7. Not Ours

Lily

I sit up, shrugging the tattered clothing from my body and pull him down on top of me, needing to

feel the closeness of his body on mine again. I feel his hard cock digging into my thigh, so I open

my legs and wrap them around his waist. Then our lips meet again, this time, it is filled with even

more fervour, and I can taste blood.

When Konstantin enters me, an unknown jolt of pleasure shoots through my body, and I let out a

pent up scream. I dig my now extended claws into his back, and he lets out a roar, slamming into

me over and over again.

“Don't leave me..." he whispers in my ear, “you belong at my side... stay..." He grips my hair at the

back of my head as he kisses me, groaning into my mouth as the sound of my moans echoed

around the quiet woods.

I am so close to reaching my peak, but then he turns me around and enters me from behind,

digging his claws into my waist. His thrusting increases, and for some reason, it feels like he's

growing larger every time he slams into me.

Fisting the ground in my hand, I know that I will be reaching my sweet release very soon and when

a mind-shattering orgasm rips through my body, Konstantin lets out a roar and sinks his teeth into

the nape of my neck.

Something strange happens then - a tightness burrowing into my chest and the feeling of

something clicking into place... like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle. My wolf howls, feeling happier

than it ever has in a long time.

Konstantin retracts his fangs, his breathing laboured as he pulls out of me, and I hear his heartbeat

picking up. This felt so right with him, and it felt so perfect... like it is supposed to be this way. I turn

around to face him, expecting to find the same satisfied smile on his face. What I didn't expect was

a horrified expression.

He stands up and backs away from me with wide eyes. “Fuck! Fuck, Lily, I'm so sorry. I-" He

stammers, his eyes widening at my naked body and the scars he's left.

I shake my head. “It's fine, Konstantin, they'll heal-"

His head whips up. “You think that's why I'm upset? Lily, you have a mate, and I just fucked and

claimed you with my bite!”

This is where my lie starts to unravel, and instead of explaining myself, I do what any sensible

person would do.

I shift and run.

Konstantin

What have I done?! In a moment of lust, I committed the greatest fucking taboo in our circles - I

claimed another wolf's mate with my bite.

How could I have been so fucking stupid?

A part of me wants to run after her, but I need to get out of here... I need to be as far away from her

right now as possible. Shifting back to my wolf form, I sprint deeper into the woods without so

much as a backward glance.

That should not have happened; I shouldn't have allowed my lust for Lily and anger over tonight to

control me like that. She probably thinks the worst of me right now, and she would be correct in

thinking so. I fucked up - majorly. I took that which wasn't mine to take, and I loved every moment

of it.

But even though I know what we did was wrong, it just felt so right to claim her. As soon as I sank

my teeth into her, everything slid into place; everything felt perfect and as it should be. I even

caught a faint whiff of her lavender scent, which doesn't make sense because she’s scentless.

So why?! Why do I feel so torn? She can never be mine, not now, not ever. The Gods never meant

for her to be mine; the sooner I realise this, the fucking better.

I find a cave and shift back, noticing the faint smell of sex still on my skin. I had her, for those few

moments, I had her, and she was mine. She cried out my name in pleasure; she caved under me and

wanted more... she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

/“She’s ours, Konstantin. She belongs to us....”/ my wolf urges, but I shake my head.

“No, she’s not. She doesn't belong to us, and she’s someone else's mate.”

My wolf snarls, then, with a huff, he goes silent. Good, I can do with some silence right now and

dealing with an obsessive wolf wasn't at the top of my list at present.

I lay down on the cool grass in front of the cave, breathing out a sigh and wondering what the fuck

is going to happen now. When we fucked, I am pretty sure I felt myself knotting her, but how the

fuck can that be? You're only meant to knot and impregnate your mate, no one else. Not even a

casual sex fest can cause a male wolf to knot inside of a woman not deemed his mate.

What does this mean? Lily has already met her mate, but why would she give into my advances if

this were the case? A mate bond ties you to the other person for life, and only death can sever this

tie. Yet, she gave in to me, she let me fuck her, and she enjoyed it.

I sit up as a realisation hits me; did Lily lie to me about meeting her mate? Was this simply a ploy to

run away from me?

Before I can even think about what the answer can be, a blinding pain hits me at the centre of my

chest, causing me to let out a roar. Doubled over in pain, I nearly shift to trigger my healing but

stop myself in time.

What the fuck was that? I've never felt something like this before - like a chain or bone has snapped.

Shaking my head, I permit myself to shift and run all the way back home.

“Kon, what the fuck just happened? Why did Lily reject the pack?”

My brother's voice echoes through the mind link, and I nearly toppled over during my sprint

through the woods. “What? What do you mean?” I ask, slowing down and coming to a stand still.

“Lily's broken the link, Kon. She's gone rogue,” he says, every word knocking the wind out of me.

Could she truly have left after this? I suppose that it shouldn't surprise me... she did just cheat on

her mate. Why would she want to be around me after that?

“I'm still at the estate. I'll go check,” I tell Kai and take off again, but I already know what I would find

when I walk into her home. It is evident by her missing SUV.

And I'm not wrong.

“She's left us to go with her mate; it seems she couldn“t wait until the end of the week,” I say bitterly,

walking around her empty house. Kai sighs and says he will speak with me in the morning.

I walk towards my car left in front of her home and screech out of the estate, probably waking

everyone up. But at this moment, I didn't care. Lily is gone, she’s left my side without so much as a

goodbye, and it is all my fucking fault.

I've lost my most trusted partner, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Lily

Before Konstantin can figure out my lie, I reject the Blood Crest Pack and set off. I still don't know

where the hell I would go, but I needed to get out of New York right now.

I will never be able to face him again, not after tonight. As perfect as that moment with Konstantin

felt, it clearly didn't leave the same impression on him as it did me. I felt whole, complete... even

loved, but he only saw it as sex even after he claimed me with a bite.

The most important part of claiming your mate - the bite at the nape of your neck.

My hand instinctively goes to my neck, the wound has undoubtedly healed, but I could still feel its

warmth and sting. During our tryst, I thought he felt the same connection, the same feeling of

completion and perfection as I did.

He even begged me to stay at his side...

Was I foolish to leave his side, and have I just made the biggest mistake of my fucking life?

I let out a frustrated growl, but as I look out of the window, a familiar building comes into view...

What the fuck? How did I make my way here without even thinking?

As if he knew I was coming, Stefan Russo steps through the front door of his mansion with a grin on

his face. “I knew you'd come back to me one way or another,” he says, sauntering over to me with

his hands in his pockets.

Confused as fuck, I get out of my car and walk over to him. “I didn’t even know I would be coming

here, to be honest,” I say, wrapping my arms around my body and looking around. He had wolves

stationed everywhere, so even if I wanted to run, I wouldn't be able to.

He holds out his hand for me to take. “Come, join me inside. You must be cold out here.” He says,

shrugging off his coat and throwing it over my shoulders. I nod and take his hand, allowing him to

lead me inside his mansion yet again.

How the fuck did I get here? Stefan wasn't even on my mind as I drove, but something must have

drawn me here. I look up at him walking next to me, his eyes still flashing their Alpha crimson. His

scent is still overwhelming, too much as if he were scenting me - but that's not it, though.

He's masking his scent, but why?

"Would you like something warm to drink?” he asks me but heads over to his bar.

I smile. “Yes, please, some Vodka would warm me up.” He smiles as I say this and nods as he fixes

me a drink.

“Have you thought about my earlier proposition yet, Lilith?” he asks. I'm not too fond of the way he

calls me by my name; it makes my stomach coil in apprehension.

"You would really want me to be your Luna Bride even though we're not mated?” I ask, not believing

the words coming out of my mouth. I haven't even considered it yet, but now it sounds like I have.

"As I've said before, when my eyes met yours, it felt like I've always known you. There was a pull; you

can't say you didn't feel it as well.” He says, taking a swig of amber liquid.

I frown, trying to think if I felt this way, but everything feels fuzzy right now. “Uhm...” I say, trying to

speak, but my tongue suddenly felt a bit too swollen for my mouth. Why... I try to stand up but

falter and grab on to the bar counter.

It's only when I look down in my glass that I see it: purple wolfsbane petals.

The last thing I see before I fall is Stefan’s red eyes shifting to a serpent yellow.

***The Chapter After This Has A Sexual Assault Trigger Warning***