Six

ELARA’S P.O.V.

A crimson summer dress was lying on the bed when I got out of the shower, and I paled, knowing someone… possibly Death himself had been in here while I was naked and vulnerable.

I had never rinsed off so fast, terrified he might still be watching me.

He could move through shadows, so there was no telling where he could be or when he would appear.

As my fingers brushed over the soft cotton of the dress, I realized my fear wasn’t unfounded.

Someone had passed through the ward to get into the room to leave this here.

More unsettling was that my wolf hadn’t sensed them.

I pulled it on quickly, the soft fabric sticking to my damp skin as I rushed to cover myself before there was a knock at the door.

My hair was still dry from being pulled up in a bun, and I brushed back a loose hair before smoothing my hands down the front of the dress.

With a deep breath to calm myself, I pulled the door open.

My smile fell when I saw a young woman walking away from me, hurrying down the hall, without saying a single word to me.

From the delicious smell wafting my way, I knew the pack was either preparing to eat dinner or they were already down there.

“Thank you,” I called out after her, but she just continued on silently, tossing her hair over her shoulder as if annoyed that she had been sent to fetch me.

I brushed it off, knowing this was all a means to an end.

This was my chance to actually meet Death. I needed to win him over and get the answers I had desperately needed so I could leave.

I closed the door behind me and hurried after her, examining my surroundings as I moved through the unfamiliar castle.

It was different than my pack. There were no guards at the entrances and exits. No one was keeping the Alpha or the pack safe while they had their guards down, eating.

Then again, with their Alpha being Death himself, they probably didn’t need guards.

No one would be stupid enough to attack this pack if they could even access it.

I had no idea which pack I was even in or where we were.

Did Death live among us on Earth pr were we in another realm?

I heard them as soon as I turned down the hallway.

The pack was loud. Their laughing and shouting over one another as silverware clanged against their plates could be heard through the doors to the dining hall.

I grabbed the cold brass handle and pulled it open, my heart crashing down to my stomach as the room fell silent and every head turned to stare.

I knew I should assess my surroundings since I was in a new place, to look for a threat and an exit strategy in case things went sideways, as I had been trained, but I didn’t.

Instead, my eyes automatically sought out one person, and once I found him, I couldn’t look away.

He was heart-stopping.

At the head table sat a giant man with a woman on each side of him.

His brown eyes were locked on me over his glass as he took a sip of his drink. I hadn’t seen him in his skin so clearly before, and I swallowed hard as he rose to his feet.

He was sinfully attractive, muscular, and… terrifying.

“Lucien,” The woman to his left called out in a warning tone, placing her hand on his forearm to stop him as he moved to step around the table toward me.

It was the same woman who had held me down on my knees when I had arrived.

My wolf had never risen so quickly before, and I felt my eyes turn black as they remained on her hand on his arm.

It made sense why she hated me now. She thought she had a claim on him… on MY mate.

She was sitting in my seat at his side at the head table, even though I was here, marked, and just upstairs and…

And he had let her.

He had let her sit in my seat, the seat meant for his mate and Luna, knowing I would be down soon to join them for dinner.

He was making it known to everyone, myself included, that he had chosen her over me.

It sent a pang of hurt through my chest that almost sent me stumbling back a step, but I forced myself to stand strong and let my anger and wolf keep me standing.

If he hadn’t pulled away from her so quickly and continued toward me, I might have let my wolf take control so I could tear her arm clean from her body and watch her bleed out.

The disrespect of him choosing another woman to sit at his side was more hurtful than him dumping me here with his mark and walking away from me.

Yet, my wolf was overly excited that his attention was on us and that we would finally get to see and touch our mate in the light.

“Lucien,” I repeated the name softly as he approached like a dark cloud moving in before a storm. The name was fitting, more fitting than calling him Death, and I repeated it in my head with each step he took toward me.

I didn't move as he reached for me, his large, calloused hand cupping the side of my head, his thumb pushing up on the underside of my jaw until my neck was exposed to him.

It was thrilling as sparks of pleasure shot through my body, but an underlying fear settled deep in my bones, knowing that the same hands warming my body and soul were the most deadly ones in the world.

His nostrils flared, and he lowered his head, trailing the tip of it up the side of my neck. Goosebumps rose along my skin, and I let out a shaky exhale as the gentle touch sent a jolt of pleasure through me.

I had heard of how powerful a mate bond could be, but I had never experienced such wanton pleasure from so little contact before.

My wolf was howling in my mind, wanting to get free. She didn’t like that he was walking around unmarked with women eyeing him like they were ready to fight to the death for him.

“You’re not dying yet,” He mused, almost confused, pulling back to examine my face.

I hated that my body betrayed me, and that my cheeks grew hot under his stare. It wasn’t the time to be lusting after my mate when he had just disrespected our bond and prophesied my death.

Yet.

He was expecting me to be dying or dead by now, but why?

“Are you going to kill me?” I asked him.

His head tilted to the side, his eyes boring into me as if weighing my soul.

“You’re wearing my mark.” He said, his eyes flashing black as his wolf appeared. “That means I already have. It’s just a matter of time.”