Love me in the Shadows of Our Memories (🇬🇧)

Chapter 2 - When the pillar of hope breaks

CW: Sexual violence / non-con

***

Hope stands as the pillar upholding the world.

But what course will you take should this pillar turn to dust?

Will you persist in hoping?

Magnus - present

Magnus heard the next stroke of the dragon tail whip before he felt it, a whistle in the air, thin and sharp. In an instant, the leather struck his back with a distinct and resonant slap. A fraction of a second later, pain surged through his body, akin to molten lava devouring his nerves. A shocked, breathless scream escaped him.

Without a chance to recover, another strike swiftly followed, landing slightly higher this time, just beneath his right shoulder blade. The sensation of burning was agonizing, and he released another anguished cry. He couldn't see, but his back must bear thirty or forty fiery red welts.

The blows continued at irregular intervals, without pause, each leaving a painful trail of red welts on his back. With each hit, a fresh scream erupted. His throat felt raw and dry, a new source of pain.

His legs trembled uncontrollably. He was held upright only by the chains binding his hands to the ceiling. There was no room to move, no escape from the painful onslaught of lashes.

"Water, alpha," Magnus croaked, his voice barely audible.

Instead of a response, the next lash landed on him, striking his right buttock. He involuntarily tensed, and the butt plug inside him was pressing against his prostate. Pleasure intertwined with pain, and his scream turned into a choked moan.

No! No! No!

"You love it when I do that, don't you?" Nate sneered.

Magnus shook his head, tears welling in his eyes.

"Oh, I think you do, my little omega."

Nate often used that term to refer to him, a label that Magnus intensely disliked. Similarly, Magnus despised the sessions that Nate persistently coerced him into participating in. The alpha took pleasure in causing pain to others, as it was the sole means through which he could attain sexual satisfaction. On occasion, it provided Nate with even greater gratification when Magnus found himself sexually aroused amidst the pain, like today.

Nate had managed to condition his body to react, to become aroused, and that was something Magnus deeply hated the alpha for. He didn't want to experience pleasure while the alpha used him for his sadistic satisfaction, but he couldn't stop his bodily reactions. Magnus hated himself, his body, for this. He detested its responses, every reaction it exhibited. It simply felt profoundly wrong.

The next lash struck his buttocks once more, intermingling agony and arousal in an unusual fusion. A strangled noise escaped Magnus - a blend of pleasure-laden groans and sobs of pain. His cheeks burned with shame.

This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong.

"Please, alpha. Water," Magnus pleaded, his desperation evident. His throat was as arid as the Sahara Desert, and he yearned for something to quench his thirst.

This time, the alpha displayed mercy. The whip remained silent, allowing Magnus to exhale a sigh of relief. In the following moment, Nate was standing in front of him. Magnus dared not meet the alpha's gaze, keeping his eyes locked on the ground before him. Nate was still fully dressed, yet the prominent bulge in his pants and the blend of a spicy, slightly distinctive aroma of incense intertwined with the distinct scent of whiskey indicated his arousal.