LUCIAN SLADE

There she was, kneeling between my legs like the perfect whore. I knew she was a slut from the way she whimpered at my touch. Every tremble of her body, every shiver that ran through her spine, made my control slip just a little.

A smile graced my lips as I ran my hand over her ass. No underwear. Just how I liked it. Her skin was soft, warm, and deliciously yielding beneath my palm. I could feel her pulse quickening, her breath hitching. My cock throbbed, straining against my restraint.

“Leave us,” I dismissed everyone in the room. Their shocked faces froze before they scrambled out. I didn’t care. None of them mattered. My focus was entirely on her.

Tilting her chin up, I sneered. “You look ridiculous in these clothes.”

Her spirit crumbled under my words. The hopelessness in her eyes struck a dark chord inside me. It pleased my ego, though I lied when I said it, but I felt satisfied. There was something more, something sharper, in seeing her tremble under my gaze.

Aurora looked breathtaking in that dress. The fabric clung to every curve, outlining her body perfectly. Her chest rose and fell, shallow breaths betraying her nervousness. I could feel her heat radiating against me. Her scent, sweet and almost naive, filled my senses, twisting something primal inside me.

Fumbling with my pants, I freed my hard cock. “Suck.”

Her doe eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face. Innocent. A virgin. Just as I suspected. My lips curved into a smirk. This was going to be as much her first as it was mine.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

She leaned forward, hesitant, trembling slightly. When her small hand wrapped around me, pleasure jolted through my body. My groan escaped without thinking. “Fuck.”

Aurora parted her lips and took me into her mouth. Heat radiated off her skin. Her tongue was timid, unsure. Precum leaked from me, and she gagged, trying to pull back. I held her head firmly, letting her know there was no escape. I could feel her warmth around me, her hesitation, her little quivers of uncertainty.

“No teeth,” I warned, slapping her ass. She whimpered, tears brimming, gazing up at me with wide, innocent eyes. Damn. My body shook.

Without warning, I spilled into her mouth.

“Swallow,” I ordered.

Desperate to please, she obeyed. Every gulp, every shiver of her lips made my cock twitch again. I felt a pull inside me, a need for more than just her mouth, more than her innocence.

“Good girl.”

I released her. She slumped against my thighs, gasping for air, flushed and trembling.

“Did… I do good, Master?” she whispered, uncertain.

I stroked her hair lazily. “Maybe.”

Her shy smile made something twist inside me. Too cute. Too fragile. My need to dominate her, to control her, mixed with a strange, protective hunger.

My cock twitched again.

“Strip,” I commanded, voice hoarse.

She shook her head, trying to rise, but I pulled her onto my lap.

“Don’t test me,” I warned.

“I don’t want you to be—”

I crushed her protest with a deep, consuming kiss. Our tongues tangled as I claimed her mouth. The taste of her, sweet and faintly tangy, drove my senses wild. My hands unzipped her dress, letting it fall around her waist. Her perfect, heavy breasts were exposed, nipples hardening in the cool air of the room. I leaned in, wanting to taste every inch, every curve.

Before I could, a shrill ringtone cut through the air.

Aurora froze, flushed and breathless. I shoved her off me and snatched my phone.

“What’s the emergency?”

“Hunters. At the borders of the pack,” Jules barked.

Fuck.

“Get the warriors. Surround them.”

I zipped up my pants and stormed out.

“Alpha… did I do something wrong?” Aurora’s small voice echoed behind me.

I scoffed. “You disgust me, Aurora. If you think makeup hides your ugliness, wake up.”

Her face crumpled in pain. I didn’t look back.

Tearing off my clothes, I dropped to all fours, bones snapping as I shifted into a massive brown wolf. Claws dug into the soil, fangs bared. The metallic stink of silver hit my nostrils.

The hunters were already in formation—ten of them, armed with crossbows tipped in silver. Their eyes glinted with hunger.

At my signal, I mind-linked the warriors. They crouched low, muscles coiled.

“Go!”

We surged forward as one.

The first hunter didn’t scream before my jaws crushed his throat. Blood sprayed across my muzzle, warm and sticky. Another raised his crossbow, but one of my warriors lunged, tearing into his chest.

A bolt grazed my flank, silver burning like acid against my skin. Rage drowned the pain. I slammed into the shooter, bones cracking as I ripped his chest wide open.

Branches whipped my fur. Leaves scratched my face. The stench of blood and fear burned into my senses. My heartbeat thundered in my skull. My muscles screamed, but I could not stop. I could not fail.

Another hunter raised his crossbow, and I felt the sting of silver scrape against my paw. Pain flared, raw and biting, but I growled, feeding the pain into fury. My teeth found his shoulder, jaws clenching, and I tossed him into the trees. His screams echoed and died.

I sensed movement in every shadow, every rustle of leaves. Every second stretched into a lifetime. My body ached, my lungs screamed, yet I pushed forward. I had to protect the pack, protect what was mine.

Only one hunter remained, trembling and wide-eyed.

Cracking back into human form, I staggered upright. My chest heaved. Every vein burned. Nausea clawed at my stomach. Sweat stung my eyes.

“Take him alive,” I rasped to Jules. He bowed, slung the man over his back, and sprinted away.

I swayed, knees buckling under my own weight. Fire burned inside me. My vision blurred.

“Alpha!” a warrior called, voice distant, like it was underwater.

Alphas do not get sick.

Then why did it feel like I was already dying? Every muscle trembled, every breath pulled like knives through my chest. My mind fought to stay alert, but darkness crept at the edges of my vision. Pain mixed with adrenaline, a dangerous cocktail. I could feel it curling inside me like a serpent.

Every instinct screamed survival, but something deep inside, ancient and gnawing, warned me this was not normal. I had faced death before, stood against enemies who wanted me dead. Yet now, even the smallest movement threatened to topple me.

Darkness swallowed me whole.