A Touch Of Fire

The moonlight poured in through the narrow windows of the scullery, casting soft silver beams on the stacks of crates and barrels that filled the room. It was quiet. Too quiet. The noise of the banquet seemed so far away now, a distant hum beneath the walls of the servants' quarters. But that was the last thing on Aria’s mind.

Her chest was tight. Her breathing, shallow.

Lucien.

She could still feel him. His presence. His power.

Her hand was pressed against her mouth to stifle the wild breaths that threatened to escape her. Her heart hammered in her ribcage, too fast, too loud. Her wolf was thrashing inside her chest, aching, clawing for release, for something—anything to make the bond feel less suffocating. But there was nothing. Only the overwhelming pull toward him.

Aria squeezed her eyes shut, praying it was all a dream. That maybe, if she just wished hard enough, the bond would disappear. That she would wake up from this nightmare where she was bound to someone who would never accept her.

Someone who was already promised to another.

But when she opened her eyes again, the pain in her chest was still there, a constant, gnawing ache.

Then, as if the gods had decided to torment her further, the door to the scullery creaked open.

She didn’t need to look up to know who it was. The familiar scent of him hit her like a physical punch, more potent now, more real. Lucien.

Her heart stopped for a second before it started to pound again, louder this time. He was here. In the same room. Close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him, the power that seemed to suffuse his very being. He was so much larger than she had imagined. So much more imposing.

She was trapped.

Run. The voice inside her head screamed at her, but her body refused to listen.

Lucien’s eyes searched the room, the gaze of a predator, sharp and intense. When their eyes met across the room, everything inside Aria froze.

Time seemed to stretch, the world narrowing until there was only the two of them. The Alpha King and the omega servant. Their eyes locked. The instant they did, she felt the world shift beneath her feet, the bond snapping into place with a ferocity that left her breathless.

Mate.

The word rang out like a drumbeat in her chest, a primal understanding flooding her senses. Her wolf howled in her mind, urging her to step forward, to acknowledge what had just happened.

Lucien’s pupils were dilated, his breath coming in sharp, jagged bursts. He was no longer the confident, untouchable Alpha King that everyone admired. He was a wolf. A wolf on the verge of losing control.

A wolf that had just found his mate.

The shock of the bond hit Lucien like a tidal wave. He staggered back a step, his breath hitching in his chest. His heart pounded, but not from fear. No, this was something far deeper. His wolf was screaming to claim her, to take her, to make her his in every way. The pull was undeniable, the need so strong it almost broke him.

He took a step forward, and then another. But as his eyes narrowed in on her trembling form, Aria’s mind snapped back into focus.

No.

The word was like a cold slap to her senses. Her legs moved before she could think. She spun on her heel, racing toward the door. She had to get away. She couldn’t let him see her like this. She couldn’t let him get close enough to smell the bond, to feel the way her wolf was already reaching out to him.

But Lucien wasn’t going to let her escape.

He wasn’t going to let her run.

Her feet pounded against the stone floor, her heart racing in her chest as she rushed through the narrow corridors of the servants’ wing. Her breath was coming in sharp gasps, and she could hear the echo of her footsteps bouncing off the walls as if the entire castle was closing in on her. But no matter how fast she ran, she could still feel him. His presence. His power.

He’s following me.

She had to get away. She had to hide.

She glanced behind her and saw him at the end of the hallway. Lucien’s tall, broad form was framed in the dim light of the hallway, his eyes locked on her with an intensity that made her pulse race. He wasn’t running after her—he was walking. Calm. Dangerous.

And the look on his face? It was one of confusion. And something else. Something darker.

Aria’s breath caught in her throat as she turned another corner, desperation fueling her every step. She couldn’t afford to let him catch her. Not now. Not when she was so fragile, so exposed.

She could hear his steps behind her now, much closer. Too close.

"Aria."

His voice was a low growl, and when she heard it, her heart skipped a beat. His tone had changed. Gone was the confident Alpha King who could command anyone with a glance. Now, it was raw. Hungry. It sent a shiver down her spine, and her stomach twisted with dread.

Her legs burned, but she didn’t dare slow down.

Run, Aria. Just run.

But it was like the ground had shifted beneath her, and she was running in place, the pull of the bond dragging her closer to him with every desperate step.

“Aria!” Lucien’s voice was louder this time. It wasn’t a command. It was a plea. A plea that broke through the haze of her fear, and for a moment, she faltered.

Just a moment.

A single moment that Lucien used to close the distance between them. He was fast, so much faster than she could’ve imagined. In the next instant, his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist with a force that left no room for escape.

Her breath caught in her throat. The connection between them flared, the bond crackling in the air like static. His grip was firm, but his touch—God, his touch—sent a wave of fire coursing through her veins, igniting every inch of her skin.

"Please." His voice was rough, desperation lacing every syllable. “Don’t run from me.”

But it wasn’t a question. It was a demand.

Her pulse was erratic, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The need to escape fought with the overwhelming compulsion to stay. To be near him. To surrender.

She couldn’t. She couldn’t give in. Not like this. Not when everything about their bond screamed that it was wrong.

“Lucien… please…”

Her voice cracked, and the Alpha King’s grip tightened as if she were the only thing holding him together.

“You’re mine,” he growled, the words almost a declaration, more of a primal instinct than a statement of fact. “Don’t you feel it? You’re mine.”

She tried to pull away, but her body refused to obey. The fire inside her burned too bright, and the pull was too strong. She couldn’t even make herself look him in the eye.

His hand cupped her chin gently, his thumb brushing against her skin. When he finally forced her to meet his gaze, all the confusion, all the hurt, all the questions were there, swirling in the depths of his eyes.

“Tell me you feel it, Aria. Tell me you know what I’m talking about.”

She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t… you have to leave me alone.”

His eyes flickered with pain, but the bond—their bond—didn’t let him back away. It wasn’t a choice anymore. He wasn’t going anywhere without her.

But she? She was breaking apart. Slowly. Piece by piece.

And there was nothing she could do to stop it.