CHAPTER 169: HUNG UP ON YOU ( EMILIANO’S POV )

"That’s enough."

"You don’t want it or is it feeling too good?"

"F-ck you!"

"I sure do hope so."

Luther let his head hit back as I filled my mouth with him once again. I could feel the electric shock going down his spine as his back arched and his hips started to move slightly.

The sweetness of the cake mixed with the salty taste of my wife as his legs wrapped around my neck, blocking me from pulling back to breathe.

I could feel the tears rolling down my cheek as he mercilessly hit the back of my throat again and again.

I’ve got quite a clientele at the gardens for which I designed a special wing with special omegas. I’ve always seemed to silently judge these types of customers since their peculiar taste was not only not worthy of an alpha, but stupidly dangerous.

Breath play.

The term itself minimizes the actual implications of the act. To be strangled to the point of barely being conscious. To be left at the mercy of a stranger as you convulse uncontrollably like a worm, salivating, twitching— being in utter ecstasy.

From a medical point, I could understand the process as the human body can easily diffuse danger into pleasure as a mechanism of survival.

As the airflow to the brain gets cut off, the brain panics into flowing itself with endorphins, adrenaline and dopamine to mask the fear of death into something it can handle.

Then, the carbon dioxide level increases, giving a sensation similar to being drunk. The body starts tingling, the vision gets blurry and dizzy and all the other senses become more and more stimulated.

All is great in theory until the person choking you goes overboard and holds the pressure just for a moment too long.

As happiness and pleasure could be a fair purpose of life, letting yourself be killed by a stranger just to wet your pants is quite pathetic.

Especially for an alpha.

At least that’s what I thought until now.

Although Luther doesn’t have his hands on me, me is filling my throat like a plug while keeping me in place with his legs.

I can’t see because of the tears and I cannot breathe at all. I can’t tell where he begins and I end, our bodies so deeply connected, it becomes impossible to tell.

As my brain stuff itself with nothing but pure pleasure, Luther is on the edge of losing all control as well.

With a last final twitch, he let go of me.

The panting of my shaken breath filled the room as Luther imposed a satisfied, rather cocky smile. I allowed it.

It doesn’t matter if he is under the illusion of having power over me at this point in our relationship. Mostly because the more comfortable he gets around me, the tighter the leash around his neck becomes.

"Not bad for an alpha."

His voice came out just as breathy as mine. In this game he thinks he won, we’re both doing nothing but destroying each other.

And it feels right.

Yet the tender atmosphere didn’t take too long as the sound of the phone ringing covered any track of peace.

Luther grabbed the phone and answered as I dismissively shook my hand to give permission.

I didn’t worry too much about the caller. Luther is trapped here with me no matter who is trying to save him. Any effort would just bring more suffering around him and I made sure he knew that well.

"Hello?"

Luther arched his brows in surprise. I couldn’t tell if it was happiness or anger as the corner of his mouth twitched the longer the silence filled the room.

"I— what do you want me to do?..."

Oh?

I lifted myself up and closed the distance between me and Luther.

My wife was shaking so much, drenched of all his color, I couldn’t help but be curious who this mysterious caller was.

As I pressed my cheek against Luther, my stomach turned in disgust as I recognized the annoying voice on the other end. Killian Akna. The last crumb of power Lucrezia had.

"— so I’ll be sacrificed. You know what the law is for the ones threatening the security of the country. I’ll be publicly executed with injected pheromones."

"You could speak up! You could talk to Tom! I am sure he could help you!"

Luther’s voice waved loudly, full of anxiety and dread. His knuckles whitened against the kitchen counter as I could feel his mind racing, searching for an answer.

How utterly annoying.

On the other hand, Lucrezia is sacrificing her only viable heir to save the crumbs of her reputation, leaving herself open to be devoured by the hyenas around her.

A desperate move. Foolish even.

Which means she has protection.

"I am going to die the day after tomorrow— I— I just wanted to see you one last time."

You gotta be kidding me.

My own laugh surprised me when it echoed through the room. I didn’t mean to chuckle at the poor guy’s request, but he is asking my wife out like he could actually step outside.

Like me and his aunt are not in the middle of a war and Luther is not the main piece that could make the difference between winning and losing.

My puppy yanked himself away from me as I tried to conceal my laughter unsuccessfully.

His furrowed brows carried a silent threat that amplified my amusement. How adorable.

I extend my hand waiting for the phone. Luther’s fingers clamp against it, but one drop of my smile is enough for him to hand it to me with a disapproving scoff.

"Akna. How are you doing, buddy? Haven’t seen you since I was arrested in your office. Good times, good times!"

"Sanchez."

"Heard you asked my wife on a date. Maybe you don’t understand how marriage works so let me dumb it down for you. Luther is mine."

"I just want to see him once more."

His voice was guttural— far too rough to be an act. Which means Lucrezia is really going to sacrifice him. Or she is bluffing not only at my table, but at her nephew’s too.

"No hard feelings, dude, but I can’t risk my location or my wife to grant your last wish. Tough luck!"

"A video call at least."

"That desperate, huh?"

"Please... you won. You won every f-cking thing. Just— please..."

Ah.

My wife is crying. For this buffoon. Well, this is annoying.

"Aren’t you going to ask me to save your life? It’s a much more doable task than letting you see my wife."

"No."

"So you want to die a humiliating death with your pants down, rutting to your death like an animal in front of the entire country. Huh. A bit of an exhibitionist, aren’t you?"

I could feel the silent curse from the other side of the phone. It was that specific sound of teeth clenching as an act of self-restraint that gave me a thrilling chill down my spine.

Excitement. One less problem for me to deal with.

Of course, I could save this idiot easily and make Luther bond with me out of gratitude. Something about the thought of Luther offering me ownership on himself because of another man—

It sparked a rage hard to describe twisting my insides painfully.

Yet if I forbid him from seeing the idiot, my wife might send me to sleep on the couch for a while. And I didn’t want to upset my wife since I am such a good husband.

To save or not to save— that was the question.

I pressed the speaker button and threw the phone on the counter. I opened my arms as Luther stared me down with venom.

"Tell you how this is going to work, Akna. I’ll do you a favor and make sure you get out of it not only with a spotless reputation, but with your aunt’s company in your hands as the sole owner. In exchange, you will never bother my wife again."

A moment of silence drowned over us. My arms ached still expecting Luther to come. Regardless of the pain, I didn’t move.

"Akna, you choose death and a one minute video call with Luther or life, fame and money."

"I—"

"Hurry up, I’m waiting."

Despite the words being addressed to Killian, Luther shuddered under the weight of it. My puppy was smart enough to understand the trick I was presenting.

Without even telling him a word, he understood from the prolonged silence that nobody would ever risk their lives to snap him out of my arms— even if it was for a one-minute video call.

Just like that Luther let his head hang low and walked into my arms. I squeezed him tightly trying to control my chuckles.

I wasn’t laughing at my dear wife’s surrender— I was laughing at his gullibility.

That he, even now, believes I play the game with all my cards on the table.

He didn’t even realize that —when I put the phone on speaker— I also put a chronometer on the call so it would end in exactly 20 seconds. Just enough to make them both believe they had free will in the matter.

Poor Akna probably wanted to say "I choose Luther" in all his stupidity, but the call closed in the middle, leaving poor Luther thinking he was abandoned once again.

I faked clicking on the phone to give my wife the impression I hung up at this moment as Killian was still pountering.

As my wife cried his cruel fate against the chest of his own torturer, I squeezed him tightly trying my best not to laugh.