I slowly wrenched myself free. “If he matters to you that much,” I said, my voice dropping to a mocking lilt, “then you should be careful not to provoke me further.”
She blinked, jerking her head back. Unable to stop myself, I went in for the kill. “Because if
DC Chapter 96 DROP THE AUT you push me hard enough, Celeste, maybe I’ll decide to steal him away just for the fun of it.”
I threw a glance at Kieran, making sure Celeste could see the suggestive look in my eyes.
After all, I already did it once before, and trust me, hon, doing it again is not as hard as one would have thought.”
Her gasp was immediate, loud, strangled. Kieran stiffened as his wide-eyed gaze took me in, his expression nothing short of shock.
“Sera-” His voice was raw, as if my words had rattled him.
As if he wasn’t the one shoving me against walls and counters and asking me not to kiss him back because he couldn’t help himself.
Celeste screeched, the sound so sharp it turned the heads of passing nurses. She surged forward, nails curling, clearly intent on tearing at my face.
Kieran caught her again, pinning her arms to her sides as she thrashed. “Stop it, Celeste!”
His voice thundered, his Alpha aura rumbling through the air. “She’s just venting-can’t you see that?”
“Venting?!” Celeste shrieked. “She’s threatening me! She’s planning to ruin everything again, and you’re just standing there! Fuck that, you’re letting her!”
I stood rooted, breathing hard, the adrenaline burning in my veins. My hands shook, still tingling from the satisfying contact of Celeste’s cheek.
I half wanted Kieran to let her go. Let her come at me.
Words hadn’t been enough to get my messages through to her. Maybe if I body-checked her against the wall and gave her a concussion, she’d know to stay the fuck away from me.
And then-
“Seraphina.”
The voice was cool, measured, familiar. It blasted away the heat and anger rushing through my veins, replacing it with a warm, reassuring comfort I only ever experienced in one person’s presence.
Lucian.
SERAPHINA’S POVD
I turned, and there he was, emerging from the other end of the hallway almost like a scene from a movie.
His eyes swept over our own scene-a flushed Celeste clawing against Kieran’s hold, shrieking like a banshee, Kieran himself caught between restraint and agitation, and me standing apart, my pulse racing, my chest heaving.
And then those eyes landed fully on me. Sharp. Shielding. Protective in a way that almost made my knees weak.
Without hesitation, he closed the distance and placed himself squarely in front of me. The air around us shifted like a storm rolling in, adding a different kind of tension I wasn’t sure
I minded.
I instinctively shifted closer and let myself lean into the solace and safety Lucian’s presence promised.
I took a deep breath, and his scent had the same effect on me as an aromatherapy oil- relaxation. Tension and stress relief.
“Is there a problem here?” His tone was deceptively polite, but the bite laced underneath was unmistakable.
Celeste froze, her chest heaving, her lips parting soundlessly. She was disoriented for maybe two seconds before more acid spewed out.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she hissed, her eyes like two blue flames.
Lucian’s shoulders tensed only slightly, but he answered coolly. “I came to pick my girlfriend up from her trip.”
Girlfriend…
Warmth pooled in my stomach, and I had to bite my lip to hide my instinctive smile.
No one else was as pleased as I was, though. Celeste actually honest-to-goodness snarled.
And Kieran was in serious danger of shattering his molars with how hard he was grinding his teeth.
“Go ahead, collect the shameless bitch,” she growled. “Better she cling to you like the blood-sucking leech she is and stay the fuck away from Kieran!”
Heat clawed up my throat, the sting of her words sharper than I wanted to admit. Before I could even form a retort, Lucian’s voice cut in, low and edged with steel.
“Watch your tongue, Celeste. Especially when you’re speaking about my future Luna.”
The corridor seemed to still. I could almost hear the collective gasp from the passersby and nurses not-so-subtly eavesdropping on our little scene.
Even Kieran’s hands slackened where they held Celeste back.
Lucian didn’t flinch under the shock that rippled through the space. He took a single step forward, enough that Celeste had to press against Kieran and tilt her chin up to look at him.
“If men fall for her charms, that isn’t her fault. The difference is, I’m lucky enough that she’s chosen me. And I don’t take kindly to anyone insulting what’s mine.”
The words landed with a weight I felt in my bones.
‘What’s mine…’
Maybe it was hypocritical of me, but the possessive words sounded different when Lucian said them.
I didn’t feel like a toy he owned; I felt like something precious. Loved and cherished.
Celeste’s laugh was brittle, scorn layered over her visible unease. “You must be mad,
Lucian. Her? A pathetic wolfless castoff? Even her husband’s pack did not accept her as
Luna, and you want to bring such a disease into yours? You’ll be the laughingstock of the entire world.”
My nails dug into my palms, and for a split second, I couldn’t tell if the twisting in my chest came from her venom or the echo of truth it hit against.
But before I could spiral, Kieran’s voice rang sharp, Alpha command threading his tone.
Enough, Celeste.”
She turned to him, gaping as if he had struck her.
Lucian didn’t even glance at Kieran. His gaze stayed locked on Celeste, colder than an arctic wind. “You might want to save your laughter, Celeste. Because, unlike your family and her two undeserving former packs, I’ve always known Seraphina was born for more than you could ever imagine. She will make an excellent Luna.”
His lips curved into an indubitably confident smile. “You’ll see soon enough.”
And just like that, he turned to me.
“Hey.” He smiled.
“Hi,” I breathed, stunned.
“Ready?”
I gave the slightest of nods, and his hand slid to the small of my back. It fit there so naturally, and I couldn’t resist leaning in.
He steered me firmly past Kieran and Celeste, their stunned expressions playing in my peripheral vision.
Despite it all, a smile danced on my lips as we walked out of the hospital, the silent satisfaction of leaving them behind humming like wine in my veins.
By the time we reached the parking lot, the tension that had wound me tight finally began to unravel-only for Lucian to catch me off guard all over again.
He spun me gently but decisively, pressing me back against the cool metal of his car.
“Lucian-what-“
My gasp was swallowed by his mouth. My hands went to his chest instinctively, half to push, half to hold on.
But his lips moved against mine with an intensity I’d never felt from Lucian before. Fierce.
Claiming. As though he was floating away, and kissing me was the only way to anchor himself.
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