Lysaria
My heart pounded a frantic, desperate rhythm as he led me away from the dining hall, away from Marcus.
I had been sold. To this stranger. This man was now dragging me toward a sleek black car that looked like a predator crouched in the dark.
I jumped as another man stepped out of the shadows of the garage.
“Alpha?” he asked, one eyebrow raised in my direction. Zayne’s grip on my arm tightened, a subtle, possessive pressure.
“She is mine,” he growled, his voice a low warning.
“My mate. And she’s coming with us.” He opened the car door and gestured for me to get in.
I slid past him cautiously, my wide eyes fixed on his face.
I had no idea what to expect as he climbed in and sat beside me, his presence filling the small space.
I scrunched myself against the door, trying to become part of the upholstery.
He didn’t speak, just stared out the window as the other man got in and started the car. The engine purred to life, and we began to move. I couldn’t look away from the pack compound shrinking in the side mirror, disappearing into the darkening twilight.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice breaking the silence and making me flinch. “I should have asked if you wanted to gather your things. I just… I couldn’t stand you being in his presence for another second.” I just stared at him, the words foreign and strange. Then I shrugged.
“I don’t have anything,” I whispered, my fingers twisting in my lap. I risked a glance at him; he was watching me with those storm-cloud eyes.
“It’s okay,” he whispered back. “I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”
I didn’t answer. I just hunched my shoulders and wrapped my arms around myself.
Marcus hadn’t let others hurt me, either.
That was a pleasure he reserved for himself.
I doubted this man would be any different.
He was an Alpha, after all. Zayne sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, leaving the strands standing up even more wildly.
“Look, I know you don’t know me,” he said, leaning toward me, his hand held out in a gesture of peace.
I flinched away from the contact, but as I moved, his scent hit me full force.
In this confined space, it was impossible to ignore.
It washed over me, a wave of pine and rain-soaked earth, something wild and powerful, like the smell of a thunderstorm that was uniquely him.
It pulled at something deep inside me, a fierce, unfamiliar heat pooling low in my belly.
It was the most intoxicating scent I had ever encountered.
I turned away, clenching my fists and pressing my forehead against the cool glass of the window.
But the heat didn’t subside. It grew hotter, more consuming.
I felt as if I were burning up from the inside out, my skin too tight for my bones.
I pressed myself harder against the door, determined to ignore whatever was happening to me.
Zayne groaned softly, a raw, pained sound, and my head snapped around.
My eyes locked with his before I could stop myself.
My breath caught in my throat as I stared into the storm raging in his eyes.
It mirrored the storm that was raging within me.
I shuddered, unable to suppress the tingle of awareness that spread through me like a wildfire.
I tried to breathe, but all I succeeded in doing was pulling in more of his intoxicating scent.
I squeezed my eyes shut as another shudder wracked my body, and to my absolute horror, I felt a slick wetness pool between my legs.
My womb clenched, my inner muscles pulsing around nothing, emphasizing the hollow ache of my channel.
I squirmed, the ache building to an unbearable level, and I saw his nostrils flare.
A hot blush crept up my neck as I curled in on myself, squeezing my thighs together in a futile attempt to control my own body.
Oh, Goddess. He could smell me. He knew how my body was craving him—his scent, his touch, his possession.
My hands shook as I fought the burning heat that spread to every part of me.
I pressed myself harder against the cool leather, and when that stopped working, I dug my fingernails into my palms, the familiar pain a desperate anchor.
I didn’t dare look at him, but I could feel him sitting there rigidly, a predator waiting for its prey to make a mistake.
I could feel his gaze on me. What was wrong with me?
I didn’t feel these things. I had never felt them.
With Marcus, I had endured. I had never craved his touch.
How could I be craving Zayne’s now? I didn’t understand how my body could betray me so completely.
He shifted in his seat, and his shoulder brushed against mine. The accidental contact sent a sharp jolt through me, a fresh wave of heat and another gush of wetness that soaked my panties.
Zayne groaned again, and I squeezed my thighs tighter, but it was useless. I felt like I was being burned alive. A soft whimper escaped my lips, a sound of pure torment.
“Lysaria,” he whispered, his voice tight with a strain that mirrored my own.
I looked at him and was instantly lost in the storm of his eyes.
He reached toward me, his hand moving slowly, deliberately.
I flinched away, a reflex I couldn’t control.
He frowned and let his hand drop to the seat between us.
“We’ll be back in my territory by morning.”
I just stared at him. How would I survive this torture until morning?
The rest of the drive passed in a haze of heat and desperate desire.
I huddled against the door, terror building in me as he tried to explain things about mates and heat and destiny.
None of it made sense. I didn’t have a wolf. How could I be a mate to anyone?
“I won’t hurt you, Lysaria,” he said, his voice urgent.
“Please, let me help.” I didn’t reply. The concepts were so foreign they felt like a dream.
Of course he was going to hurt me. That’s what Alphas did.
They hurt and they took. Why should this man be any different than Marcus?
The only difference I could see was that this time, my body had decided to betray me.
The car slowed, turning onto a gravel driveway. My heart raced as a large house came into view. It was an impressive edifice of wood, stone, and glass, looking as if it had sprung right from the landscape itself. The car rolled to a stop, and my vision narrowed, my head spinning.
Zayne got out and turned back to me. I moved quickly, fumbling with the door handle, not wanting to give him a reason to touch me, terrified I would crumble if he did.
But as I stumbled out of the car, the toe of my boot caught on the doorframe.
I fell forward, my arms flailing. I braced for the impact with the cold, hard ground.
It never came. Instead, I was caught. Strong arms swept me up, cradling me against a solid, warm chest. The scent I had been craving and despising enveloped me completely, and my heart stopped, then took off again, beating against my ribs like a trapped bird.
“It’s okay,” he whispered, his voice a low rumble against my ear. “I’ve got you.” I just stared up at him, unable to speak, unable to breathe. Because that was precisely what I was afraid of.