I breathed heavily, chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven bursts. My body still trembled from the aftershocks, slick warmth spreading across my stomach where I'd come...again.
Gosh, I sucked at this.
Andrew's voice echoed in my head like a reflex I couldn't shake: the sharp edge of annoyance in his tone, the way his lip would curl as he called me an omega slut, useless, pathetic for not waiting. He'd always punished me for it—edging me for hours after, denying me until I cried, or worse, deciding the whole thing was over because "alphas don't tolerate omegas who can't control themselves." The memory made my stomach twist, a cold knot of shame settling beneath the lingering heat.
This is Novaterra, I told myself fiercely. It's different here. Kasteil isn't Andrew. He wouldn't raise his voice, wouldn't pin me down and make me beg for forgiveness just for feeling too much too soon. Right? He'd never hurt me like that… right?
