As Mahnoor left the royal chamber with the Naag Rani, Rudra remained standing before his father, his body stiff, face drained of color. The cold, sharp air in the room weighed on him. He could feel the fresh blood trickling down his abdomen again—his wound had reopened where Mahnoor had torn him apart in her desperate, vengeful act earlier.
The Naag Raja, ever perceptive, caught sight of the blood seeping through Rudra's clothes. His keen eyes narrowed with curiosity, but his tone remained firm. "What is this?" he asked, gesturing toward Rudra's bleeding abdomen.
Rudra winced, his hand instinctively moving to cover the wound. It was rare for him to feel pain like this—physical or otherwise. The memory of Mahnoor gripping his snake body, twisting and pulling with all her might, flashed in his mind. For the first time, someone had made him feel vulnerable. And that someone was now the Shesh Naagin.
"She... tore me," Rudra admitted through gritted teeth. His voice carried a hint of shame, an emotion he had never associated with himself before.
The Naag Raja arched a brow, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back on his throne. "A naagin's revenge," he mused thoughtfully, his expression darkening. "She must have felt wronged, then. You must have violated her in some way."
Rudra felt the sting of his father's words. The Naag Raja wasn't speaking out of ignorance. He knew the complexities of naagin nature, how their instincts were tied not just to lust or power but to something much deeper—primal vengeance. If a naagin felt wronged, she could become a force more dangerous than any other creature in the universe.
"Yes," Rudra admitted reluctantly. His voice lowered, as if confessing to a crime he hadn't fully comprehended until now. "I... took her roughly in bed. Fourteen times."
The Naag Raja's expression tightened, but he didn't immediately speak. Instead, his eyes burned with silent judgment, assessing his son with a critical gaze. He knew Rudra had always been reckless, driven by ego and desire. But this was different. Mating with the Shesh Naagin—and in such a brutal manner—had consequences far beyond what Rudra had anticipated.
"Fourteen times?" The Naag Raja's voice was thick with disdain. "Rudra, you have violated not just any naagin, but the Shesh Naagin. A being far more powerful than any of our kind. Did you expect her to submit quietly?"
Rudra's jaw clenched as he processed his father's words. In the heat of his desire, the thrill of possessing Mahnoor had overtaken him. He had wanted her, needed her, with a hunger that defied reason. But the consequences had now come full circle, and they stung deeper than he had anticipated.
"I... wasn't thinking," Rudra confessed, his voice barely audible. "I didn't realize what she was."
The Naag Raja shook his head slowly, disappointment etched into his features. "A naagin never forgets a wrong done to her. Especially when it comes to matters of the body. You've wounded her, Rudra. You violated her spirit, and now you bleed for it."
Rudra inhaled sharply, his fists curling at his sides. The pain in his abdomen throbbed in time with his heartbeat. "I didn't know she was the Shesh Naagin," he repeated, his frustration mounting. "I thought she was human. Just a... a thrill."
"A thrill?" The Naag Raja's voice cut through the air like a blade. "You fool. Even if she were human, no woman deserves to be treated as you've treated her."
Rudra fell silent, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. He wasn't used to feeling remorse. He had always taken what he wanted—whether it was power, pleasure, or submission. But Mahnoor... she had been different. The connection between them had gone beyond lust, beyond desire. There had been something else, something darker and more binding.
The Naag Raja sighed deeply, rising from his throne. He walked toward Rudra with slow, deliberate steps, his imposing figure casting a long shadow over his son. "You've claimed her as your mate, Rudra. And she is now bound to you, whether either of you likes it or not. But know this—if you continue to treat her with such disregard, she will find a way to exact her revenge. And next time, she may not simply tear you apart. She could destroy you."
Rudra's eyes flickered with a mixture of anger and understanding. The thought of Mahnoor, the woman he had claimed, turning on him with such fury sent a shiver down his spine. He had seen the fire in her eyes, the defiance in her voice. She wasn't a weak human, nor was she a submissive naagin. She was something else entirely—something that both terrified and fascinated him.
"I'll handle it," Rudra muttered, though even he wasn't sure what "handling" would look like.
The Naag Raja studied him for a long moment before nodding curtly. "You will need to. Because this... this is only the beginning. You've awakened something in her, something ancient and powerful. Be careful, Rudra, or you may find yourself at the mercy of the very creature you sought to dominate."
As his father turned away, Rudra felt the weight of his words sink into his bones. The pain in his abdomen was a constant reminder of his recklessness, a wound inflicted by a naagin who now carried his mark—and perhaps something far more dangerous.
His thoughts drifted back to Mahnoor, who had gone off with his mother to choose clothes. She had been defiant, strong-willed, and even in her moments of weakness, she had fought back in ways that no other woman had ever dared. And now, knowing what she truly was, Rudra felt a strange pull toward her. Not just because of the nagmani or the power it held within her, but because of the raw, untamed spirit she possessed.
He clenched his fists, determined to regain control. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
But as he stood there, bleeding and bruised, Rudra couldn't shake the feeling that, for the first time in his life, he might not be the one in control.
He had bound himself to a force far beyond his comprehension, and the real battle was only beginning.