Sera's body was pressed against Lucien's, her pulse wild and uneven as his breath grazed her ear.
"I don't bite," he murmured, though his voice suggested otherwise. "Unless you beg me to."
Her knees weakened, but she stood her ground. "You're dangerous."
Lucien's lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk. "And yet you're still here."
They were alone in his penthouse — a towering fortress overlooking the glittering city. The soft glow of dim lights painted golden shadows across his sculpted chest, his shirt discarded and forgotten somewhere behind them. The city noise was a world away. Here, it was only him, her, and the magnetic pull that bound them together.
Sera's eyes drifted to the scar just above his heart. She hadn't noticed it before. It wasn't jagged — it was clean, deliberate. Almost ritualistic.
"Where did you get that?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Lucien hesitated. For the first time since she met him, a flicker of something vulnerable passed through his gaze — like a ghost brushing past his soul.
"From someone who thought they could kill an Alpha," he replied darkly. "They didn't live to try again."
Her breath caught. The word still felt surreal — Alpha. It wasn't a metaphor. It was who he was, hidden behind all the silk, charm, and seduction. The man before her was a predator. One who ruled the night and howled beneath secrets.
"You've killed," she said, not asking — just knowing.
He stepped closer, and the intensity in his eyes swallowed the room.
"And I'll do it again if anyone touches you."
Her chest rose and fell, caught in a war between fear and desire. Every rational thought told her to run. But her body? Her soul? It was already his.
"I don't know what you've done, Lucien," she whispered, "but I don't want to stop wanting you."
His hand slid around her waist, pulling her against the wall. The moment their lips met, it was chaos. Hot, wild, aching chaos. Every kiss was a confession. Every touch a promise — of pleasure, of pain, of something far more ancient than love.
But just as things deepened, the sound of a phone ringing shattered the moment. Lucien pulled away, jaw tightening. He didn't answer it — just stared at the screen, his expression unreadable.
"Problem?" Sera asked breathlessly.
He didn't look at her. "Pack business."
When he finally met her gaze again, his smile was gone. Replaced by something colder, more lethal.
"I have to go. Don't leave this apartment until I return."
"Why?" she asked, her voice tightening. "What's going on?"
Lucien was already pulling his shirt back on, buttoning it over the chest she'd just been tracing with her fingers. "Because one of the rival Alphas just crossed the city line."
Sera's heart dropped. "Does that mean…?"
He turned at the door. "It means war is coming."
And just like that, he was gone — swallowed by the night.