mysaria’s voice is a sly, eyebrows doing a scandalous little dance as Alicent weaves through the gyrating bodies to reach them. Laena, a smirk already playing on her lips, shuffles her dance moves to make space, eyes locked on Alicent, waiting for the answer.

A slow, unguarded grin spreads across Alicent’s face, she gives a casual, breathless shrug but the truth is written in the flush on her chest, the dilated darkness of her pupils, the faint scent of Rhaenyra’s arousal on her skin.

It’s all the confirmation they need. Both women let out a synchronized squeal of triumph, grabbing Alicent and pulling her in. 

Their debrief earlier plays vividly in Alicent’s mind. After she’d shown up at Laena’s door, a blissed-out mess, Laena had immediately texted Mysaria, demanding her presence. The three huddled together as Alicent unloaded, confessing how close she’d come to taking Laena’s advice and just fucking her again .

Mysaria listened, eyes wide, before letting out a shuddering sigh of relief. “Finally.” The word was a benediction. Alicent had been surprised by her lack of shock, but Laena nodded knowingly, apparently her friends knew this was a long time coming.

“Yall looked ready to rip each other’s clothes off,” Laena shouts over the music, swaying in a rhythm that’s pure provocation.

Mysaria dances closer, pressing her cheek against Alicent’s, her voice a direct whisper in her ear. “Put that beautiful ass villa to use.”

Alicent giggles, light and free, and throws her head back as she dances with her friends. She gets lost in the thrum of the beat, the way the bass seems to travel up from the shaking floor and into her bones. Bodies press close, the heat of strangers mingling with her friends. For a perfect, crystalline moment, she is just a woman at a club, dancing, breathing, having the best time of her life.

Until she looks up.

Her gaze, seeking out its natural anchor, finds Rhaenyra at the bar. She holds two condensation slick glasses of water but her attention is not on them. A woman is at her side, angled intimately close, one hand resting on Rhaenyra’s forearm.

The world does not just fade out; it shatters .

The music becomes a distant, meaningless roar. The crowd blurs into a smear of color. Every instinct in Alicent’s body, every nerve that makes her an omega hones in on the scene with precision. She watches the woman’s fingers—slim, manicured, unwanted —slide up the corded muscle of Rhaenyra’s forearm and she watches Rhaenyra, her Rhaenyra, look down at the woman and smile. It’s a polite, distracted smile but to Alicent, it feels like a betrayal.

A low, guttural sound builds in Alicent’s throat, a warning that is swallowed by the music. Reason, caution and the careful persona she’s built over a lifetime evaporates in a flash of blind rage. She’s moving before she can form a single thought, cutting through the crowd. Her friends’ calls are muffled, irrelevant noises behind her as her entirety is focused on one lone objective.

She plants herself directly in front of Rhaenyra, barring the other woman from her view. It’s borderline aggressive but she doesn't care, her scent shifts, exploding with warning at the beta. Rhaenyra is her territory.

A beta, daring to touch what’s hers .

That look in Alicent’s eyes blazes with a fire Rhaenyra has never seen before, an inferno that locks onto her and dares her to even glance at the beta again but Rhaenyra doesn’t want to. The world has shrunk to the space between them, and is swamped in Alicent’s scent, no longer just sweet, honeyed jasmine but a rich thunderstorm of demand that makes the alpha’s knees weak.

A thrill shoots down Rhaenyra’s spine and she preens under the intensity of it, her body buzzing. 

Rhaenyra carefully slides a glass to Alicent, brushing their fingers and a spark of electricity transfers between them. She brings her own to her lips, never leaving Alicent’s gaze. She hides a smirk behind the rim, a silent acknowledgment and Alicent places her cup on the bar without taking a sip. A single drop of water escapes Rhaenyra’s lips, tracing a path down her chin and before she can wipe it away, Alicent’s hand snaps up, cupping her jaw with a firm, undeniable pressure. Her fingers dig into the alpha’s skin definitively , pulling Rhaenyra closer until they are a shared, heated breath apart.

Rhaenyra moans, vibrating against Alicent’s palm. Her eyes flutter half-shut, a submissive gesture she has never offered anyone as she looks up through her lashes into Alicent’s possessive ones. The warning in the omega is loud and clear.

Mine.

The word isn’t spoken but it’s branded into Rhaenyra.

Another, deeper moan is torn from Rhaenyra’s throat as every unspoken rule, every fear of consequence or concern about who might be watching evaporates in the face of this raw desire. She surges forward, smashing their lips together in a kiss that is less about affection and more about consumption.

Alicent’s grip on her jaw remains firm, controlling the angle and depth of the kiss as she accepts Rhaenyra’s desperate advance. She opens her mouth giving permission that Rhaenyra seizes, plunging her tongue inside to taste the familiar, addictive heat. Alicent moans into her mouth, the sound swallowed by the alpha’s hunger. Rhaenyra’s hands wrap around the omega and grips a handful of Alicent’s ass, dragging their bodies together until not a sliver of space remains between them. The hard line of Rhaenyra’s arousal presses insistently against Alicent’s stomach.

When they finally break apart, gasping for air, the heat in their eyes is a perfect, mirrored reflection of unleashed need. A string of saliva connects their swollen, bruised lips for a second before breaking. Rhaenyra, dazed and ravenous, leans back in to capture Alicent’s lips in a series of quick, teasing kisses of soft nips and soothing licks but Alicent is having none of her teasing. Her hand slides from Rhaenyra’s jaw to the back of her neck, holding her still, making Rhaenyra shudder. She kisses her, further devastating the alpha as she claims control, showing Rhaenyra exactly who’s in charge. 

The crowd, the music, the beta, it’s all forgotten. There is only this. Only them.

The door crashes inward, under the force of Rhaenyra’s shoulder. They don’t make it three steps inside before they collapse against the wall in a tangle of desperate hands and mouths, the lock clicks shut behind them in the sudden silence of the suite.

Alicent kisses her like she’s starving, because she is. A month of stolen glances, of lying awake and aching, it all detonates at once. Her teeth catch Rhaenyra’s bottom lip and she bites down hard enough to break the skin. Her nails rake down the alpha’s sides, scoring red lines over taut muscle before her fingers hook into the waistband of Rhaenyra’s pants and yank, finally freeing the hard, defined cut of that delicious V she’s been thirsting after for months.

Rhaenyra grunts, one hand fists in the silk of her dress, bunching the fabric up around her waist as she walks her backward into the room. The other hand cups the back of Alicent’s head, holding her in place, refusing to let their mouths separate for even a second. They are a mess of clumsy, frantic motion, driven by a need that has curdled into something essential. Alicent licks deep into Rhaenyra’s mouth in a filthily and grinds forward. The deliberate, hard roll of her pelvis against Rhaenyra makes the alpha see stars behind her clenched eyelids and her grip on her thigh tightens, thumbs brushing the feverish bare strip of skin where Alicent’s dress has ridden up.

Her answer is a broken moan, her hands fumbling between their slicked bodies to yank Rhaenyra’s shirt up. The alpha helps, breaking their kiss for an agonizing second to tear the damp fabric over her head with a violent jerk and toss it aside. Then her hands are on Alicent’s thighs, lifting her effortlessly into her arms. Alicent wraps her legs around Rhaenyra’s waist, heels digging into the small of her back, mouth latching onto the alpha’s neck, sucking a dark, possessive bloom onto her skin as she’s carried into the bedroom.

Rhaenyra doesn’t lay her down; she pins her down. She drops her onto the center of the bed, and follows, covering Alicent completely, caging her in. Air wooshes out of her in a breathless gasp as she looks up at the alpha above her, her face flushed, lips swollen from kisses. "God, yes—"

Rhaenyra grins, a predatory, wicked flash of sharp canines that send a fresh flood, soaking Alicent’s already drenched panties. Rhaenyra crashes their mouths back together, all teeth and desperation, scraping over the omega’s wildly hammering pulse point in a way that makes Alicent’s vision whiten around the edges, and crunch forward into Rhaenyra's body.

Rhaenyra shoves a hand between them, calloused palm dragging down the trembling plane of Alicent’s stomach and slips beneath the soaked lace. There is no finesse, no gentle exploration. 

Alicent chokes, a ragged, shattered sound, as two blunt fingertips find the aching, swollen clit between her legs. They slide through her slick with a filthy, wet sound, finally, finally relieving all the pent-up frustration with her touch.

"Fuck," Rhaenyra growls against her lips, rough and wrecked. Her fingers circle the desperate, throbbing bud, the pressure just shy of painful, and Alicent’s entire body seizes. "Baby, you’re so wet. Is all of this for me? Every drop?"

Alicent doesn’t deny it. She can’t even think about words right now. She can only feel the rough pad of Rhaenyra’s fingers working her into a frenzy, the sensation so intense it chokes the air in her throat. Her hips jerk, fucking herself against Rhaenyra’s hand. She’s already close, the coil in her gut winding impossibly tighter.

Amplified when Rhaenyra sucks a peaked, aching nipple between her teeth, biting down just shy of too hard and the sharp, bright pain-pleasure shoots straight to her empty, clenching core.

"More," she demands, her voice breaking on the word, raw and stripped bare. Her fingers tangle in Rhaenyra’s hair, pulling hard. "Please, more."

Rhaenyra pulls back just enough to yank her pants the rest of the way down her thighs, producing a condom from her wallet and ripping it from the foil. The sight of her rolling the latex down the thick, flushed length of her cock makes Alicent’s mouth flood. Her own need is a throbbing, desperately between her legs.

Then Rhaenyra’s hands are on her again, fingers hooking into the side of her underwear, tugging them aside and exposing her completely to the night air and the alpha’s hungry stare. 

Rhaenyra pauses, trembling with the effort of restraint. She braces herself over Alicent, face a mask of raw need but her eyes search Alicent’s. It’s a final, breathless check-in, a silent question asked with a raised eyebrow and a heaving chest. Is this still what you want?

Alicent answers surging up, capturing Rhaenyra’s lips in an open-mouthed kiss that's all tongue, teeth and consent. It’s all Rhaenyra needs, breaking the kiss, takes her sheathed length in her hand and gives herself one firm, slick stroke aligning herself and sinks home in one devastating thrust.

The air is knocked from Alicent’s lungs in a silent scream, body going utterly stiff, every muscle locking as she’s impaled, stretched and filled in the way she’s been dreaming of for weeks. Every inch, every ridge, the brutal, perfect invasion of Rhaenyra buring herself to the hilt is everything she’ wanted. The coarse brown thatch of her pubic hair meets the trimmed blonde of Rhaenyra’s, and they are locked together.

And then Rhaenyra grinds. A slow, deep rotation of her hips that presses directly against Alicent’s most sensitive spot.

Alicent explodes.

Her body clenches, locking up in a violent, seismic orgasm that stops her breathing. A ragged, broken cry is torn from her throat as her sharp, manicured nails rake down Rhaenyra’s back, scoring lines into her skin. The pleasure is so intense it borders on pain, a total system override that leaves her shuddering and gasping beneath the alpha.

It’s too much. It’s so perfect.

Rhaenyra's cock drags against every over-sensitized, convulsing inch inside Alicent, who is shutters silently, lost to the sensation of her pussy clenching and unclenching around the thick intrusion in a seemingly endless rhythm. Her legs lock like a vise around Rhaenyra’s waist, heels digging into the small of her back and pulling her even deeper with every thrust.

She loses all sense of time, of individual orgasms. She can’t tell if she’s having one continuous, earth-shattering peak or if one simply tapers into two, then three, each more intense than the last. It's a never ending cascade of pleasure, a feedback loop where every snap of Rhaenyra’s hips intensifies the feeling, building a pressure inside her that has no outlet. It coils in her core, a spring wound too tight, and her instincts rise to meet it with a snarl she feels building in her soul.

She tastes it before she understands it, a burst of metallic copper exploding over her tongue. The taste the final key as her eyes roll back in pure, unadulterated euphoria as the most powerful rush of her life hits her. It’s not just an orgasm. It’s a cataclysm. A feeling of profound, unshakable calmness and warmth floods her in a tidal wave of emotions that aren’t entirely her own. It’s security, devotion, a possessiveness so fierce it feels like love, and an awe that steals her breath.

The bond hums in her bones but doesn’t just settle. It snaps into place with an irrevocable and eternal force. She feels everything —Rhaenyra’s overwhelming love and the blinding pleasure all flood her system, mingling with her crashing climax until they are indistinguishable.

As the last waves of it finally begin to taper, her body goes completely limp, falling back into a heap on the bed, a boneless pool of sweat and satisfaction. The world is soft, blurry a hum. The last thing she is aware of is the heavy, warm weight of Rhaenyra collapsing on top of her, a deep, content purr rumbling from the alpha’s chest, vibrating through her own as one. 

Mine.

Chapter Text

The first thing Rhaenyra becomes conscious of is the cold, empty space beside her in the bed. The second is a low, resonant hum deep inside her chest. It feels like a string being plucked taut between her ribs, thrumming with a life not entirely her own and silently tugging her core like a compass needle pulling her from the warmth of the bed.

Her eyes crack open to find the villa bathed in the silver light of the moon, streaming in through the open patio doors, and beyond them lays the dark, endless ocean swaying softly beneath a cloudless sky. A gentle breeze carries the heavy scent of salt and the lingering, intimate aroma of sex into the room, mixing with the cool night air.

And there, in the water, is Alicent.

She’s a silhouette of pale skin and dark hair, hovering weightlessly beyond the villa's wooden stilts. Her bare back faces the room as she tilts her head up toward the star flecked sky

… and her posture is all wrong.

From the bed, Rhaenyra can see the tension in her shoulders, coiled tightly that screams of her inner turmoil. Not only can Rhaenyra see it, she feels it. The string between her ribs gives another persistent, desperate tug, pulling her until the bedsheets pool around her feet and the bite on her neck pulses with a phantom ache, as if Alicent’s canines are just now breaking the skin.

She keeps to the shadows, padding onto the wooden terrace and the cool planks beneath her feet aid in her assent keeping silent. She watches, as the connection between them flares to life. The bond roils in a tempestuous tide of emotions, so strongly in a way Rhaenyra has never felt and is profoundly unprepared. To have another’s heart tied so inextricably to her own is as amazing as it sounds but also terrifyingly overwhelming. It churns like a sea of doubt so thick it threatens to suffocate her, carrying an undercurrent of pure fear. The metallic taste of Alicent’s panic rests on the back of her tongue, and deep beneath it all, lies the fading echo of their shared pleasure from a few hours ago.

Something so wonderful was now being tainted with a layer of shame.

It all hits Rhaenyra at once, one devastating blow after another - the euphoria, the doubt, the anchor of questions Alicent didn't voice in the darkness before she fled their room. Alicent’s truth crashes into Rhaenyra without preamble, in a brutal wave that nearly steals the air from the alpha’s lungs. It was a mistake. The thought isn't her own, but it echoes in her mind with devastating clarity. 

The mark on her neck burns, starting to feel less like a claim and more like a brand of regret.

She thinks she took too much … that she ruined us.

The thought hits like a physical blow. A cold knot forms in Rhaenyra’s stomach that exists in direct opposition to the warm living beat she feels pumping in her chest. The duality wars within her because what happened between them, what has been unfolding for weeks, has always felt perfect. Maybe the timing wasn't but the few precious moments where Rhaenyra could simply be with Alicent, pretending to be wholly hers, felt like the truest, most right thing in the world. 

Now, this … this feels like devastation. 

Like drowning.

Rhaenyra can’t let her drown alone.

She steps out of the shadows and the moon clings to the lines of her body outlining the curve of her shoulders and the dip of her waist, drawing her inexorably closer to the unmarked omega drifting aimlessly in the water.

Alicent feels her presence before she sees her.

She stiffens, and a fresh ripple of her emotions emanate from her core, blasting Rhaenyra in nauseating waves of uncertainty. The water around her becomes frantic as she turns, her eyes puffy and red rimmed and the stark signs of panic written across her beautiful face clear as day.

Rhaenyra doesn't stop at the deck's edge, walking down the short steps and into the embrace of the ocean. The water swallows her ankles, then her knees, rising to her waist as she sinks deeper and the shock of the cold water is a fleeting, insignificant compared to the ache of Alicent's distress.

"I—" the brunette starts, choked, the words sound like they’re being torn from her throat in a whirlpool of shame and doubt. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to — We can … we can ignore it. It will fade if we just —"

"Don’t." Rhaenyra says, the gentle command cuts through her frantic apology. She closes the distance between them and pulls her friend into her arms. The omega is rigid, like a statue of misery. Shame pours off Alicent in a scent of sour citrus and salt and Rhaenyra cups her cheek, stroking the chilled skin and gently forces Alicent to meet her gaze. "Please don't apologize," Rhaenyra whispers. "Not for this. Never for this."

Alicent trembles violently in her arms, and Rhaenyra knows it is not from the ocean but from the unshakable belief she broke something irreplaceable. So, Rhaenyra does the only thing she can …

Her walls fall down, releasing her scent. 

It’s not aggressive but it’s rich and rolling in waves of amber — like home. 

It pours from her into the night, the cool air overlapping them in a blanket of comfort that’s seeking to smother Alicent’s despair.

“You feel that, don't you?" She asks, resting her forehead against Alicent’s, their breath mingling. “That’s what I feel for you. You didn't make a mistake, Ali. Trust me, this … you’re the best thing that ever happened to me."

Alicent's eyes flick back and forth between Rhaenyra’s, searching for any hint she may be lying or placating Alicent in kindness, not truth. Hesitantly, she lifts her hand, hovering for one heartbreaking moment before she places her cool fingers onto Rhaenyra’s skin, right where her shoulder and neck meet.

Right over her bite.

And Rhaenyra’s scent grows stronger, more focused and deliberate as she pours out her unadulterated joy, the feelings that's been dancing in her veins since the omega walked into her life. It’s profound, and bone deep and now that Alicent has marked her, she knows this is what home truly is. 

It’s the sheer, staggering awe of being chosen, of being claimed by the only person she’s ever wanted.

Alicent’s grip tightens convulsively on Rhaenyra's, her nails digging half moons into her skin and while the storm doesn't vanish, it’s suddenly tampered by Rhaenyra's unwavering devotion. More of her tears spill over, "you … you're not angry?" She whispers, thickly. "You don't feel … trapped?"

"Trapped?" Rhaenyra breathes, a laugh almost escapes at the absurdity of being trapped by the woman of her dreams. She places Alicent's palm firmly over the bite, it throbs in time with their heartbeats, syncing into one. She rests her forehead back onto Alicent’s. “Baby.” Alicent’s gaze snaps to hers, her throat bobs as the word falls into the little space between them. "You didn't ruin anything, and you could definitely never ruin us.”

A relieved sob escapes, swallowed by the gentle lap of the waves and the immense quiet of the night.

The memory of her orgasm settling, leaving her boneless and overwhelmed as she lay under the alpha’s warm weight, the rumbling purr in Rhaenyra’s chest vibrating through her felt like a cage closing in around her. Her skin itched with a need to escape the permanence of what her teeth had wrought. 

The ocean had been the only solace.

Close enough to soothe her panic but keep her near her— her mate. The instinct refuses to let her stray too far from the alpha asleep cozily beside her. The one whose skin she’d marked, whose soul was now irrevocably sealed to hers.

What have I done? The question screamed in a loop in her mind.

But now, it feels like a massive, physical weight is being lifted from her chest. The pressure that’s been crushing her since the moment she opened her eyes is slowly fading away and relief, as deep as the ocean they're wafting in spreads across her body.

She does the only thing she can think of, the only thing she’s truly wanted since she felt Rhaenyra’s presence, and surges forward framing her mate’s face and pulling her into a kiss that feels like an apology and a promise.

At first, it tastes like tears but then Rhaenyra tilts her head, opening her mouth, yielding, and the taste changes. Her lips are soft moving with desperate hunger as the firm swell of their breast presses together. The strength of her arms lock around Alicent’s waist, holding her so close her hard length presses insistently against Alicent’s hip beneath the water igniting a reminder of the passion that forged their bond in the first place. They sway, buoyant and weightless in the dark water as the world shrinks to just the intimate slide of lips, their shared breath and the touch of wet skin. 

Above them, a canopy of stars stretches into infinity, their silent light the only witness to this long awaited moment. Twenty years of friendship, of heartbreak, of suppressing confessions and longing glances have all led them to this.

And finally, life feels whole. 

The pieces of their separate lives feel like they’re being clicked together.

They kiss for a few more seconds, a slow, savoring exploration that mends the last of the morning’s fractures, each gentle press of lips stitching their world back together. When they finally part, breathless and with their foreheads resting together, Rhaenyra doesn’t let her go. Instead, her arms tighten firmly around Alicent’s waist, wrapping her in a secure hug, holding her tight against the steady beat of her heart. Water laps gently at their shoulders as Rhaenyra breaks the kiss leaving a hairsbreadth between them.

“I love you,” Rhaenyra murmurs, fervent against Alicent’s kissed bruised lips. “I - I have been so desperately in love with you for so long, it feels like my entire life has been leading me to this.” She pulls back shyly, now that her feelings are free to Alicent’s ears so many possibilities lay on the table but, thankfully, she finds her best friend’s eyes shining with awe. She cradles her face, stroking the traces of salt water at her jaw.

“I know your bite happened in the heat of the moment,” Rhaenyra continues gently, “and I know you just ended things with Criston when this started and you're rebuilding ...” her thumbs still, holding Alicent’s gaze, and the plethora of choices are too many to choose from. “So if you need time … if you need space to just breathe or be alone to figure out your thoughts, I - I can give it to you. We can go as slow as you need and I’ll take you out on dates, Ali. I’ll treat you right, the way you always deserved to be treated. The whole nine, baby, flowers a-and terrible poetry for as long as it takes because I want you so much. And I’ll wait until you're ready - if you are ever ready for me to claim you back.”

She makes the offer purely and selflessly as a testament to her willingness to go at Alicent’s pace. She’s quietly waited for over twenty years and now that there’s hope, she won't rush it. She won't color outside the lines if it means risking losing everything she’s gained in less than twenty-four hours because this bond is not a chain, but a choice she’d choose again and again.

Alicent listens, heart swelling so profoundly she feels like it might burst through her chest, witnessing Rhaenyra’s earnestly and feels her truth humming through her scent. That unconditional love makes the decision beautifully clear. A smile touches her lips, banishing the last of her shadows, covering Rhaenyra’s where they hold her face and laces with the alpha’s.

“No,” she whispers. “I don’t want to wait. I’ll take the dates and flowers but we don’t need to go slow.” She leans in, pressing a kiss to Rhaenyra’s lips, pouring every ounce into their newly found connection. When she pulls back, her eyes are dark with want. “I want you,” she breathes against her mouth.

The statement goes beyond simple meaning, vibrating with an intensity that transcends friendship and everything in between. It exists in the marrow of their bones and under the dim, star lit sky, Rhaenyra sees exactly what Alicent wants. It’s written in the dilation of her pupils, in the unwavering set of her jaw and most off, Rhaenyra can smell it. Her arousal blooms, potent like heavy perfume that cuts through the air in an unmistakable invitation.

To make it devastatingly clear, Alicent wraps her legs around Rhaenyra’s waist and locks her ankles at the small of her back. Water swirls around them in gentle ripples but all Rhaenyra can feel is the searing heat of Alicent’s core pressed insistently against her stomach.

A low hum rumbles in the alpha’s chest in a sound of pure satisfaction that vibrates through the water between them. The resonance seems to travel up Alicent’s spine, and Rhaenyra needs no further invitation, tightening her arms around the omega, one hand splaying possessively at the small of Alicent's back, the other hooking firmly under her thigh to haul her closer, aligning their bodies.

She turns, the water offering little resistance as she strides back toward the deck.

Carrying her mate.

The noun sings in her blood, the primal truth more potent than the salt of the ocean. She climbs the steps, water streaming from their bodies - her pace unbroken as she moves through the villa with a single-minded purpose and brings them directly into the expansive bathroom.

Water erupts from the rainfall showerhead, filling the room with swirling steam that smells of clean rain and heavy humidity. Still cradling Alicent against her, Rhaenyra steps into the spray and the hot water hits them in a cascading torrent that pours over their shoulders, plastering their hair to their skin, washing away the salt of the sea and any lingering ghosts of Alicent’s doubts. Alicent tilts her head back into the stream, eyes closing as the water courses over her face, down the column of her throat, over the unmarked skin Rhaenyra is now desperate to claim as her own.

Her mouth finds Alicent’s neck with raw hunger. Her tongue follows the frantic pulse of the omega's artery up toward her jaw, tasting the heated skin before her teeth nip at the curve with a starvation twenty years in the making. Alicent gasps, her head falling further back in surrender, but her hands are anything but passive. She leans forward, one hand latching onto the back of Rhaenyra’s head, her fingers tangling in the wet strands, and drags the alpha’s lips to hers.

It’s a collision of their mouths, of Alicent’s tongue slipping past her lips and tangling with the alpha’s in a claiming rhythm that wrenches a guttural groan from Rhaenyra’s throat. Alicent’s other arm locks tighter around Rhaenyra’s neck, revealing the unyielding strength the omega possesses in a way that meets the alpha’s with equal fervor as Rhaenyra pins her between the wall, Alicent arches into her.

Rhaenyra’s hands slide down, mapping familiar yet thrillingly new territory with a profound sense of ownership. They trace the delicate notches of Alicent’s spine before gripping the generous, perfect swell of her ass, pulling her flush and removing any last sliver of space between them. The hard, thick length of her cock presses insistently against Alicent’s cunt, slippery with water and their shared heat.

Alicent’s nipples pebble into aching points, rubbing against the softness of Rhaenyra’s chest through the slick barrier of wet skin. The alpha breaks their bruising kiss and trails a burning path down the brunette's throat, right over the pounding pulse she just has to have another taste of. She gives the frantic beat her full attention, sucking and laving until the skin blossoms with a bruise, a temporary brand of her possession. In response, Alicent’s entrance stutters against Rhaenyra’s length in a helpless, slick shutter that coats the alpha’s rigid flesh in her arousal.

Rhaenyra’s mouth moves lower, over the delicate ridge of a collarbone, lower still to the lush, full curve of her breast. She takes one taut l peak into the scorching heat of her mouth and sucks deeply. Her tongue swirls around the hypersensitive bud, flicking and pressing until Alicent cries out, the sound swallowed by the drumming water.

A low, continuous moan vibrates in Alicent’s throat, a counterpoint to the water pelting against the tiles. She holds Rhaenyra to her, her hips making small, desperate circles against the alpha’s length, begging for friction, for relief. She clenches around a devastating emptiness, her body aching, pleading to be filled, to be stretched and claimed completely. The scent of her need, sweet and musky, rises above the steam, a call Rhaenyra has no intention of resisting.

They lose themselves in the steam and the sensation of each other, their movements fueled by an obsessive hunger that feels both familiar and brand new. Under the spray, their world narrows to the heat of skin on skin. Rhaenyra’s mouth is relentless, consuming Alicent’s with a desperation that borders on violence, mapping a territory she now claims as her own. Alicent meets her with equal fervor, her hands tangling in Rhaenyra’s wet hair, pulling her closer, deeper as if she could fuse their bodies together. The steam amplifies every touch into a fever pitch; the slide of Rhaenyra’s hands down Alicent’s back, the press of Alicent’s nails into Rhaenyra’s shoulders is all magnified intensely under the pounding water.

They kiss until their lips are swollen and tender, until the water beating down on them begins to lose its heat, cooling to an unwelcome chill that raises goosebumps on their skin. A shiver runs through Alicent, a full body tremor and Rhaenyra pulls back, trembling with a need that goes far deeper than the temperature. She reaches behind Alicent to shut off the water.

The sudden silence is deafening, broken only by their ragged, shared breaths and the steady drip of water from their bodies onto the floor but Rhaenyra doesn’t let the moment break. She reaches for a large towel and wraps it around Alicent’s shoulders, rubbing her arms briskly before she secures it around Alicent’s waist.

The sight of the bed and the state they left it in lies before them in a landscape of tangled sheets and discarded clothes and the need to finish what they started in the shower now hangs heavy in the air. Dawn is starting to seep into the room, a soft orange and rose gold light slowly chases the shadows from the corners, painting their bodies as they sink into the sheets in a tangle of limbs. They move slowly and more deliberately in a conscious exploration.

Rhaenyra moves over Alicent making the omega’s breath catch, she nuzzles the sensitive, purpling mark she created at the junction of Alicent’s neck and shoulder, and inhales deeply. The rising scent of her scent mixed with Alicents’ is so intoxicating she nearly drools and presses her lips firmer to the spot and sucks possessively, careful not to break the skin but reinforce her desire to brand Alicent when the omega is ready. 

Alicent’s back arch off the bed, her toes curling against the sheets as a choked moan catches in her throat and Rhaenyra’s grip roams freely, spanning over curves she originally thought she’d only have access to for a limited amount of time. She traces the arch of Alicent’s foot, the hollow behind her knee, the devastating softness of an inner thigh with a slowness that is its own form of torture. She wants to worship every inch of Alicent, to build the pleasure so slowly and thoroughly the omega forgets her own name, any doubt … everything but the feeling of Rhaenyra’s hands and mouth on her skin.

But Alicent is greedy. 

The dam of her desire has been broken, and now that she can openly admit to wanting Rhaenyra—needing Rhaenyra—the hunger sparks across her skin like a live wire. The alpha’s painstaking pace feels like heaven and hell and a frustrated, high pitched whine builds in Alicent’s as her hips rotate in small, involuntary jerks against the hard, hot length of Rhaenyra’s cock where it presses against her cunt, seeking friction and entrance.

She’s torn, part of her wants to surrender completely by melting into the sheets and letting Rhaenyra unravel her. To be adored and cherished until she’s nothing but a pleading, boneless puddle of sensation but the more carnal part of her wants to flip them over. She wants to pin Rhaenyra down and hold those strong, capable wrists to the pillow as she maps the defined, corded planes of the Rhaenyra’s abs with her tongue. She wants to make Rhaenyra lose control and rediscover the sounds she makes when she comes apart as she leaves her mark on Rhaenyra’s chest, her stomach and the hard muscle on the inside of her thighs.

She wants to show Rhaenyra that this new part of their relationship is just as all consuming as it has been for her.

Gently carding her fingers through Rhaenyra’s silver hair, Alicent lets her touch trail down, a slow, deliberate path following the graceful groove of her spine. It’s a silent request for more as she breaks their kiss, breath coming in soft pants that ghost over the blonde’s lips. Her eyes are heavy with want, bordering on desperation as she locks onto Rhaenyra’s, her pupils blown wide, swallowing blue irises. “Rhae…” she breathes.

And Rhaenyra, as if she can truly read her omega’s mind, understands, rolling to the side to lay flat on her back, never breaking contact as she guides Alicent on top until the omega is straddling her waist. Alicent’s thighs bracket Rhaenyra’s hips, splaying her open as she settles. The dripping heat of her cunt meets the throbbing length of Rhaenyra’s cock, resting against her stomach.

For a moment, they’re still, suspended, then of their own accord, Alicent’s hips move. It’s a slow, instinctual roll, grinding back and forth making them gasp. The sensitive nub of her clit nudges and slides against the heated, velvety head of Rhaenyra’s dick with each pass torturously that has them bucking into each other, chasing pleasure that edges them closer to completion. It happens before Alicent can fully process the dizzying shift in power.

Rhaenyra finds the curve of her waist, gripping her firm but not forceful and pulls Alicent down, grinding her harder against herself, silently encouraging her. She is giving Alicent the control she so clearly craves, yet with every guiding slide of her hips, every thrust Rhaenyra is an active participant in she plays an integral part in unraveling the omega’s last shred of control.

A broken cry tears from Alicent’s throat, hands flying out to brace herself on Rhaenyra’s shoulders, digging into the firm muscle as the world tilts and spins behind her clenched eyelids. Her rhythm becomes frantic, less a roll and more a desperate rut. She is so close, the tension coiling deep within her is a spring about to snap.

Rhaenyra can feel the telltale clenching of Alicent’s body, the sharp spike of pure, unadulterated need that flashes through their bond and braces her feet flat into the mattress, solidifying her body into a stable, unyielding platform for Alicent to use. Her hands slide down to grip the full, lush swell of the brunette’s ass and holds her steady. 

Alicent is leaking all over Rhaenyra’s dick, the slickness a wet, obscene sound filling the room, and destroying any last will she has to hang on.

Her climax crashes over her, her instinct surges to the surface overwhelmingly pushing aside all rational thought as her world shatters into a supernova of hot pleasure. Her teeth sink once more into the claiming mark on Rhaenyra’s neck, breaking the skin to anchor herself as her orgasm rips through her. It is nearly blinding, a convulsing, seizing release that milks the length pressed against her.

The sharp, possessive pain of the bite, combined with the violent clenching of Alicent’s body, is all it takes. Rhaenyra howls beneath her, a raw sound of pure ecstasy as she wraps her arms viscously around Alicent’s waist, holding her impossibly closer as she bucks into her before she spills her release. Thick cum pulses onto her own stomach and between their pressed bodies in a sweaty, heaping mess that seals them together.

They collapse into each other as the urgent need slowly begins to subside, replaced by bone deep satiation. They lick into each other’s mouths, tasting each other’s salt and sweat in a deep kiss that speaks louder than any words.

The sun hangs high and fierce in the sky, its heat a palpable weight on the skin by the time Rhaenyra and Alicent emerge from their seclusion. They find their friends lounging in the resort's open air restaurant, where the rich aroma of coffee mingles with the tangy ocean breeze. Their friends are a picture of sun kissed ease that only a tropical vacation can bring as they chat loudly over their breakfast but a noticeable hush falls around them as Rhaenyra and Alicent approach.

Jefforey recovers first, breaking into a warm smile as he waves them over but it’s Mysaria’s knowing smirk and Laena’s low, purring comment that immediately bring a scorching blush to their faces as they slide into empty seats.

“Look who finally decided to join the land of the living,” Mysaria remarks over the rim of her mimosa.

Laena is far more direct, sweeping over the omega’s body with an appreciative assessing look. “You’re looking awfully … refreshed, Ali. You too, Rhea. One might even say radiant. Did you sleep well?” 

Before the rest of their group can hone in on their conspicuous tardiness, a waitress glides over pouring coffee and takes their orders. Alicent keeps her eyes fixed on the menu while Rhaenyra attempts a mask of casual indifference, though the set of her shoulders is distinctly proud.

But they should’ve known better.

“Where'd you two go last night? I saw you on the dance floor one second,” Laenor begins, blissfully stacking eggs and a piece of steak onto his fork, “and the next you were both just … gone.” He takes a bite, completely missing the way his boyfriend and the rest of the table exchange glances.

Harwin’s shit eating grin matches his wife’s perfectly as he leans comfortably back in his chair. “Yeah, Rhae,” he prods. “What happened? It looked like you were having such a good time.”

Laena is busy cataloging the purplish love bite peeking above Alicent’s sundress as evidence plus the far more telling flooding of her senses by the potent mix of Alicent and Rhaenyra. It’s a combination so intimate it’s practically oozing from their pores in a blatant advertisement of what they’ve got up to last night and this morning. Her eyes fall on Rhaenyra, noting the alpha’s shirt buttoned far too high for the tropical morning heat in a clumsy attempt to conceal.

From the subtle shifts around the table, she isn't the only one who notices. Everyone except the oblivious birthday boy is now squarely focused on the two, their attention caught by the undeniable shift in Rhaenyra’s pheromones and the layer of her scent marking Alicent’s skin.

“Holy shit,” Arryk mutters, tilting into his girlfriend. He turns, facing Rhaenyra sitting on the other side of him and before Rhaenyra can process or push him away, the beta is reaching out, hooking his fingers into her collar, deftly tugging it aside. 

And there, stark against the pale skin of Rhaenyra’s throat, is Alicent’s mark. The skin around the distinct imprint is raised and inflamed and the table falls completely still.

For what feels like hours all pretense and teasing is dropped, and Alicent and Rhaenyra worry about their friends' reaction to such a definitive, permanent step when suddenly a chorus of whistles erupt around them. The shock of it forces Alicent to bury her burning face into the bulge of Rhaenyra’s shoulder, even more so as Arryk and Harwin reach over her to high five the grinning alpha. 

The shell of her ears burn crimson, born from her friends' continuous congratulations rather than the heat but as Rhaenyra wraps her arm around the small of her back, she can't help but nuzzle instinctively into the mark on Rhaenyra’s neck as if being pulled by an invisible magnet. A sated smile spreads across her face, the happiness she feels is too potent to be overshadowed by their friends' good natured teasing. 

Laenor catches on a second behind everyone else but as Arryk revealed the mark on his best friend's skin, his gaze pingpongs between the bite to the more discreet, mark above Alicent’s collarbone but the initial shock quickly transforms into a look of pure, unadulterated giddiness. 

“Well, this calls for celebration!” He declares, cutting through the lingering laughter, and waves a waiter over. “Champagne, please! The best you have.” Flutes are filled, bubbles nearly spilling over as they cheer to the new pair over the remains of breakfast. Laenor raises his glass high, genuine affection pouring from him as he toasts two of his very best friends. 

“Holy shit! It’s about damn time.”

six months later

Tears leak from the corners of Alicent’s eyes, tracing hot paths down her flushed cheeks, gagging reflexively around the rigid length of her mate, pulling her deeper until the head of her cock slips past the constraints of Alicent’s throat until her nose is buried in the coarse curls at Rhaenyra’s base. The commanding scent of Rhaenyra is an overwhelming aphrodisiac that has Alicent’s core clenching.

Above her, Rhaenyra is unraveling.

A grunt is forced from her lungs, white knuckling the armrests of her chair. Her body is as taut as a bowstring, corded with strain. Her eyes are glazed over with pleasure as she looks down into her lap, locking onto the mesmerizing sight of Alicent’s lips stretched taut around her girth, working to swallow her down.

Alicent’s free palm twists firmly at the base of her shaft, wringing another sob from the alpha and coaxing a pearly bead of precum from the tip. The taste lands on Alicent’s tongue, fraying the last vestiges of both their control. Encouraged by her mate’s reaction, Alicent’s cheeks hollow, creating a perfect, suctioning vacuum. The pull is relentless, as if it’s aiming to draw the very soul from Rhaenyra’s marrow.

The dip of Rhaenyra’s spine arches violently off the chair, hips lifting involuntarily as every muscle in her body seizes her frame. 

“Oh fu—fuck—Ali—cent—fuck!”

The warning rips from Rhaenyra as quietly as she can manage in the confines of her office, a desperate attempt to not alert her coworkers on the other side of the door. Her release is impending gathering at the small of her back. Alicent heeds the warning instantly, pulling back with a wet, obscene pop and a string of saliva stretches from her swollen, reddened lips to the spit slicked shaft. She doesn’t break their connection for long, climbing directly into Rhaenyra’s lap. The chair groans under the sudden shift of weight.

Her hands fist in her dress, bunching the skirt around her waist to expose the damp triangle of curls at her center. Her panties, long since discarded are tucked safely into Rhaenyra’s pocket, and she guides the alpha’s weeping cock to her entrance and sinks down, taking the blonde inch by delicious, stretching inch until she is fully seated.

A choked cry slips from Rhaenyra as she is enveloped in heat. Her head falls back against the headrest, surrendering to the sensation of her omega staking her claim. Alicent hikes her knees up, bracing herself as much as the confined space allows and Rhaenyra moves on instinct through the haze of pleasure, gripping firmly under Alicent’s thighs, digging into the soft flesh to anchor them.

Alicent rides her, setting a punishing pace, grinding down on the shaft buried inside her. The ridges and curve of Rhaenyra’s cock reach the most secret, sensitive parts of her hitting spots that make her see stars and her body double over.

It’s so good. It’s always so good.

The feeling is profoundly mutual. 

Rhaenyra gasps and bucks beneath her, composure shattering. The louder she gets, the harder Alicent fucks her until her name falls from Rhaenyra’s lips in a broken, desperate mantra. "Alicent ... god — fuck, Ali ..."

While thrilling to hear the alpha’s restraint slip, it’s a risk they cannot take. Alicent reaches into Rhaenyra’s pocket, retrieves her panties, balls them up, and stuffs them unceremoniously into her mate’s moaning mouth.

Blue eyes fly wide open as the taste of Alicent’s musky, slick essence lands on her tongue like a bolt of lightning. Any last shred of control she possessed evaporates. Her hips piston upward, her grip tightening brutally on Alicent’s thighs as she begins to take control from below, thrusting up and bouncing the omega on her cock with force. The base of her cock begins to swell, forming a thick, insistent knot that catches at Alicent’s entrance before finally, with one last powerful push, it slips in, locking them together in a perfect, agonizing union.

The sensation is catastrophic for Rhaenyra, a seismic event that shatters her completely. A scream is torn from her throat, the sound choked and distorted by the mouthful of underwear as absolute, white hot pleasure detonates at the base of her spine and rocks her nervous system, tunneling her vision until the edges blur into a dizzying gray static. 

She nearly blacks out from the intensity.

The feeling is amplified tenfold when one of Alicent’s hands flies up, covering her gagged mouth, pressing down and muffling her completely, absorbing the animalistic sounds of her release. Alicent’s inner muscles clench around her length, milking spasms of perfect, torturous pleasure from the woman below her, wringing out every last drop of cum Rhaenyra has to offer, dragging her climax into an endless wave so intense it leaves her a boneless wreck.

Alicent rides the final, shuddering tremors with the practiced ease of an omega intimately familiar with her alpha’s body and leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to her sweat slicked forehead. She glances into dazed, unfocused eyes and a triumphant smirk stretches across her face. She trails her lips down, licking a single bead of sweat sliding down Rhaenyra’s temple, tasting exertion. Rhaenyra moans weakly, a full-body shiver running through her.

A soft, pathetic whimper escapes her as cool, air-conditioned air hits her hypersensitive shaft the moment Alicent carefully climbs off her, their bodies separating with a wet sound. Alicent smooths her dress over her hips, fixes her hair and reapplies her lips stick as Rhaenyra continues to watch, dazed and conquered.

When Alicent is just as presentable as she was when she walked in under the guise of bringing "lunch," she leans in, tugging the damp, saliva soaked panties from Rhaenyra’s slack lips and stuffs them back into her pocket, blocking the view from the door as she presses a lingering kiss to Rhaenyra’s lips, carding her fingers gently through the blonde’s disheveled hair.

The beautiful engagement ring Rhaenyra presented her with a month ago catches slightly in the strands as she pulls away, standing up straight and looking every bit the poised Hightower she is, save for the faint flush on her chest and her kiss swollen lips.

“I’ll see you at home, okay baby?” Alicent says with a purr that promises more to come.

Rhaenyra nods numbly, her brain short-circuiting and formulating words are completely beyond her reach. She watches, mesmerized, as her mate walks around her desk, heels clicking softly on the floor.

Alicent pauses at the door, glancing back over her shoulder, the picture of innocent composure. “Thanks again for lunch,” she says sweetly, a complete contrast to the wanton devastation she just orchestrated and slowly begins to disappear into the hallway but not before letting her know, “I love you.”

And that statement, as it has since the moment Alicent decided to walk into her life, jolts Rhaenyra back to reality. The fog of her climax clears, and coherency returns.

“I love you too.”