Altair was not surprised when his department received 53's request for a leave of absence, but what did make him feel wary was when 53 came to the palace and requested to speak with Safiya.
53 didn't blame the sheikh for feeling reluctant and wary, but she was surprised when Altair spoke to the princess on loudspeaker, and she heard how Safiya agreed to speak to her without hesitation.
Say sorry, mean it, and then get the hell out.
That had been 53's plan.
But then the younger woman had come rushing in to wrap her arms around 53—-
"I'm just so glad you're alive."
And Altair, seeing the two women hug and cry in each other's arms, knew then—-
That, right there...
That was what made a good life.
A YEAR CAME TO PASS. Rayyan and Hyacinth had finally announced their engagement a month ago, and the world was further shocked to know that the two had been in a relationship for years. Kyria was pregnant again, and so was the queen. Anisah and Tarif, on the other hand, were proud parents to a newborn son.
As for Altair and Hyacinth...
Today was their wedding day, and everyone in the church had tears in their eyes as they watched the kingdom's beloved hero lift a visibly shaking hand to slowly slide his ring on Safiya's finger.
Vanna, Altair's mother, had long given up keeping her tears in check, and as she watched her oldest son gently pull his bride into his arms for their first kiss as husband and wife, she just couldn't help but wish...
I wish you were here, Hadwin.
She closed her eyes, and it was at that moment she felt the gentlest breeze touch her skin—-
And she could almost swear that it was her own husband kissing her cheek—-
Could almost swear she heard his beloved voice whisper in her ear—-
I am, my love. Always.
A GRAND CELEBRATION followed shortly after the wedding, and it was nearly midnight by the time Safiya, accompanied by her bridesmaids, left to prepare for her wedding night. As tradition dictated, Altair forced himself to cool his heels for about an hour, and his visible impatience had his brothers ribbing him relentlessly about possibly ruining his bride's wedding night.
When it was finally time for Altair to leave, more than a couple well-meaning guests actually waylaid him, all of them being so moved by the princess' delicate beauty that they had forced themselves to muster the courage to speak to the sheikh. 'Please be gentle, alshaykh' was their only wish, and to this Altair managed to respond in a similarly grave manner.
Nem. I shall.
It was understandable that they thought his princess shy and demure. That was truly how she was...except of course when it was just the two of them.
Like now.
Altair had taken a quick shower before joining his bride in his chamber. While he had cared enough to throw a silk robe over his nakedness, his beloved was already lying naked on his bed, and her sex was already dewy with need.
"Please, beloved. We have waited for so long."
And just like that, Altair forgot about keeping his cool and gently introducing his bride to the ultimate act of lovemaking.
In mere seconds, the sheikh was completely naked, and the sight of him looming over her and poised between her legs all but knocked the breath out of her lungs.
Beautiful, she thought dazedly.
He was so, so beautiful-—
But the thought was quickly forgotten, with Safiya crying out as the sheikh's cock slowly but firmly pushed inside of her, inch after throbbing inch. While the sheikh had already fucked her with his fingers more than a few times, this...this was a whole new experience. His cock was so much bigger and harder. So much longer and thicker. And oh God, the way it kept throbbing and twitching against the walls of her sex, and when she finally felt his member push past her hymen, Safiya could only tighten her grip on the sheikh's broad shoulders—-
Finally, finally, she was his!
Her eyes locked with his, and the sheikh's dark burning gaze held hers captive as he pushed his cock deeper into her. She could only gasp as she felt her walls stretch to accommodate him, and she could feel herself getting hotter and wetter at the way he watched her take pleasure in his possession.
He did not ask if she hurt as he began to move, and Safiya drew a perverse pleasure from this. He was just so gentle with everyone. So perfect all the time. And that was why she loved it when only with her was he rough and demanding, just like how it was only with him she could be shameless.
Like now.
Something inside of her started to ache as the sheikh's strokes grew rougher and more forceful, and she couldn't help but snake her legs around his waist in a desperate attempt to have him deeper inside of him.
The ache intensified, and she found herself moaning his name as he began pounding into her. He was fucking her so, so hard that the bed started to creak alarmingly, but neither of them cared to stop, and when the sheikh suddenly bent down to take one bouncing breast into his mouth—-
Oh God!
Stars burst behind her eyelids the moment she felt his teeth scrape against her nipple, and his cock thrust deep inside of her as she started to cum. Her orgasm felt endless, her body shuddering moment after moment, and throughout it, Altair continued to fuck her, his voice hoarse as he called out her name—-
"Safiya, fuck. Fuck. You're so fucking tight, fuck, fuck, fuck."
Altair made a wild grab of her ass and squeezed both rounded cheeks as he buried his cock into her pussy.
So goddamn tight.
Her inner muscles tightened around him, and Altair let out one hoarse growl just before he, too, started to cum, and his hot, thick load filled her sex.
AS SAFIYA WAS ALSO set to graduate in a few weeks' time, it was only after she had her diploma in hand that the newlyweds were finally able to leave for their honeymoon at an undisclosed location. People believed this was because the couple desired privacy, and while that was true, another reason for all the secrecy was the location itself.
Altair had recently been tasked by Khalil to act as Ramil's emissary, and it was thus the sheikh, accompanied by his wife, was now flying to the kingdom of Huzna, whose former ruler had covertly funded Tamara's efforts against the palace.
While its new king was wise and compassionate, he was also ill and elderly, and the older man had quietly reached out to the Al-Atassi family in hopes for a strategic alliance between their kingdoms.
As Huzna's borders had been closed to the outside world for the past fifty years, its culture had remained largely untouched and starkly prominent in the locals' way of life. Its men, albeit well-educated, were also unashamedly dominant and nearly feral in their possessiveness towards their womenfolk. The king, who had four grown-up sons, wished for Altair to guide his sons in their choice of brides. It was an unorthodox request to say the least, but with Huzna's king willing to grant Ramil considerable economic benefits in return, it was also a deal that only a fool would refuse. Hammering out the details took an entire day, but by the end of the meeting both parties were happy, and Altair was finally free to spend time with his bride.
One of Huzna's greatest natural treasures was the royal grotto, in which an endemic bioluminescent species made it appear as if stars grew on its tall and ancient walls. Invited guests were then guided to a glass-bottomed boat that cruised over turquoise waters, and at the end of the ride was an ethereal-looking house whose rooms were built in such a way that its stairs and even its very rooms followed the natural shapes and curves of the cave.