Chapter Thirteen: Do Not Look Away

Avery's POV.

Lucian’s thumb continued tracing the inside of my wrist as though he were feeling something beneath my skin.

I forced myself not to pull away.

“Answer me, Avery.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

My gaze lifted to his face, studying the stillness of it.

“Yes,” I said.

Silence followed.

Then Lucian released my wrist.

“Good. Then you won’t waste time crying about it.”

His cane struck the floor as he stood.

“Meet me in my room,” he ordered, turning away without a backward glance.

I froze. My throat tightened. “I—Alpha, I—”

“You will come,” he interrupted, cane tapping once more. “Now. Do not test me.”

I hesitated. My hands curled into fists at my sides. My body wanted to resist, to turn and walk the other way. But I remembered the fire in his gaze earlier, the way he had made my father crumble.

“I—” I started again, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Do you want to be punished again, Avery?”

The words were sharp. He didn’t need to raise his voice. The threat in it was enough to make me swallow hard.

I forced a nod. “Yes, Alpha. I’ll come.”

A pause, then a slow, deliberate turn. He strode down the hall, each step echoing and commanding as I followed behind him.

“Do not linger in thought,” he said over his shoulder. “Do not hesitate when I give you a command. Every second you waste questioning me is a second you will regret.”

I wanted to answer him. To speak back. To argue. My lips parted, ready to form the words, but I bit down hard on my lips that it almost bled.

The hallways stretched on, dimly lit by flickering torches. I kept my gaze lowered as I followed him, forcing my breathing steady. Lucian might be blind, but that had never stopped him from knowing exactly what I felt.

“You watch too closely,” he said suddenly. “Your curiosity will be the death of you if you do not learn control.”

“I… I understand, Alpha,” I murmured.

He stopped abruptly outside his door. The simple motion of him raising his hand made the air tense and thick with anticipation.

“Enter,” he commanded.

I opened the door, my heart hammering. Inside, the room carried the scent of burning oil lamps and faint tobacco smoke, the kind that clung to the air long after the pipe had been set aside.

“Shut the door behind you,” he said. “I prefer my conversations private.”

I shut the door behind me. The final click echoed like a final warning.

“Prepare my bath,” he said, turning to the far corner, his back still to me. “Do not touch anything else. Do not speak unless spoken to. Move.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I moved forward, each step measured. My hands trembled slightly as I touched the water, filling the tub. Each movement had to be perfect. Each second counted. One misstep, and I knew he would punish me.

“Faster,” he commanded, voice cutting through the room. I obeyed, pouring water, adjusting the towels, my pulse racing. The room was tense, silent except for the soft swish of water.

I finished adjusting the water and stepped back from the bath.

“Your bath is rea—”

The words died in my throat as I turned.

Lucian stood a few steps behind me.

Completely naked.

For a moment, my mind simply stopped working.

My breath caught in my throat as my eyes dropped before I could stop myself. Heat rushed to my face. His cock was huge and long, thick veins running along its length, the tip flushed a deep pink.

He was massive.

His stomach was flat, hard, the mark of his pack resting against his skin. Scars crossed his chest and shoulders, old, pale lines that spoke of wars fought.

My eyes flicked lower, only for a heartbeat, and my face burned hotter.

I jerked my gaze away instantly.

Why was he just standing there?

And why hadn’t I heard him enter the bathing room?

“You stare,” he said, voice sharp, cutting through the air. “Do you enjoy seeing me?”

I swallowed, forcing my gaze down. “No, Alpha.”

“I… the bath is ready, Alpha,” I managed, my voice far less steady than I wanted.

He took a step forward, the floor creaking beneath his weight. “Do not lie to me. You’ve learned nothing if you cannot be honest, Avery. Speak.”

“I don’t know, Alpha,” I admitted.

He stopped, just a foot away, suddenly the space between us felt far too small. The heat of his body brushed against my skin.

My pulse hammered in my ears. He didn’t reach for me, didn’t touch me, but the tension between us was almost tangible, pressing me to the stone floor.

Then his hand lifted slowly.

For a terrifying second, I thought he was going to grab me.

He did. He pulled me closer to him, hands settling on my waist. My head resting against his hard chest, my thighs pressed hard against his cock moving from side to side.

A shiver ran down my spine as his thumb lingered along my spine, tracing a slow, deliberate path that made my breath hitch.

It was as if he could feel every frantic pulse beneath my skin, every rapid thump of my heart, and he was savoring the knowledge.

“Do you want to touch it?”

“What? No.” I gasped before I could stop myself.

“You were staring at it.”

Heat flooded my face so quickly it felt like fire. “No, Alpha.”

“Lying again.” His grip tightened just enough to remind me I wasn’t free to pull away.

“You looked,” he continued. “And you looked longer than curiosity requires.”

“I didn’t mean to. I'm sorry.”

Another pause. Then he asked, almost casually,

“Are you a Virgin?”

My hands curled slightly at my sides. I shook my head before remembering he couldn’t see me.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whispered, my body trembling under his proximity.

He turned slightly toward the bath. “Then your curiosity is understandable.”

“But,” he continued calmly, “curiosity without control is dangerous.”

“Stand there,” he ordered.

“Do not look away this time.”

My breath caught.

“And do not move.”