CHAPTER SEVEN - LINGERINGS

VALENTINA

PACK OF LORE

Lucean sighed when I my glare did not waver, his expression stoning and a flitting red flashing in his gaze which made a snake of fear slither through my body. His disapproval obviously, but why I did not know so I just looked on at him in blankly.

“To claim your vengeance against Ryker first you would need to return to your strength.”

Teira sashayed into the room, her voice cutting straight into me like the sharp edge of a knife.

She picked up the journal from the table, closing the book and placing a hand on Lucean’s shoulder as her eyes settled in mine mockingly. “And even when you return to your strength Valentina, you will no be able to kill Ryker.”

Lucean’s fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, Teira giggled when my eyes remained on hers, and I had to clench my jaws to keep myself from saying anything as I tried not to get in a fluster.

She was openly mocking me. In her eyes all I was was a weak little wannabe who was lost and without a home.

Lucean made to speak, “Valen—” but I had stomped the heel of my boot so hard into the floor the impact made the plates on the table rattle.

Lucean scanned his eyes over the corners of the room and then back at me.

“I’M LEAVING!”

I said at once, stomping past them both and slamming the door shut. Behind me I could hear Lucean’s gruffer tone say something cautionary to Teira who only but laughed heartily. She was probably right that may not be able to defeat Ryker even if my ankle was fully healed along with the many fractures in my arms and ribs, but still.

‘In due time…’ my wolfs voice echoed in the back of my thought, her soothing yet fiery tone set a calm in me.

Once I trudged though the snow and back to Tiera’s cabin and slammed the door shut, twisting the lock and tossing the key against the wall. My anger still simmered in my blood but I solaced myself by ramming my fists into the ploft pillow and imagining it was Rykers face.

Having worked myself out I fell to my side. My eyes drifting shut, heavy with glum and tiredness.

Waking up was always the craziest part of rage sleeping, I pulled multiple strands of hair from my mouth, blinking as my vision adjusted.

My body felt like someone had filled me up with lead during my absent slumber and I got my answer with a ear-bursting scream.

Lucean jerked up, his eyes still on my body and hands still linked on his thighs. Scrambling for the bedsheet I threw it over my body (though I was fully clothed) my eyes finding the door that remained closed and locked.

“YOU CREEP!” I yelled, throwing the pillow I had previously assaulted at him and it bounced off his face, falling to his feet. He was comfortably seated on a single arm chair that looked like it was giving all it had to support his muscular size.

“I’m sorry if I offend you. I will leave.” He stood, backing me and making to the door.

“No!”

He stopped.

“How did you even get in here?” I asked, shifting off to the side of the bed where I let my feet touch the floor.

He sighed, folding his arms over his broad chest. “You’re living in ‘my’ pack Valentina of course I have the keys to every single house.”

“Ohh.” I pressed my palms to my face, noticing the way his eyes followed my every subtle movement.

“Why— How long have you been there?”

He sat back on the chair, expression flat.

“I have sat here for the whole six hours of your sleep, regulating the fire place and occasionally opening the windows to make sure the room remained at the right temperature.”

My jaws remained open, bewilderment holding my eyes to his.

‘What?’ My wolf yawned within. ‘So sweet of him.’ She thought and I took in a deep breath, expelling it loudly.

“I had wanted to come and apologize to you for what happened earlier, but when I came you were already asleep so I decided to wait.” Lucean’s voice was smooth like mercury, his tone sensual. The words literally flowed from his lips and implanted themselves in my thoughts. It baffles how someone of his size, whom from looks alone could intimidate anyone he met could also be so effortlessly caring, it almost sounded too good a thing for someone like him to do.

I hiccuped when he stood, walking too fast towards me and I would have shifted if he had not put his hand on my shoulder.

I hiccuped again when I felt his hand move up my side, my hand threatening to pull his arms away but a sharp look killed off the thought.

My wince was long and painful when he massaged against the swelling over my cracked rib, his fingers just carefully under my breast and I tried to focus on the pain that came with his massage rather than the invasive thoughts my wolf constantly probed into my mind.

“Why did Ryker attack your pack?” Lucean’s voice rumbled softly in his throat, his eyes steady on his hands beneath my gown.

I tried to keep my voice steady when I answered his question, a rise of emotion turning me blue. “He had attacked us. Our packs had been having remote disputes and I guess that could have been the motivation for his attack.”

“Hmm.” He growled lowly, his thumb rubbing on my skin slowly and though I tried hard not to my eyes found his periodically and that was followed by a rise of heat up my belly to my neck. “How long were you in his custody before… before me.”

My body stiffened when his hand caressed further my sides.

“About a month… the days went by so fast I had lost count at some point.” And I tried not to focus on the suffering I had endured during that time, the way Sara had risked her life to allow me escape that night. I owed it all to my best friend, my somewhat freedom from Ryker now and the fact I was even still alive.

“I’m sorry Valentina.”

I could not understand him, or why he apologized. The only thing I knew for sure was that he had requested I give him a baby at the time in the forest but even then I was not sure if he was just being darkly sarcastic.

I moved away from his touch when his hand came to rest on my bare thigh, a tingling warmth had come to settle in my belly, one that made my vision blur slightly as I focused my gaze into his then my eyes shifting to at the space in his unbuttoned part of his shirt that revealed his skin beneath.

“Am I a prisoner here? Lucean?”

His head cocked slightly to the side, his lips parting and closing so fast I thought I had only imagined it.

“No.”

“Say you had taken over my pack at the time of your failed attack. Would I have been held prisoner then?”

He furrowed his brows, thoughts cascading over thoughts behind his eyes as he searched for the right reply.

“Your father was a strong Alpha Valentina, I had realized that and knew it would be impossible to claim victory over him.”

Then my mind zoomed to Jayme, the time he had had his hand around my neck and the things he had said about his fathers death in the hands of mine and some uneasiness churned in my stomach.

“I am not your enemy Valentina. I know Teira might sound otherwise sometimes but trust me when I say, she had been this Teira long before I brought you here and her character towards you is not meant to be ill.”

When I did not say anything he sighed, taking me by the arm and gently pulling my body close to his, my ass solid on the smooth velvet until my elbow touched his side.

“What are you—”

A gasp left my lips, rendering me powerless when I felt his lips touch my forehead. Soft and gentle, the contact sent a wave or tingling nerves that radiated from my head down to my spine.

My chest tightened, a stiffness in my chest that only eased slowly as I breathed out.

It was only when he stood up that I looked into his eyes and for once there was no underlying hate at the base of my thoughts for him.

“I would make sure the person who had hurt you pays his due penance!” Lucean snarled angrily, however my body was yet to ease from its tense state and the most I could do I was keep my eyes on his, my wolf howling with a certain need that slowly coursed through my body and made my middle heat.

“I had ordered my sentries to scout the territories of your pack, they might bring back some goodnews.”

He left the room, and I caught myself lingering onto the pleasures of his scent.