A Court of Snow & Stars (Mingi)
content warning: lowkey dubcon; sex; omegaverse; knotting
Masterlist
Minors DNI 🔞
word count: 2422
The Winter Court was shrouded in an eerie quiet, a stillness that felt heavy as it pressed against your chest while you huddled in the dimness of the cell. The stone walls were cold so cold that you cursed yourself for having argued with Mingi so much beforehand that he'd run out of time to give you a blanket. A flickering torch barely illuminated your surroundings. It offered little warmth, even less light.
Above you, Mingi's mating ceremony had just begun. The sounds of the party made you sick. You had wanted so desperately to be part of it, to stand by his side as he claimed his mate. But instead, he had hidden you away, his expression grave as he spoke of the dangerous instincts that would overcome him.
"Stay here," he had ordered, his voice a low growl filled with urgency. "You must not let me in, no matter what."
You had fought against it, your heart breaking at the thought of being left behind, of being locked away while he celebrated his union with another. After all, he was yours...
But Mingi had been resolute, the fierce protector in him unwilling to risk your safety among the alphas (including himself). The weight of his love felt like a shackle, binding you to the dark confines of this cell. He loved you so much he'd mate someone else just to keep you safe...
As you pressed your back against the cold wall, the distant sounds of the ceremony grew more frenzied, more animalistic. Howls could be heard. A shiver ran through you, the realization sinking in that the Winter Court's traditions were not meant for a human like you. You felt out of place, a foreigner in a world you longed to belong to, yet feared deeply.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the cell, extinguishing the flickering torch with a soft hiss. Darkness enveloped you, and for a moment, panic clawed at your throat. You stepped back, your heart racing, every instinct screaming to run. But where could you go? You were trapped.
Then came the growl...a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated through the stone floor. Your heart seized in your chest, the fear turning your blood to ice.
"Mingi?" you whispered, but the sound of his name felt wrong. Whoever this was didn't have his warmth...his heart.
The growl intensified, raw and primal, echoing just outside your cell. Your breath hitched, fear coiling tight within you. You could feel it, the shift in the air, the magic of the Winter Court thrumming around you like a living thing, and the desperate pull of the moon outside, influencing everything...including him.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed near the bars, and in that flicker of movement, you saw Mingi. His massive form was draped in the dark fur of his bear-skin hood, the glint of silver eyes piercing through the dimness. They shone with an otherworldly light, filled with a hunger that made your heart race for all the wrong reasons.
Where had his sweet brown eyes gone? The ones that just this morning had smiled at you when you awoke from bed.
"Let me in," he rasped, his voice a mix of desperation and need, a command that was both frightening and intoxicating.
You stumbled back against the wall, your fear surging as you shook your head. "You told me not to," you reminded him, suddenly afraid of this man you loved.
His claws scraped against the bars, sharp and menacing, sending a shiver through you. The sight of him, the beast inside battling for dominance, terrified you just like Mingi had warned it would. "You don't understand," he growled, the words heavy with urgency. "I have to get to you! I choose you."
"Mingi, please!" you begged, your voice trembling as you pressed further into the shadows of your cell. "Honey, you have to control it!"
He lunged forward, the metal of the bars screeching under his force, and you could see the determination in his silver eyes, the way his true self stopped his alpha form from being as rough as it wanted to be.
"Stay back!" he shouted, the anger and fear mingling in his voice. "I can't let you be hurt!"
Your heart ached at his words, the desperation in his tone tearing at your heart. You got to the farthest corner of the cell and huddled there, trying to evade his grasp.
With a furious roar, he hurled himself against the bars again, the metal straining under the force of his strength.
"Mingi, please! You need to fight it!" The plea escaped your lips, but the words felt hollow, lost in the shadows that surrounded you.
The wolf within him roared for release. "I can't control it! You shouldn't be here!"
You watched him struggle, wishing there was more you could do to help than cower in a dark corner. "You have to try! I know you can!"
His claws tore into the metal, a feral snarl escaping him as he clawed at the door, the sound grating against your nerves. "Mate," he growled, the words laced with despair. "Mate, my mate," he sang out like a mantra.
"Mingi," you said softly, tears streaming down your cheeks. "Honey, please..."
He paused, his breath ragged as he tried to rein in the beast within. The moment felt suspended in time, the air thick with unspoken words and the tension of the night.
"I can't stop it," he murmured, the admission cutting through the darkness like a blade.
"Okay," you tried to come up with a plan B, your voice steady despite the fear coursing through you. "I'm not afraid of you, Mingi. I'll help you fight this somehow."
But the wolf within him howled, the moon at its peak now.
"Then let me in," he demanded, his sharp eyes digging into you as if you were a meal to be devoured.
"No!" you shouted, the fear rising like a tidal wave.
For a moment, his expression shifted, caught between the man and the beast. "Open it!" he replied, his voice thick with need. He wasn't himself. Mingi hadn't given you a key to get out anyway. How could he not remember that?
"I can't let you come closer. Not like this! You'll be angry with yourself tomorrow if you do this!" you tried to remind him, tried to protect yourself and his heart.
With a guttural growl, he surged against the bars again, the metal bending under his strength. "Mate! Mine!"
The ferocity of his words sent a fresh wave of fear crashing over you, and you recoiled instinctively. "Please, don't hurt me!"
A flash of pain crossed his features, the struggle within him evident as he tried to hold onto the last remnants of his humanity. "I'll try not to!" he vowed. You were terrified of what that would mean.
"Mingi, I love you," you whispered through tears as the last spark of him faded away.
The shadows shifted as he locked eyes with you, the silver glow dimming slightly as if your words were anchoring him.
But suddenly, with a final roar, Mingi threw himself against the bars, the force of his body shaking the cell. You squealed and hid your face, but then, he paused, breathing heavily, his eyes boring into yours.
Beneath the alpha's calling, you could see the man who loved you, who was fighting to keep you safe. "You're my mate," he breathed his voice a low growl filled with desperation. "I love you too."
Within seconds he was on you, pushing your body beneath his, nuzzling against your chest and neck with pleasured hums. You held him, determined to calm him down. But mating ceremonies weren't about cuddles.
Mingi pulled away and slashed your clothes to pieces in seconds before throwing off the leather rope of his bear skin robe to reveal his naked form. You'd never seen him nude before... it was a lot. Mingi was already so much larger than you, but his muscles made him stronger, and his dick... he could break you.
"Mate," he murmured as he kissed your neck and cheeks. "Mate."
"Mingi," you began to panic. "Mingi, I don't know if I can take it. You're too big."
"Mate," he whispered in a daze.
"Yes Mingi, I'm your mate but..."
He growled, refusing to accept any alternative or arguments about your status as his mate.
"I just don't know if you'll fit Mingi," you corrected yourself to which he replied by putting his tip at your entrance.
"We have to," he cried against your skin. "Please, please, please," he begged against your neck, desperate to at least try, his instincts leaving no room for any other resolution.
You pulled his face from your neck to look at you. The silver eyes staring back had a warm brown ring to them. Your Mingi was still in there somewhere, he was still holding on.
You pressed your lips to his, trying to bring him to the forefront. But alpha Mingi took over, vibrating with desire as he slipped his tongue through your mouth and ran his hands everywhere he could. He wasn't gentle, not that you minded that usually, but he'd never touched you naked before, and it felt strange that this should be the first time.
You separated from the kiss, and his eyes met yours, silently begging again for permission.
You could see no way to wait any longer. "Go slow," you whispered, hiding in his neck in case it hurt. You didn't want him to see the pain on your face if it was too big. There was nothing you could do to stop this side of him.
He pushed in.
You whimpered and winced as you grasped at his back for something to hold onto, but there was nothing except the wide expanse of his back. His muscles flexed as he thrust all the way in, grunting as if being in your cunt completed him in some way.
"My mate, my love," he whispered into your ear, gently stroking away pieces of your hair from your face.
"Mingi," you whined, kissing his shoulder. "Stay still, honey," you begged, his cock so big that your body was still adjusting even minutes later.
"Have to stay still," he recited, though you didn't know if it was to you or himself. Regardless, you were grateful you had a moment to feel the full size of him...to acclimate. His hands continued to stroke your face gently and his heart pounded beneath the fingertips.
There were some howls upstairs to which he replied loudly before kissing your temple. "It's just us now."
As he whispered those words, he pulled back and pushed back into you, unleashing himself with more and more power as he moved until he was snapping against you, his skin on yours filling the otherwise silent stone chamber.
He growled lowly now, seeking out his end as you clutched his shoulders, pleasured gasps escaping your lips.
"Mingi," you moaned, the sound like a drug to him. You'd just adjusted and were able to take him without any pain now, but suddenly you felt a thick bulb at your entrance trying to force its way in. "Mingi!" you gasped. "What is that?"
"Shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay," he soothed with kisses to your forehead. "Just my knot. It's okay."
"Knot?" Was this some alpha thing you didn't know about?
"Mhm," he hummed, half in a daze. "Knots hold seed for the mate. My mate." He continued to thrust, trying to force it in, but you were too tight.
"It's too big Mingi. It's not going to fit," you told him through whines.
"My love," he whispered, his voice sounding more normal than it had all night. "It will. Just relax. Deep breaths."
You closed your eyes and listened to him, trying to release all of the tension for him...trying to be a mate from this world. Mingi needed this from you, needed it to work to complete the mating ceremony.
"I love you," he whispered against your lips just as he pushed in once more, finding that it fit.
"I love you too," you replied back, dizzied from the pressure you felt.
"I'm sorry," he told you just before you felt him spill into you.
You'd never felt so full before or so close to him. Mingi nuzzled against your neck, his body shaking from the strength of his release. You could feel it filling you, tickling your insides, and undoing your knot in the process.
"Let go," Mingi urged, sensing how close you were. He left light kisses on your neck, sensing the increase in your pulse.
Just before you finished and just before he emptied the last bit of seed into you, he bit you, sending waves of warmth coursing through your body until you were grasping at him everywhere with loud cries of pleasure. It was a high like nothing you'd ever felt before.
Your legs wrapped around him, holding him close, your arms pulled on his neck to keep him against your neck. It felt amazing. It felt right.
He licked the wound closed and kissed over it when your body finally stopped shuddering. He hovered above you, blinking several times until the silver disappeared, and the warm amber of his irises returned.
He was back. Your Mingi was back.
He looked at you apologetically, full of regret over impulses he couldn't control.
But you just brought his lips to yours with a soft kiss, and whispered, "I'm yours. I'm your mate Mingi. You chose me."
He looked sad as you spoke. "I tried to stop it...but your scent...the instincts they just..."
You kissed him again, an interruption to his rambling. "I'm proud to be your mate."
His gaze softened and he embraced you tightly, rolling over so you could lay on his chest. "I hope I didn't hurt you," he worried as he gently stroked your back.
You didn't want him to know how scared you'd been initially and kissed his chest. "I'm not hurt. And now I have you."
Mingi kissed your forehead as he threaded his fingers through your hair. "Yes, you do...forever."