Sanctuary intruder

I can’t breathe. My insides feel like they’re twisting in knots, a strange heat spreading through me that I don’t understand. What in the Goddess’s name did I stumble into? I struggle and try to push away, desperate to escape, but his powerful arms only tighten around me.

The pressure is overwhelming, forcing a small, involuntary sound from my throat.

“Ah, ah,” he murmurs, his voice low and dangerously smooth against my ear. “Don’t you dare move, little wolf, or I might decide to keep you here longer.”

I freeze instantly. As I stay still, his body shifts slightly against mine in the warm, flower-scented water. The sensation sends an unexpected spark through me. My skin flushes hot under his firm hold.

Oh Goddess. I’m reacting to a stranger instead of being properly terrified. His hand rests heavily on my side, steady and unyielding, making my heart race wildly.

No. I can’t allow this. I won’t let this stranger, whoever he is, pull me in like Ryan did only to betray me.

“Let me go,” I command, trying to keep my voice steady. “Let me go immediately.”

“I might consider it,” he says, his breath warm against my skin, “if you tell me why you’re trespassing in my private sanctuary.”

I pause, surprised. “Your spot? This is my spot! I’ve been coming here for years to clear my head and have a nice bath”.

He lets out a dark, dry laugh. “This sanctuary belongs to me, little flower. You’re the intruder here.”

“Don’t call me that,” I growl in anger. I’ve had enough belittling today. I try to strike him with my elbow, putting all my strength into it, but he moves effortlessly, avoiding the blow.

In one swift motion, he flips me around. The water splashes violently, sending petals scattering as he pins me gently but firmly against the smooth edge of the natural stone tub. I gasp for air, trying to stay afloat while his strong frame keeps me in place.

I finally get a clear look at his face in the moonlight filtering through the trees.

Goddess, he’s magnificent. Thick, dark hair pushed back and dripping wet. Piercing green eyes that seem to glow faintly in the shadows. A chiseled jawline, straight nose, and lips curved in a mocking smirk. His broad shoulders and powerful muscles loom over me like a mountain. He radiates raw power—far stronger than any normal Alpha. Ancient. Overwhelming.

He looks around my age or a few years older, but something about him feels timeless. Who is he?

He catches me staring and grins with dark amusement.

His eyes flash bright and predatory. Before I can react, he drops his head. His mouth latches onto my breast, teeth catching my nipple and tugging hard. A shocked cry escapes my throat as a jolt of pleasure and surprise rips through me.

“Stop!” I yell, even as unwanted wetness pools between my legs.

He doesn’t stop. “I’m taking what’s mine,” he says simply. He moves to my other breast, biting, sucking, and licking the sensitive peak with ruthless hunger.

Inside me, my inner wolf—Nyra, who ghosted me suddenly stirs. She’s moaning and howling with pleasure in the depths of my mind, completely aroused despite everything. After staying silent and leaving me humiliated during the ceremony, now she awakens like this? For him? I want to curse her.

The anger fuels me. I shove hard at his chest with both hands. “Let me go!”

My face burns with embarrassment. I try to look away, but he catches my chin in a firm grip, forcing our eyes to meet. In that charged silence, a strange magnetic pull tugs at my chest.

He feels it too—I can see it in the way his eyes narrow slightly.

The air between us grows thick with tension. My heart thunders in my ears.

His eyes flash with intensity. “What a twisted fate,” he mutters darkly.

I shove at his chest with both hands, anger giving me strength. “Fucking let me go!”

He only grins, unbothered. “The moment you wandered into my sanctuary, you became mine, Nyra. I’m simply claiming what the Moon Goddess has brought to me.”

“You’re an arrogant jerk!” I snap. But panic rises as I feel the undeniable pull between us. “Is this what you do? Force yourself on strangers who are powerless against you?”

That hits a nerve. His body stiffens. He glares at me as if I’ve struck him. The silence is heavy.

Slowly, he releases me and rises from the water, standing tall in all his powerful, naked glory. Water cascades down his sculpted muscles. Without another word, he steps out of the tub, grabs a dark robe from a nearby branch, and leaves me shivering in the water.

The second he’s far enough away, I scramble out, my legs trembling. I yank my clothes back on with fumbling fingers and run—pushing through the dark woods until my lungs burn. It takes me thirty-five minutes to reach the pack house. Chaos greets me the moment I burst through the back entrance. Wolves are scrambling everywhere, cleaning, moving furniture, shouting orders.

Luna Seraphina spots me and her eyes flash with fury. She rushes over and slaps me hard across the face. The sting is sharp.

“Where the fuck have you been?, You disgraceful child”. She screams.

“You’re supposed to be helping welcome the royal Lycan family, you ought to scrub the floor and assist in preparing more meals”. She added

I stand there, cheek stinging, heart still racing from the stranger who just claimed a piece of me in the moonlit sanctuary.

As I drop the floor and start to scrub the cold marble floor, my mind is spinning.

I was wondering why the lycan royals are visiting a small pack as small as ours.

I just hope all is well and I pray they live as soon as possible too.