Mahnoor abruptly pulled away from the kiss, her lips still tingling from the roughness of Rudra's passion. Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she pushed her hair back from her flushed face. But there was something else flickering behind her eyes now—something sharper, more calculating than the lust that had consumed them moments before.
"Wait," she said, her voice slicing through the heat of the moment. "Now I'm jealous."
Rudra blinked, frustration knitting his brows together as he tried to comprehend the sudden shift in her mood. His grip on her loosened slightly, his impatience evident. "Of what, exactly?" he asked, exasperation tinging his voice. He couldn't fathom how they had gone from the raw intensity of their kiss to this. Mahnoor always had a way of throwing him off balance, and it was starting to grate on him.
Her expression shifted, her lips curling into a smirk as her eyes gleamed with a dark curiosity. She arched an eyebrow, leaning back slightly in his lap, the red silk shawl still clinging to her body. "You've mated with a lot of naagins before you came to me, right?" she said, her voice cold and accusatory. "Have you been ejaculating inside them too? Are you going to become a legendary prince with thousands of babies scattered all over the serpent realm?"
Her words were laced with venom, her tone both mocking and possessive. Rudra stiffened beneath her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He hadn't expected this—jealousy. Of all the things Mahnoor could have thrown at him, this was a twist he hadn't anticipated. She was a human, after all—wasn't she supposed to be more concerned about her own survival than his previous conquests?
Rudra's frustration boiled over. He ran a hand through his messy, dark hair, his muscles tensing as he tried to find the right words to respond. "What the fuck, Mahnoor?" he snapped, his voice rough with irritation. "No, no, it wasn't like that."
Mahnoor tilted her head, her lips pressing into a thin line as she waited for him to explain himself. She wasn't about to let him off the hook that easily. Her mind was racing, filled with questions and insecurities she didn't even know she had until now. It had taken over—this idea that she might not be the only one, that he had been spreading his royal seed to every naagin in the kingdom.
"Go on, explain," she prompted, her voice dangerously calm, the smirk still playing on her lips.
Rudra let out a sharp breath, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward, his hands gripping her waist again. "Look, it was boring," he said bluntly, his tone impatient. "Yeah, I've been with naagins—but I didn't even reach climax with them." He shrugged, his frustration bleeding into his words. "That's why I wanted something different. A human. I wanted a challenge. Something exciting. I needed to feel... something."
Mahnoor blinked, her brow furrowing as she processed what he was saying. "Wait, you didn't even..." she trailed off, her eyes widening slightly.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "It was all... mechanical. Just going through the motions. It wasn't fulfilling. That's why I came to you." His voice softened slightly, though the irritation still lingered. "I wanted to finally get my pleasure. To finally feel like I was alive."
For a moment, the tension between them hung thick in the air, the weight of his confession sinking in. Mahnoor bit her lip, her earlier jealousy melting away into something more complicated—something she couldn't quite define.
"So, what," she said, her voice quieter now, "I'm just... entertainment for you? A distraction from all the naagins you got bored with?"
Rudra's grip on her waist tightened, but this time it wasn't out of dominance. There was something raw in his gaze now, something unguarded. "No," he said firmly, his voice low and serious. "You're different. You're not like them. I don't just want your body, Mahnoor. I want you—all of you. Your fire, your defiance, your mind. You're not just a conquest. You're more."
Mahnoor's heart raced as his words hit her, the intensity of his gaze making her feel exposed in a way she hadn't expected. This wasn't the Rudra she was used to—the arrogant, lust-driven prince who wanted to claim her as his mate. This was something deeper, something that hinted at an emotional connection she hadn't anticipated. It scared her, but at the same time, it stirred something within her.
She swallowed hard, her fingers lightly tracing his jawline as she tried to process the mix of emotions swirling inside her. "You mean that?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Rudra's expression softened, his sharp features relaxing for the first time since their encounter began. "I do," he said, his voice steady and sincere. "You're not like anyone I've ever met before, Mahnoor. You challenge me. You make me feel... alive."
Mahnoor's breath hitched, her fingers pausing on his skin as she stared into his eyes. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. The weight of his words, the intensity of his gaze—it all felt too real, too raw.
But then, as if instinctively, she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a slow, tender kiss. It wasn't like the heated, possessive kisses they had shared before. This one was different. It was softer, more deliberate. There was something unspoken in it—something fragile that neither of them wanted to break.
When she finally pulled away, her eyes met his again, and for the first time, she saw something other than dominance and desire in his gaze. She saw vulnerability. And that, more than anything, made her heart race.
"Okay," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Okay, Rudra. I'll believe you... for now."
Rudra let out a soft, relieved breath, his hands loosening their grip on her waist. But the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed—it had only shifted, from raw lust to something more intense, more personal.
"I'll prove it to you," he said quietly, his voice a promise.
Mahnoor nodded slowly, still processing the whirlwind of emotions she felt. She wasn't sure what this meant for them—what their strange, dangerous connection would lead to. But for the first time, she felt like there was more between them than just the physical.
And that scared her more than anything.