Chapter 13 - XIII.

Selene stood in the dim light of her chambers, her body thrumming with tension as the Heat coursed through her. The urge was unbearable, and it had been growing steadily, gnawing at her insides like a ravenous beast. She had gone too long without release, not since that night with Victor, and no one else had been able to quench the fire. Even now, as she prowled her sanctuary, her mind refused to let her forget the raw, primal power he had ignited in her. The memory was seared into her, and it only served to fan the flames of her desire, her frustration, and her anger.

Her powers had grown, expanding in ways she hadn't expected. She could shift now, into animals, and her mind could wrap itself around others' thoughts like a vice. Her control over her form was nearly perfect, allowing her to hold onto her beast shape as long as she pleased. She had become something more than what she had been—a vampire fully realized, powerful, and in control. Worthy of her throne, of her family, her coven.

The coven had flourished under her guidance. What had started as a collection of lost and wandering souls, homeless vampires who had nowhere else to go, had become something larger. The House Gallio was no longer just a dream; it was a reality. Selene had turned several of her most loyal familiars, those on the verge of death, to thank them for their service. It was an honor to be chosen, and those who remained mortal did not grow jealous. Instead, it only spurred them on, made them more dedicated, hoping that one day, they too would be worthy of her gift.

The mansion had become a haven, a home for over a dozen vampires and their familiars, who served her without question. They were her family now, bound not by blood but by loyalty. They hunted together, they lived together, and they thrived together. And yet, Selene remained distant, choosing to keep her womb barren and her heart closed off. She had never healed from that terrible day, and though she had created a new family, the scars remained.

A sudden commotion broke through her thoughts, a murmur of voices rising from the lower levels of the house. Selene closed her eyes, focusing her mind, and reached out to Birdy telepathically. *What's going on?* she sent, her irritation flaring when no response came. She extended her thoughts further, reaching out to the vampires she had turned, but found the same thought echoing through all of them: "Who is this man?"

Her blood ran cold as the realization hit her. She knew exactly who it was.

Victor had come for her.

She had been expecting this, though she had hoped it wouldn't happen so soon. His presence meant only one thing: trouble. He had found her, and now he wanted what was his. Selene took a deep breath, steeling herself. She had made peace with her masters at the Grail and had prepared for this moment, though it did little to quell the fury that rose within her.

Striding to the top of the grand staircase, she looked down into the foyer. Her subjects were gathered there, shifting uneasily. Birdy was kneeling at the bottom of the stairs, her entire body trembling as if she could barely hold herself together. Selene's gaze darkened as she stared at her second-in-command. *She should know better than this,* she thought, her frustration mounting.

Taking a deep breath to steady her emotions, Selene's voice rang out, clear and commanding. "Open the door."

The vampires exchanged nervous glances, hesitating for a split second before one of them moved forward and slowly pulled the large, iron-bound door open.

There, standing in the doorway, was Victor Creed.

Sabretooth.

And he brought a whelp with him. The woman reeked of Logan. She thought bitterly of how he decided to raise another man, his enemy's child, but was the damnation of their own.

Victor stepped into the manor, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the foyer. The scent of old blood and vampire musk filled his senses, but he remained calm, composed. He had come a long way from the beast that used to prowl these dark corners of his mind, and now, he had purpose beyond his own instincts. Laura trailed behind him, silent but alert, her eyes scanning the room, soaking in every detail like a predator assessing its hunting grounds.

Victor stopped in front of Birdy, staring down at her as Laura locked eyes with Selene, growling lowly when she saw the woman. She could sense this woman was a predator, like them, but only one predator could be top in her mind.

Victor reached out, stroking Birdy's hair and trying for a smile. "Birdy... It's been a while," He said, trying not to let the irrational anger overtake him. She'd been alive this whole time, he'd killed tens of thousands in just this short year and a half, yet the person who could stop that had been here, playing vampire.

He noticed the stench of Selene all over her, and as he looked at her his heart stilled, unable to form the appropriate words.

"I... I'm sorry," He said finally, placing a hand on top of Laura's head to keep the girl still. He didn't want to have to kill everyone in this estate because they dared touch her after all. 

Victor finally locked eyes with Selene, and it was as if meeting her all over again for the first time.

Selene descended the stairs in silence, her heels clicking softly against the stone with each step. Her posture was rigid, composed, and entirely devoid of warmth. As she reached the bottom, her cold eyes swept across the room, lingering momentarily on Laura, who stood near the doorway.

Without a word, Selene turned to Birdy. "Take her to the kitchen," she said icily. "Make her human food. No one lays a finger on her."

Birdy nodded swiftly, ushering Laura away with a gesture, while Selene continued her path towards her chambers. The corridors were dimly lit, and the air seemed to grow colder as she approached her destination. She made no effort to look back, her mind set on what lay ahead.

Arriving at the door of her chambers, Selene gestured silently to her familiar. "Guide Victor Creed here," she instructed, her voice devoid of any emotion. She didn't wait for acknowledgement, pushing open the heavy door and stepping inside.

Once in her chambers, she approached her desk, eyes momentarily flicking to the glass container that held the dead fetus—their stolen son, forever encased as a silent accusation. She set an extra chair beside her own but said nothing, her presence as cold as the grave.

She sat down, her back straight, her gaze locked on the door, waiting for Victor in silent fury.

Victor waited outside the door, two vampires staring- No, they were glaring at him.

He smelled what was coming, he'd half expected it once he'd smelled Selene's scent a dozen miles away from this estate. He smelled the same scent he'd smelt when he'd beheaded the unborn child. 

He grimaced, had he never done that, who knows how things would be right now? Would he and Selene be happy parents? Perhaps he'd even still have Laura and they'd be one big happy family. 

Victor shook the thoughts away, opening the door and stepping inside, letting it shut with a hollow thud as he saw the glass container with a dead fetus inside.

He didn't say a word, only walking forward and sitting next to Selene, staring at what could have been.

"Beautiful, isn't he? He would have been one yesterday."

She finally cut the silence, eyes never leaving the remains of her child. Her voice was laced with a chilly, pointed resentment, tinged with grief. To the point it almost covered the pheromones that were raging due to Heat.

Selene sat back in her chair, legs crossed, fingers gently tapping the armrest. Her eyes were distant, fixed on Selvic, lost in thought. She glanced at Victor, his massive frame lounging opposite her, and let out a slow sigh.

"Sometimes, I wonder if it wouldn't be kinder if we were born sterile. Vampires, I mean. Think about it. We're creatures of darkness, driven by hunger, instinct... evil. We live forever, but it's all in the shadows, in the filth of the world. No good mother would want to bring a child into that, to continue the cycle of blood and shame."

Her voice grew quieter as she continued, more thoughtful than emotional. "I've seen so many things, Victor. I've done worse. And for what? More power, more survival, more of the same. I don't know how anyone could look at a child... an innocent... and think it deserves to be cursed like this. It would be better if we couldn't... if we never had to face that choice."

She looked at him again, this time with a sharpness in her eyes. "I don't assume you read books. I've read thousands by now of all subjects. Throughout them all, one reigns true:

"What are children, but a weakness? A folly? A futility? Through them, you imagine you cheat the great darkness of its victory. You will persist forever, in some form or another. As if they will keep you from the dust. But for them you surrender what you should not. You may know what is the right thing to be done, but.. love stays the hand."

A silent, bloody tear descended, her claws drumming rhythmically on the table almost in an act of self soothing.

"Love is a downfall."

She finally locked eyes on the captor of her heart. "Better to go through life unencumbered if you ask me."

Victor clenched his teeth. Seeing Selene again… It was too much. He hated feeling things. Anything besides anger just felt too foreign to accept, yet whenever he was around Selene he felt… Vulnerable.

He calmed himself down, forcing his eyes to stay on the fetus. It could have been his son, he could have been happy. Now that he'd been with Laura for so long he felt a lot of the joy of raising a child, even if it was hard when she was stubborn.

He'd robbed himself of that, he'd stolen that away from Selene, and he took that chance away from millions of others.

He steeled his expression, stopping Selene's hand from tapping against the table and staring right at her.

Love is a downfall.

"Maybe," He said, gripping the vampire by the throat roughly and…kissing her. A gentle, slow kiss that said more words than he could try too. "But I'd rather not be alone anymore…" he finished, peering deep into her eyes, one predator to another.

Selene's eyes narrowed at Victor as he kissed her, feeling the gentleness in his touch that completely contradicted everything she knew about him. It wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to be capable of this softness, this vulnerability. He was a monster, a killer—he had *used* her, and now he stood here acting as though that hadn't happened.

She yanked her hand back, her voice sharp and icy. 

"You don't get to do this, Victor. You don't get to pretend that what you did can be undone with a kiss."

Her eyes glowed faintly, a warning of the dangerous power she held within her. 

"You stole something from me, something you can never give back. You don't get to talk about not wanting to be alone anymore like we can just forget about what happened."

She took a step closer, her voice lowering to a near growl. 

"You made your choice. And I'm not here to be some cure for your loneliness."

Victor was hurt by her words. He could feel just how much she hated him now. Yet, he didn't care. Even if it took a while, he'd get her back. Not as a pet this time, but as his equal.

He smiled as she stood close to him, stroking her cheek as he looked down at her. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" He asked. Even if she hated him, he'd missed her and Birdy so much over the year and a half. 

Laura had made him vulnerable, but as he stared down into the eyes that wanted to kill him, he couldn't bring himself to think it was too bad. He pulled her into a warm embrace, stroking her hair. 

"What was his name?" He asked, looking at the fetus as he replayed the moment he'd fucked everything up.

Selene's chest tightened as she watched Victor's expression, the pain in his eyes making it harder for her to keep up her icy front. She hadn't wanted to soften, hadn't wanted to feel anything for him again, but the sincerity in his kiss, the way he held her hand so gently—it chipped away at her defenses more than she'd like to admit. Her gaze flickered down for a moment, the glow in her eyes dimming slightly as she fought against the emotions threatening to resurface. She hadn't just missed him—she'd missed what they could have had, what they'd lost. Taking a slow breath, she spoke, her voice quieter now, though still tinged with hesitation.

 "I would've named him Sevic Aliksander," she said softly, her hand trembling slightly as she crossed her arms, trying to maintain some distance. "That was the name I'd picked out." Her eyes met his again, vulnerability creeping in as she continued, her words slower, more careful. "I can't just… forget everything, Victor. I won't. But…" She hesitated, letting the silence hang for a moment before she spoke again, softer still. "Part of me missed you too."

Victor held her tighter, possessively, as if this was an illusion he was hallucinating in Weapon X confinement. He had to know it was real. Creed hadn't cried one day in his life. Even when his father had locked him in the basement, beating and whipping him while calling him a beast, he hadn't shed a single tear. 

And yet his eyes threatened right now, but he couldn't, he wouldn't cry for the first time of his life over something like this.

Despite his thoughts he felt a single tear drip down, falling on Selene as he looked down on her once more. 

"That's a beautiful name," He said softly, tracing her lips with a delicate claw, before forcing their mouths together once again.

His vampire sighed ever so softly, her pale, soft hands coming to rest against his cheek. Unlike so many of their previous encounters, the kiss was deep, passionate, tender. Just like he had been her introduction into the savagery that lies in the hearts of men, but now, the gentleness as well. Almost as quickly and strongly as she hated him, and swore to be his end, Selene was back under his spell.

"I'm too scared," she whispered, arms wrapped around his strong neck, their bodies pressed flush. "I've spent over 14 Heats locked away alone, with no lack of suitors. Many of the male vampires who I've taken into my home have offered to be my mate, bring me heirs. Some are powerful, their seed is strong and hearty. But I don't...I can't..." she pulled away for a second to search deeply into his eyes. "I don't want anyone else to sire my children but you. It's just..."

She closes her eyes, kneading her claws softly against his chest. "I can't handle another heartbreak...what if something happens? Not even with you but..." she turns away from him now, looking out the moonlit window. "These young vampires, they are lost. Angry. I care for them like a mother, but they prefer me as a bride. What happens if they try to rip the baby from my womb in an act of rage? "

"Then I'd stop them. Even if we don't get back, even if I don't sire your children…" Victor said with conviction. "I have never once said this to anyone Selene, so know I mean it…" Victor said as he bit down her neck, placing her gently on her bed. 

"I love you."

He pressed onto her roughly, pinning her to the mattress as he explored her neck, leaving little bites all around it.

"You only want to have my kids?" He said, lightly nibbling on her ear. "Then let's do it, right here."

Selene's breath hitched, her crimson eyes wide with shock. Victor's words echoed in her mind, and for a moment, she was completely still. He... loves me? It felt impossible, unreal, but the raw intensity in his gaze said otherwise.

Before she could form a coherent thought, she felt his hands gently push her back onto the bed. Her heart raced in her chest, an overwhelming surge of emotions flooding her entire being. She had never felt so... vulnerable, so consumed.

"Victor..." her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with the weight of her confession. "I... I love you too. I've been trying to deny it, but I can't anymore." Her fingers gripped the sheets as if to anchor herself to reality.

Selene's gaze softened, her expression filled with an aching sincerity. "There's nothing I want more than to be yours... to be your mate, bonded for life. I can't imagine anything else."

Tears threatened to spill over, but they were not of sadness or fear—only the overwhelming realization that, for the first time, she didn't have to fight alone. She could finally surrender herself to him.

Victor paused, his breath slowly moving along her neck as he sat up a bit, looking down at her. "Then so be it," He said softly, a hand sliding down her body. 

"Be my mate."

He kissed her again, slowly, vulnerably. It wasn't about control as it had been before, he was kissing Selene because he loved her.

Before he'd met the vampire he would have laughed if anyone said this. Victor Creed, the Sabretooth? That guy loves someone? Ridiculous.

Now it didn't feel so ridiculous.

"What needs to happen to be bonded for life Selene, you want to get married?" He half joked. He'd already planned it out, not that he was going to propose soon. He gave the ring he'd stolen to Laura for safe keeping. If he was to marry Selene they'd need to sort out all of their problems first.

As well as discuss things about Birdy. 

For now though, he wasn't worried. He wasn't alone, and he wasn't empty.

Selene closed her eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of his kiss linger before she looked up at him, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. "Victor, vampires... we don't do marriage like humans," she said softly, her hand tracing the outline of his jaw. "But there is a ceremony, one that bonds us, not just for this life but for eternity."

Her voice dropped lower, more serious, as she continued. "It must be done under a full moon, when our power is at its peak. It's a ritual between two vampires, their blood intertwining under the moonlight... but, Victor," she paused, her gaze meeting his. "You're not a vampire. That bond—it's different for you. If we were to do this... it would change everything."

She cupped his face gently, her thumb brushing over his lips. "You'd have to understand what that means. Being bonded to me for eternity means something far deeper than a human marriage. It's... forever. And for you, it would mean binding yourself to a life that is not fully your own." Her voice wavered, just slightly, as the weight of what she was saying settled between them.

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

Victor hesitated. He'd always been at the top, he'd never liked being held down or caged. It's why he hated Mystique so much after she had tricked him to have a baby. Plenty of his associates had tried to tie him down, even when he'd briefly joined up with the X-Men, yet he'd never gone along with it.

He hated being caged, being vulnerable. He sighed, staring into Selene's eyes. 

He was a proud mutant, a proud killer and a proud hunter, but could he give that up? A year ago he'd have said no, perhaps if they hadn't spent this time apart he never would have agreed.

Now though?

He grabbed the hand on his lips, holding it against his cheek. Not once had he ever felt so weak and vulnerable before, but it felt okay with Selene. 

"Yes, that's what I want."

Selene's crimson eyes softened as she gazed into Victor's, her hand warm against his cheek. For a brief moment, the centuries of darkness, the battles, and the bloodshed felt far away. She never thought she'd see this side of him, the ruthless hunter letting his guard down for her.

Her thumb gently caressed his cheek, a rare smile playing on her lips. "Victor..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, a mix of relief and something deeper, something unfamiliar even to her. "You've never had to change for anyone, and I never asked you to." She paused, letting her words sink in. "But if this is truly what you want, we face it together. No more cages... no more chains. Just us."

Her gaze flickered briefly, haunted by memories of her own captivity, the torment of being bound. She knew what it was like to be trapped, and the last thing she wanted was for him to feel that way again. Yet, this felt different. It wasn't a cage they were stepping into—it was freedom, a kind of freedom neither of them had ever known.

Selene leaned in, her breath brushing against his skin. "Then let's make sure nothing ever cages us again."

Victor nodded, meeting her halfway for another kiss, his hands pulling her gown up as they reached for her legs. He squeezed her thighs, remembering every other time they'd been together. 

He didn't exactly regret it, but he did want to make it up to Selene. She'd had her bloodline erased, captured by a fucked up organization and then freed only to be taken captive by him and lose her first child. 

He had a lot of work to do to make it right, luckily he also had a lot of time. Several lifetimes in fact.

"Selene…" He said slowly, shocking even himself as he kissed down her body, riding up her gown until it sat above her belly button. 

"I've never once done this for anyone. That's how sincere I am," He said before kissing her stomach, his head going lower and lower. Yes he wanted to breed her, but he also wanted to make her feel good first. 

His body slipped off the bed until his head sat between her thighs, the scent of her arousal and pheromones from her heat state making his head fuzzy.

"Baby, what are you–..oh~"

Her breath instantly hitched, taken aback by his actions. Her fingers wrapped greedily into his hair, and she arched her back ever so slightly. The sensation of his warm tongue against her clit, the thrill of his large fangs grazing against her most sensitive area was something far better than she had ever imagined. And for someone who's never done it before, Sabretooth was more than adequate at it.

She moaned and bucked her hips into his open mouth, her fertile pheromones spiking with every soft lick. Yes, this is what it was like to be in love. And it was perfect. Selene pressed her leg against his jeans, feeling his throbbing cock aching to be released. It had been so long. And this time, she wasn't expecting blood, guts, and gore to be a mainstay of the session. This was going to be different.

Victor breathed in Selene's scent, inhaling it as if it was a drug. She smelled so good, and as he licked slowly up her slit, his rough wet tongue sliding up till it flicked against her clit, he knew she tasted just as good.

He grabbed her thighs as she grabbed his hair, his tongue exploring every inch of her pussy. He wanted to hear her moan more for him, he wanted her to cum for him.

As he licked he brought a hand to her clit, looking up at her face as he rubbed gently, her pheromones spreading around the room and making his dick throb with need.

"Victor…Victor..fuck!" she proclaimed in delight, feeling the ecstasy rising in her body down to the very core. He wasn't being rough, but firm enough to give his little vampire the type of stimulation she desperately craved.

Before long, her walls were spasming against his hungry mouth, and the cries could be heard throughout the entirety of the mansion. Selene didn't care, it was her house, her lover. The fledgling vampires could either beat off or sit there mad, it made no difference. 

"I love you…" she whispered, lightheaded from the first orgasm in over a year. Selene tugged at him slightly, bringing him up for a kiss and tasting her juices on his lips. "I'm ready. I'm ready for you to breed me. I'm ready to do things the right way this time."

Victor lapped at her juices, holding her tight as she came for him. He loved hearing her moans, and he loved knowing he was the one causing them. 

"I love you too," Victor growled lowly, mouthing Selene as he undid his belt, practically ripping her gown off of her body. It had been too long, and Selene's pheromones were driving him crazy.

"You wanna have my kid?" He repeated, biting her bottom lip just enough to taste her blood. His dick throbbed as he pressed on top of her, teasing her soaking wet slit with his bulge.

"Yes," she reaffirmed eagerly, her body ready to be ravaged. Her thighs spread widely to welcome him, her pussy already soaked from the roleplay alone .

"I want to be the mother of your children…" Selene cooed with a doe eyes expression, oozing nothing but sincerity and passion. She whimpered as he teased her aching hole, squirming and rocking her hips.

However, there was one person who did not want the Vampire Goddess to bear his children, a young, brash vampire by the name of Sawyer. He was nothing but fanatic for Selene. She had taken him in when he had nothing, she confided in him, trained him, made him feel…beautiful. He has indirectly , discreetly offered himself as a suitor. Absentmindedly, she would allow his feelings to grow, a soft touch here, a lasting smile in his direction. So you can imagine his surprise to have this...rival enter the property, this rival who was currently besmirching his queen.

"Slut…" he whispered so softly from a few rooms down, eyes brimming with jealousy and rage, but yet he began to stroke his cock nonetheless .

Victor didn't say anything, there was nothing left to say. He'd breed Selene, she was his mate, for real this time.

He tore at her neck as he pulled his pants down, slapping his thick dick against her clit. 

In the next moment he was inside of her, pinning her down into the mattress and roughly thrusting into her like a man possessed. "You'll always be mine Selene," he whispered as he fucked her, his claws ripping into the mattress underneath them as her moans echoed through the halls. 

He didn't mean it in a controlling way this time, he just loved her. He was hers as well, forever.

He brought his head down, delivering long, rough bites to her neck until he reached her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth. 

"Can you imagine it, Selene?" He asked, thrusting harder, his cock reaching all the way inside her with each thrust. "Your belly swelling, your tits getting bigger. I'd play with them every day while you were pregnant with my kid."

He lightly bit her nipple, tugging slightly as her growled. He wanted to breed her, to cum deep inside her and ensure her pregnancy. 

"You're mine."

Her body accepted him fully, as if there hadn't been over a year without contact, without anything stretching her wide. His technique was far more careful and controlled, and in a way it made her shudder, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. "Yes my love, I am yours. I know you will provide for me and our heirs, and all of our clan."

His Queen buried her face against his chest, stifling her moans of pleasure. She could already picture it, her stomach swollen with his seed, the pains of labor, nursing their child under the moonlight sky, the bonding ceremony. Everything had fallen into place.

"I love you." She said again, for the third time in the night but the third time in her entire life. Selene kissed him slow again, her pheromones running rampant throughout the mansion, a heady, thick aroma.

Fuck.

Sawyer bucked against his own hand, damn near licking the wall. She was destined to be his. How dare this stranger take what is rightfully his?

Incensed, he sank his claws deep into the flesh of his thighs, ripping and tearing at the meat. A whimper escaped his lips. That should be her hand instead.

Victor sat up, holding Selene by the hips as he got a bit rougher, slamming him up and down his cock. "I love you," He said again, he was getting used to it, but it felt nice. Like something inside of him was being lit up. 

He kissed her slowly, holding her with one hand as he opened the door to her chambers. "I want all these little vampire fucks to know exactly who's you are," He said, kissing her neck and continuing to fuck her, her needy cunt feeling just like it always had. 

He sniffed the air, smirking as he smelled the arousal of a nearby vampire. Probably jacking himself off as he fucked their queen.

'This is the life.' He decided this would be his life. Taking care of Selene, the kids, and the clan he would be brought into as a vampire. 

And no one could take it away from him…