Lirien's POV
I woke up slowly the next morning with Vael's arm heavy around my waist. The room was still dim from the night cycle lights. My body felt sore in a good way my ass still stung a little from the spanking, and there was a deep ache between my legs from being fucked twice. But it wasn't bad. It felt like I had been claimed, and part of me liked that feeling.
Vael was already awake. He was sitting up in bed with his back against the headboard, working on a small tablet. The blue light from the screen lit up his face. He looked serious, like a real captain again.
"Morning," I said quietly.
He looked down at me and smiled. It was a small, tired smile, but it reached his eyes. "Morning. Sleep well?"
I nodded and stretched. "Yeah. You?"
"Not really. I've been working on your fake identity since four o'clock." He turned the tablet so I could see the screen. There was a crew profile open with a photo of me that he must have taken while I was sleeping. My hair looked messy, but the uniform in the picture made me look official.
"Meet Ensign Lirien Voss," he said. "New maintenance tech who joined at the last port on Calix Station. Low-level clearance, works night shifts on Deck 7. That way you can stay mostly out of sight."
I sat up and pulled the blanket around my naked body. "You did all that already?"
He nodded. "I had to hack into the system carefully. If I do it too fast, the logs might look suspicious. But it should hold for now." He put the tablet down and rubbed his face with both hands. "We'll test it tonight. I'll walk you to a quiet storage room on Deck 7 so you can get used to moving around the ship without looking lost."
My stomach twisted with nerves. "What if someone asks me questions?"
"I'll teach you the answers. Keep it simple. You're new, you're shy, you don't talk much. Most crew won't care as long as you do your fake job."
I looked at the tablet again. Seeing my face with a fake name made everything feel more real. This wasn't just hiding in his room anymore. This was us trying to build a life together on this ship.
Vael noticed I was quiet. He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. "We don't have to do this if you're scared. I can keep you here longer."
"No," I said quickly. "I want to try. I can't stay locked in this room forever. But… there's something else we need to talk about."
He waited, watching me carefully.
I took a deep breath. "Last night you came inside me. Twice. I'm an Omega, Vael. In heat or not, I can get pregnant. Especially when you knot me."
His eyes widened a little. He hadn't thought about it yet I could tell. He ran a hand through his short dark hair.
"Shit," he said softly. "You're right. I should have asked before. Do you… want kids right now?"
I shook my head fast. "No. Not yet. Not while we're hiding like this. It would be too dangerous."
He looked relieved. "Okay. Good. Then we take precautions from now on." He got up, still naked, and walked to a small locked cabinet near his desk. He opened it and came back with a small white packet and a bottle of pills.
"These are standard for the crew," he explained. "Emergency birth control for Omegas. One pill the morning after if we slip up. And these patches — they block pregnancy for thirty days. You put one on your lower back. It's safe and works even during heat."
I took the packet and looked at it. "You have these on the ship?"
"Every luxury cruiser does. Passengers and crew can get pregnant too. It's normal." He sat on the edge of the bed again. "But I'll be careful too. No knotting inside you until we're sure it's safe. I can pull out before the knot swells. Or we can use the patches every time."
I nodded. "I'll take the patch today. And the pill just in case from last night."
Vael watched me put the small patch on my lower back. It felt cool against my skin. Then I took the morning-after pill with some water he brought me.
"From now on," he said seriously, "I ask before anything. And we use these every single time. Deal?"
"Deal," I said.
He leaned in and kissed me gently. "Thank you for telling me. I don't want to make your life harder than it already is."
We stayed in bed a little longer after that. Vael showed me more details on the tablet ship maps, where the cameras were, which corridors were safest for me to walk at night. He made me repeat the fake story until I could say it without thinking.
By lunchtime he had to go back to the bridge for a few hours. Before he left, he pulled me into his lap and kissed me again.
"Tonight after my shift," he said against my lips, "I'll take you out for your first walk as Ensign Voss.
He got dressed in his captain uniform, gave me one last kiss, and left.
I stayed in bed for a while after he was gone, staring at the stars outside the window. The patch on my back felt strange, like a reminder that everything between us was real now. Not just heat and sex. We were planning a future even if it was a dangerous, fake one.
Later that afternoon I practiced walking around the room like a normal crew member. I tried to look confident, not scared. I practiced my fake name out loud.
"Ensign Lirien Voss. Maintenance tech. Nice to meet you."
It sounded weird coming from my mouth.
When the door finally opened again in the evening, Vael stepped inside with a folded maintenance uniform in his hands. His face looked tired from the long day, but his eyes lit up when he saw me.
"Ready for your first test?" he asked.
I stood up and took the uniform from him. My hands were shaking a little, but I felt ready.
"Yes," I said. "Let's do this."
Vael pulled me into a hug before I could put the uniform on. "Whatever happens," he whispered, "I've got you. We're in this together now."
I hugged him back tight.
But deep down I knew the real test was just beginning.