Kara sat in her nest, her resolve solidifying. Before the storm broke, she needed to secure this one last piece of her future. She got to her feet, intending to call for Milo, and opened the suite door.
She stopped dead. Lucian was standing right there in the hallway, a silent, immovable sentinel. He hadn't been pacing; he'd just been... standing guard. The sheer protective power of the gesture stole her breath.
He looked at her, his expression calm. "Is something wrong?"
She found her voice, though it was small and hesitant. "I... I needed to speak with Milo. I have a medical question for him."
Lucian simply nodded, not moving from his spot. He spoke quietly into his comms. "Milo, Kara needs you in the west wing." He then met her gaze again, his presence filling the doorway. He was not leaving. He was going to overhear.
When Milo arrived moments later, Kara invited him just inside, hyper-aware of the king still listening from the threshold. She to
The world was fire and pressure and the devastating taste of him. Lucian's kiss was not a gentle exploration; it was a claiming. Raw, hungry, and possessive, it was a brand on her soul that seared away the last remnants of her fear. His hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the angle, while his other arm held her flush against his solid body. She met his ferocity with her own, a needy whimper escaping her as she surrendered completely to the storm. This was what her Omega instincts had craved: a power that didn't seek to break her, but to possess her, to shelter her.And then, he was gone.He pulled back, leaving her lips feeling cold and bruised, her body screaming in protest at the loss of contact. A disoriented, heartbroken cry left her throat as the haze of pure bliss began to recede, the ache in her core returning with a vengeance.(Lucian's POV)Lucian pulled back, his own breath ragged, the taste of her still a fire
Her soft mewl had changed the air, thickening it with a storm of powerful, restrained Alpha scents. Through the haze of her fever, she saw their struggle. She saw Zaide's corded muscles, Caius's rigid stillness, Lucian's iron control. And the sight of these incredible Alphas fighting their own instincts for her sake didn't calm her primal nature. It ignited it.This display of immense, controlled power was the ultimate aphrodisiac. A needy, demanding whimper escaped her lips. The ache between her legs became an unbearable, throbbing emptiness. Her own hand, acting on a will entirely separate from her conscious thought, slipped from her stomach, sliding down beneath the damp towel that covered her.Her fingers met the slick, wet heat of her core, and she was instantly soaked. The touch was a lightning strike, a jolt of pure, agonizing pleasure that made her arch her back off the nest.The act, so innocent and instinctual on her part, was the final straw for the A
Pain.Fire.A storm raged inside her, a tempest of need and agony that had no beginning and no end. Her mind was gone, washed away in the fever. All that existed was this endless, churning sea of sensation, a body that was no longer her own.But there was an anchor.Something solid and cool clutched in her hand. A wrist. She clung to it with all her strength, the one real thing in her dissolving world. From it, a scent radiated, a lifeline in the chaos. Pine and ozone and the deep, unshakable strength of a mountain. It didn't stop the pain, but it kept her from being swept away entirely. It was safety. It was Alpha.The combination of the four Alpha scents created a symphony of safety that resonated deep in her soul. Her instincts, so long a source of fear and shame, finally felt... right. They told her she was protected. She was home.The fire in her belly pulsed again, a wave of need that demanded more comfort, more of the groundi
The moment her keening cry cut through the air, every Alpha instinct in Lucian's body screamed at him to break down the door, to find her, to protect her. He felt the beast rise within him, a possessive, primal roar demanding he go to his omega. Beside him, Zaide let out a low, guttural growl, his knuckles white. Even Caius's stillness was broken by a visible tensing of his muscles. Her scent, a potent wave of distress and need, was a direct command to their biology.But they didn't move. They stood frozen in the hallway, fighting a war against their own nature. Lucian had given his word. He would not enter her space without permission.He raised a clenched fist and knocked softly on the door, his voice a strained, deep rumble. "Kara? It's Lucian. We're right here. Are you alright?"The only answer from inside was a pained, desperate whimper. Then, a fractured, sobbing plea that tore at his soul."I need you..."Her plea was all the permis
Kara sat in her nest, her resolve solidifying. Before the storm broke, she needed to secure this one last piece of her future. She got to her feet, intending to call for Milo, and opened the suite door.She stopped dead. Lucian was standing right there in the hallway, a silent, immovable sentinel. He hadn't been pacing; he'd just been... standing guard. The sheer protective power of the gesture stole her breath.He looked at her, his expression calm. "Is something wrong?"She found her voice, though it was small and hesitant. "I... I needed to speak with Milo. I have a medical question for him."Lucian simply nodded, not moving from his spot. He spoke quietly into his comms. "Milo, Kara needs you in the west wing." He then met her gaze again, his presence filling the doorway. He was not leaving. He was going to overhear.When Milo arrived moments later, Kara invited him just inside, hyper-aware of the king still listening from the threshold. She to
The name dropped into the quiet of the office like a shard of obsidian. Bloodmoon.Lucian felt a cold, ancient fury settle deep in his bones. This was no longer the predictable posturing of a weak Alpha. Hiring the Bloodmoon mercenaries was an act of scorched-earth desperation. Kael wasn't just trying to provoke him; he was trying to burn the whole world down, starting with the fragile omega sleeping peacefully in the west wing.He set his whiskey glass down, the sound a sharp crack in the silence. He pressed the intercom, his voice a low, hard command that held no room for discussion. "Zaide. Milo. Back to my office. Now."They appeared in less than a minute, their expressions questioning until they saw the look on Lucian's face and the deadly stillness of Caius in the corner. Milo's gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a doctor's serious focus. Zaide's hands curled into fists at his sides, the soldier in him instantly on high alert, sensing a new, mo