Hidden Blindness

LUCIAN

I didn’t mean to be so protective, but it was only natural. That woman tried to make a move on me, with my mate right beside me. The disrespect! Liana is going to be my queen. I know she hasn’t made our relationship known yet, but that isn’t going to stop my lycan from defending his mate when some wolf tries to flaunt her all-but-foul scent at me. It did nothing for me, and the way she looked did even less. To some she would be beautiful, I have no doubt, but she’s too slim for my tastes, with too much taut muscle. She just isn’t for me—~and~ she isn’t my mate.

I hope I didn’t make Liana uncomfortable with that display but it can’t be helped. I need her to know she is mine and I have no interest in anyone else anymore. Since the second I smelled her scent on my sheets, no one else has mattered.

I have already pushed it too far so I might as well go all out now. I shift into my human form and stand before her, ignoring the wolves gaping at us. Even in her wolf form, her eyes widen at the sight—although sadly, the more human I become, the less clearly I can see. Taking my only chance, I hold my hand out to her and wait. It takes a few agonizing seconds before I hear her shift.

To my surprise, she ignores my hand and presses herself against me. My arms instinctively wrap around her, crushing her to me.

Oh Goddess, the way she feels…

~Keep control. Don’t scare her.~

I take a deep breath but it doesn’t help when her arousing scent fills my nose.

I feel her shake a little, and frown. “What’s wrong?” I ask softly.

“I don’t want anyone to see me,” she whispers, confusing me further.

“Because you’re with me?”

“No! No… I just… It’s me. The way I look. I don’t like it.”

I almost laugh. “Don’t ever say that again. You are beautiful! Every single inch of you…so fucking perfect.” I squeeze her waist gently, and shiver with the feeling of holding her so close. I’m fighting so hard not to get solid right now.

“I know you have to say that…” she whispers.

I’m shocked she’d think that. How can I convince her she’s wrong? How, indeed… I decide to stop fighting nature, allowing myself to grow thick and hard against her stomach. I can feel the hairs rising on her body and she shivers. “O-oh…”

Bringing my mouth close to her ear, I take her hand and place it on my abs just above my erection. “If you ever think you are anything but perfect, just remember this moment, Liana. This feeling,” I whisper—and she actually whimpers a little. Honestly, I could blow my load from that sound alone.

“We should…umm…”

“Ready when you are,” I say quietly, loosening my grip a little as she steps back out of my grasp, her fingertips grazing my stomach.

I can hear her shifting and follow her quickly, before her pack can get too good a look at what she’s done to me. Kia, ever the vigilant beta, is shielding us from view with his body.

***

We head back to the main house and arrive just as her father is leaving, I assume to check up on his pack. His eyes widen when he sees Liana in her wolf form, but he bows his head to me respectfully as we walk by. I briefly wonder when the last time was that he saw his daughter in her form.

She heads up the steps and the front door opens for her. The housekeeper who opened it bows her head to both of us.

Liana looks back over her shoulder. By now, her father has started to make his way down the track we came from. A moment later, Liana shifts. Seeing her completely and totally naked again, without a single cover, has my mind reeling.

She nods to the housekeeper who slips off and I’m curious why she dismissed her. Probably because she hates anyone to see her naked.

I walk up to her slowly on all fours, reluctant to shift and lose the gift of sight. From this height, I can smell her fertile juices and, oh Goddess, don’t I want to nuzzle my face between her thighs, even in this form. I look up at her from the bottom step, my gaze pausing at the soft, rosy-pink peaks that I would die to taste. It’s a shame I won’t see her like this again for a while…

“You coming? You may be king but Father does not appreciate wolves in the house,” she says with a chuckle. I take a final, long look—and then shift.

As my blindness returns, I hold my hand out to her, praying she takes it to unknowingly guide me. She does, to my relief, and leads me through the house.

“I’ll just get dressed for lunch,” she says, releasing my hand at the top of the stairs.

“I should hope so,” I joke, and she chuckles as she heads off to her room. Luckily, I remember how many steps it is to my room and manage to get myself there unassisted.

~“Kia.”~

~“Yes, sir. Coming up now.”~

When Kia arrives, he knows the drill. Heading straight to the drawers, he pulls out some clothes. I can see their outline as long as they’re dark, which most of my clothes are, for this very reason.

~“Suit?”~ he asks and I shake my head.

~“Jeans. T-shirt.”~ I see him nod and pull out what I need before leaving me to dress.

I feel like an invalid sometimes, but maybe, one day soon, I’ll have my queen at my side to do some of this for me, and Kia will be able to take a break every now and again.

I have to tell her soon…I know I do. It’s just something I’ve never had to do before. My father hired Kia and, aside from him, only my parents have ever known about my blindness. The secret of my “disability” died along with them.

Will she question me? My leadership, my ability to rule? Will she feel sorry for the poor blind king? Will she see me as nothing more than pitiable?

She doesn’t seem like the judgmental type… After all, she herself feels judged for being a plus-sized woman. But this is a dangerous game I’m playing. Once I confess my secret, she could so easily reject me, then go and tell her daddy that the king is blind. Alpha Zayne might see my blindness as pure weakness. He might decide to make a power-grab. Boy, that would not end well…

That’s why I have to do this today—spend time with her, find out more about her. The physical side of things will have to wait, difficult as it is to hold back. I need a clear head. Yes, she is my mate, but even so, it’s hard to trust a stranger with such a delicate secret as this one.

I only hope I can.