Chapter 3 A Stranger
Lyra
I can’t breathe. My insides feel like they’re melting and on fire. What the fuck did I get myself into? I struggle and try to move, desperate to get away, but his steel arms just tighten around me. The pressure makes me whimper in pain.
“Ah, ah,” he murmurs, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t you dare move, or I might just slice this pretty neck.”
I freeze instantly. As I stay still, his curved cock jerks slightly, sliding across my already wet folds. The sensation is electric. My nipples tighten so hard under his big, rough palm. Oh Goddess. I’m getting aroused by a scary stranger instead of being terrified. His palm squeezes my breast firmly, making me almost let out a strangled moan.
No. I can’t allow this. I won’t allow this stranger, whoever he is, to seduce me like Ryan did only to betray me.
"Let me go," I command, trying to keep my voice steady. "Let me go immediately."
"I might consider letting you go," he says, his breath hot against my ear, "if you tell me why you’re at my private spot."
I pause, surprised. "Your spot? This is my spot! I've been coming here for years."
He lets out a dark, dry laugh. "This spot belongs to me, little flower. You’re the intruder here."
"Don't call me that," I growl in anger. I’ve had enough of people belittling me today. I try to strike him with my elbow, putting all my weight into the blow, but he swerves easily.
In one swift move, he flips me. The water splashes violently, sending flowers scattering as he pins me beneath him against the bottom of the tub. I gasp for air, trying to stay afloat while his heavy, powerful frame presses me down.
I freeze when I finally get a clear look at his face in the moonlight.
Goddess, he’s… magnificent. He has thick, dark hair that is pushed back and dripping wet. His eyes are a piercing, lethal green that seem to glow in the dark. Every feature is perfect. A chiseled jawline, a straight, perfect nose, and lips that are set in a mocking smirk. His muscles and pecs are huge, looming over me like a mountain.
I find myself completely speechless as I stare at him. I’ve never seen anyone so handsome, or so terrifying, in my entire life. He looks like a god himself. The Moon Goddess definitely spent extra time on him.
He looks like he might be around my age or maybe a few years older, but it’s hard to tell. There is a powerful energy radiating off him that feels heavy and ancient. He doesn’t feel like a normal Alpha; he feels like something much stronger.
Who is he?
He grins evilly at me, catching me checking him out. My face immediately burns a deep red. I try to look away, but he grabs my chin in a bruising grip and forces me to look at him. We stare at each other in total silence. In that moment, an invisible, magnetic pull tugs at my soul. He pauses, his eyes narrowing, as he probably feels it too.
Oh goddess, does this mean he’s…? No. It’s not possible. My fated mate already rejected me tonight. Only extremely lucky wolves get a second chance mate. If the Moon Goddess wouldn’t even bless me with a working wolf, she definitely wouldn’t give me a second chance at love.
The air between us grows thick with a heavy, suffocating sexual tension. My heart is thundering against my ribs, and I can tell he hears it. He chuckles darkly and mutters under his breath, “What a sick, twisted fate.”
His eyes suddenly flash a bright, predatory red. I gasp, the color scaring me, but before I can move, he drops his head. His mouth latches onto my nipple, catching the peak between his teeth and tugging so hard that a shocked scream rips from my throat.
"Stop!" I yell, even as I feel a wave of wetness pool between my legs.
"I’m taking what’s mine," he says simply. He doesn't wait for permission before moving to my other breast, biting and sucking and licking the sensitive tip.
Something begins to stir deep within me. For the first time since the ceremony, I hear Wyndra. My ghost wolf is actually moaning and howling with pleasure in the back of my mind. So, she can be aroused now? After she embarrassed me and stayed silent while I was being demoted? Fuck her.
The anger gives me courage as I shove his head off my body with both hands. "Fucking let me go!"
He just grins at me, looking completely unbothered. "The moment you found your way into my sanctuary, you became mine. I’m just taking what belongs to me."
"You’re an arrogant jerk!" I snap. But then I feel his thick, hard cock nudge against my pussy, and the anger turns into cold panic.
"Is this what you do?" I ask, my voice trembling. "Do you make it a habit of forcing yourself on strangers who are powerless against you?"
That finally hits a nerve. He pauses, his body stiffening. He glares at me as if I’ve just said the worst thing imaginable. The silence that follows is tense and suffocating.
Slowly, he rises. He stands up in his full, naked glory, the water dripping off his massive muscles. Without a word, he steps out of the tub. He looks furious as he grabs a dark robe from a nearby branch, leaving me shivering and alone in the water.
The moment he steps away, I jump out of the water and scramble to my trembling feet. My heart is still racing as I speedily pull my clothes back on, my fingers fumbling with the fabric. I don’t bother looking back at him, I just turn and run.
But not before I hear his smooth voice behind me.
“Perhaps we’ll meet again, flower.”
I ignore him and run as fast as possible, pushing through the dark woods until my lungs burn. It takes me thirty-five minutes to reach the pack house, and as soon as I burst through the back entrance, I stop in confusion. Every wolf in the main house is scrambling around in a panic. People are cleaning, moving furniture, and shouting orders.
When Luna Sarah sees me, her eyes flash with rage. She rushes over and slaps me hard across the face. The force of it sends my head snapping to the side, and my cheek stings with heat.
"Where the fuck have you been?" she screams at me. "You’re supposed to be helping! We are getting ready to welcome the royal Lycan family, and you're out wandering the woods like a useless brat!"
I cup my throbbing cheek and lower my head. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"I don't care if you knew! You're an Omega now," she spits. "Go and start scrubbing the floors. They will be here any moment, and this place needs to be spotless. Move!"
I obey her immediately, grabbing a bucket and a brush. As I drop to my knees and start to scrub the cold stone floor, my mind is spinning.
I feel a knot of fear in my stomach, wondering why the powerful Lycan royals are suddenly visiting a pack as small as ours.
I just hope they don't stay long.
