The Alpha's Unexpected Choice

LIANA

The way Lucian looks at me makes me shiver. Not in a bad way, but in a way that makes my blood heat up. Watching him lick his lips as he gazes at me, no doubt wondering what I must taste like, gives me a certain thrill that I can’t explain, the thrill of wanting to let him…

No, I won’t think that through.

Now that my wolf is freed, she immediately stretches herself out. It has been over a week since she was let out and I feel guilty. It isn’t her fault I look the way I do, but she pays the price for my body shame.

The way she looks at Lucian is something I didn’t expect. Although he is terrifying and far larger than me, I should’ve guessed she would fall for him instantly. We take a step toward him and he remains still, likely so not to scare us. Moving slightly toward his head, she runs her nose through the fur along his neck, and he growls. It’s a seductive sound rather than a threatening one, and it just lures her in more.

She shamelessly starts rubbing herself into his neck, spreading our scent all over him, and his all over us. His growl turns into something deeper, a warning, telling me I am seriously testing his control. She flicks her tail under his jaw and trails it around the front of his neck as she struts around him.

She never acts like this with Zeke. Although Zeke is a respectful human, his wolf is an absolute animal, aggressive and violent, taking what he wants whenever he wants it. We both agreed not to shift together due to his wolf’s uncontrollable nature.

Thankfully, my wolf is distracted when she looks past Lucian and notices that his beta has shifted. Kia’s lycan—nowhere near as large as Lucian’s—is still an impressive specimen. I wonder briefly if this is how I will look if I’m bitten.

I push the thought from my mind and focus on the task at hand: showing Lucian my pack.

Turning, I take a few steps to signal him to join me, and he does.

I know that a lycan can hybridize their body and hold a transition between wolf and man, allowing them to walk on two legs. It’s their most deadly form, giving them the ability to move like a man at the speed and strength of a wolf, and it would terrify anyone.

Thankfully, Lucian transitioned to his wolf when he saw our sheer size difference as he looked down at me. I was grateful for that.

Trotting along, my wolf is loving her freedom, especially with the comfort of having him close by.

Glancing back over my shoulder, I see him watching my every move, taking in every detail, and when I would usually feel embarrassed or ashamed, I feel…light. Open and free. His look isn’t one of judgment, but of admiration, and that makes me feel ways I didn’t expect.

For the first time ever, I really feel…beautiful.

He nips at my heel playfully and I yelp, gnashing back at the air. He seems to like that challenge and comes up beside me, bumping into me gently. It has to be gentle because I’d likely go flying if he used any real strength.

If my jaw could drop it would. He’s…playful? Like, actually playful.

I can’t remember the last time my wolf felt safe enough to play with another. Playfulness is always seen as a lead on, an invitation to go further, but with Lucian, it doesn’t feel like that.

I take a moment to think of my move and drop back a little. If he wants to play, we can play. I leap up at him, half jumping on his shoulders, and nip at the back of his neck. He growls low in his chest but I know it’s not from pain. I’m turning him on…

He lets himself roll to the ground, as if from my weight on him, and somehow ends up with me pinned below him. If he could smile, he would, as I yip and snap at the air, playing the helpless little wolf. Although he’s barely using even an ounce of strength, he holds me with ease.

The second I stop, he does what I did earlier and runs his nose up my neck, nuzzling into the fur and making me tingle. Similar to a cat, he rubs his head along the side of my muzzle and down my neck, rubbing his scent in as deep as he can. He wants to make sure I will smell like him, especially as we are going to be around other wolves. He’s scent-marking me and it’s strangely erotic. All my playfulness has slipped away, and now all I want to do is turn over and let him mount me.

How wrong is that? Well, I suppose it’s not wrong at all. It’s only natural animal instinct. I would let him take me here and now, but that is a thought I shouldn’t be having right now.

I don’t know him. Yes, he is a king, and yes, he has been very delicate with me, but it doesn’t mean I know him.

Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, I flip him quickly so I’m holding him down. He’s taken by surprise, and although he could easily overpower me, he doesn’t.

I cheekily lap my tongue up the side of his face and dash away before he can take it further. I know he’s chasing me but before he reaches me, I get to the border of my pack house and stand on the brow of the hill, watching the wolves roaming free in their different shapes, some human, some animal.

They see me and bow their heads, but when Lucian appears at my side they all drop down to their knees, or into downward dog pose, if they’re in wolf form. He stands proud, easily recognizable as a mighty king, even though he is slightly ruffled from our little tussle. With a single nod, he allows them to rise and go about their day, but it’s not surprising that many eyes linger on him.

We start a steady stroll down the hill and he is genuinely curious as he looks around. The condition of our wolves is immaculate. They’re all very healthy due to excellent breeding, and we’re a great size for a pack, being sixty strong.

Lucian and I continue our approach, and I am all too aware of the lingering eyes of fellow wolves. Suddenly, I catch sight of Ariel’s beautiful, glossy, auburn wolf running toward me. I stop, tensing a little. I kind of don’t want Lucian to meet her now, especially after that little moment we shared on the run over here. I think he notices my tension because he looks at me curiously, then back at Ariel who has come to a stop in front of us and bows down perfectly, low and submissive. Just the way any dominant male would like. It makes my own head droop a little.

~“Why didn’t you tell me the king was still here?!”~ she demands through the link. ~“I’d have been over there right away!”~

~“Sorry…”~ I answer.

~“It’s okay. He’s here now.”~ She looks up at him with those fluttery eyes, and I honestly want to shrink into the ground and disappear… I didn’t expect to feel even a twinge of pain, but this is far more than a twinge.

She holds his gaze a long moment before shifting. Soon she is standing before us in human form, perfectly shaped and proportioned, proud in her nakedness. I expect him to stare and lick his lips or something, but he shocks us both by snarling and baring his teeth at her.

It’s definitely not a seductive snarl. It’s a snarl of pure, lethal warning. He moves up beside me, closer than he was, and brushes himself against my neck. Ariel’s eyes widen. She looks completely stunned. She has it all, absolutely everything. She is the better version of every woman in the kingdom, and yet…he shows not an ounce of interest.

Her eyes turn hard and glare at me, prompting Lucian to growl more protectively. He takes a step forward, forcing Ariel to step back.

~“Fuck. You. Liana,”~ she says through the link. Then she turns on a heel and shifts quickly before tearing off.

Lucian looks at me over his shoulder, then turns and rubs his nose along mine with a small whine.

I’m completely taken aback by his response to Ariel, but at the same time flooded with lust.

He defended me? I thought…I thought wrong.