Chapter 12

The ball was a grand affair. The men dressed in tuxedos, and the women wore gorgeous gowns. When Duncan first saw Sadie in her dark blue gown, you could see their affection. Tia was pleased to see how happy they were together. They both deserved to find love. She couldn’t imagine two people better matched for each other. Tia felt like a queen on the arm of the most captivating werewolf in the room. Zeta Luca, however, was less impressed by all the attention but handled it admirably.

As the event ended, Tia noticed Duncan and Sadie had already snuck away. She could tell Luca was ready to be freed from his admirers. She obliged, and they quickly snuck away before anyone else caught him. Tia grabbed a bottle of bubbly on the way out. They were laughing as they reached her door. Successfully escaping his admirers was exhilarating. Once she caught her breath, she was about to ask Luca for a nightcap when she remembered they had never assigned him a room.

Once inside, she looked up at him, only to find him staring at her with an unreadable expression.

She shrugged. “I guess you are my bunkmate. We might as well make the best of it.”

She handed him the bottle to open while she searched for glasses. He poured some into each glass and gave one to her.

He folded up his immense frame, and they sat across from each other on the floor.

“Who knew you were such a hit at a party?” She giggled.

Luca shook his head, exasperated.

Tia was feeling relaxed and a bit buzzed from the wine.

“Why are you unmated?”

His expression darkened slightly. “I found my mate. Her name was Chloe. Shortly after becoming pregnant with our pup, she began having nightmares. On the nights when she couldn’t sleep, she would let her wolf out for a run. On her last night, hunters snuck into our territory and caught her. I woke up to the sounds of her screams in my head. Once they learned I was a Zeta, they killed her and my pup.”

Her heart ached for him. “I am so sorry, Luca. I didn’t know.”

She reached over and brushed her hand over his cheek. She recognized the sad and lonely expression in his eyes as her own. Before she could react, his warm, soft lips were against hers. Her lips melted into his as her body came alive under his touch. She was hungry for it. His breath quickened as his hands explored her body. A soft moan welled up inside her and escaped as his hands reached her breasts and grazed her hardened nipples. He growled as she roughly grabbed at his pants, trying to release his buckle.

He pushed her away to arm’s length and forced her to look into his eyes.

In a husky, strangled voice, he asked, “Are you sure?”

She rapidly nodded before pouncing on top of him, again burying his lips with her own. He adeptly unhooked his pants buckle, and they fell to the floor. He pulled her body tightly against his. She could feel his warm erection against her leg. Her groin spasmed in anticipation, sending a delicious shiver up her spine.

As she slid out of her dress, he pulled her on top of him on the bed. Her breath hitched in her throat as they touched skin-to-skin. She was greedy for his touch, his lips, his skin, but when his fingers slipped into the wet folds below, she gasped and moaned. Slowly rocking her hips, his fingers slid in and out, then circled her clitoris. His strokes made her breath quicken and her pulse race. Her back arched, clutching the sheets, and her body shuddered into an orgasm. Tia’s body was still pulsing as she climbed back on top of him, and he slid inside of her.

The feel of his full length inside her made a growl rumble from within her. His rhythmic thrusting heightened the pleasure washing over her body. Her hips met his every thrust until they were smashing against each other. The power of their bodies crashing together welled up and erupted inside her as his body tensed. His body slumped against her, and his breathing slowed. She climbed off him and flopped onto her back, looking up at the ceiling.

Once her head stopped swimming, she watched him propped up on his elbow, watching her.

“What?” she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“You are amazing, and you are going to be the death of me.”

He quietly watched her lying languidly next to him.

She caught his stare. “What?”

“You are incredible, and you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.”

She looked back up at the ceiling and laughed. Tia was an enigma. A staggeringly beautiful riddle he would never truly understand. Where she came from was no longer the question, as much as how long she would stay.

He shook his head, imagining what would happen when the family found out they slept together. Luca will accept whatever the consequences. The intensity that usually knitted his brow was gone. He felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Luca felt hope. The light he felt inside her was far more potent than anything he had experienced previously. It exuded from her. He did not recognize the source within her as a werewolf. It felt older, possibly predating Lycans. None of it made sense, but one thing was clear: she was extraordinary.

Tia rolled onto her side and looked at him, “We should get some sleep...” but before she finished her sentence, he pulled her body against his and kissed her hungrily. Sleep was the last thing on his mind, with her lying naked in his bed. His wolf, Lux, was frantic to taste and feel her. His lips trailed down her neck, over her breasts, stopping briefly to suck gently at her nipples before continuing down. Her body responded as she writhed in his arms. Her wolf was fluctuating between growls and whimpers. As his tongue gently lapped at her clit, his fingers slid inside her. A moan escaped her lips as she spread her legs open wide, inviting more. His tongue twirled, flicked, and teased her to the brink of orgasm. He quickly slid inside of her, his fingers darting back to her clitoris. He stroked her, pushing her over the edge as he pounded himself into her. His body tensed and shuddered as he came inside her. They rolled onto their backs, panting, and Tia looked at him.

“I think we might have woken up the house.”

Luca laughed. “I doubt anyone here noticed.”

They lay side by side, their breaths slowly steadying, a comfortable silence settling between them. Tatiana glanced at Luca, feeling an entirely unfamiliar warmth in her chest—a feeling she hadn’t dared hope for.

But just as she was about to drift into sleep, a muffled noise sounded from outside her door—a faint rustling, as if someone was lurking just out of sight. Luca’s posture tensed immediately, his protective instincts flaring as he gazed toward the door.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered, her heart picking up again.

He nodded, eyes narrowing. “Stay here,” he murmured, slipping out of bed with a fluid, quiet grace, pulling on his pants as he moved.

Tatiana watched, nerves tingling, as he approached the door. He opened it slowly, scanning the hallway, his body blocking her view. For a moment, he stood frozen, staring down the empty hall, his expression unreadable.

When he finally turned back to her, his face was set with a new intensity, his eyes dark.

“Whoever it was is gone now, but someone was here.”

A chill ran through her. She sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. “Do you think it was Vex?”

He ran his hands over the stubble on his chin, “I don’t know, but I am glad we are getting you out of here.”

Luca stepped back to her, his hand cupping her face with a fierce tenderness. “No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

His words hung in the air, and as Tatiana held his gaze, she knew the quiet sanctuary they’d shared was over. Whatever they faced next, they’d face it together—but the danger was only beginning.