Chapter 31
In all my life, I have never seen a Lycan move so Fast.
Too fast.
One second, he was standing over the corpse of the dead Lycan, chest heaving, claws still dripping red blood.
The next, he was right in front of me.
I barely had time to suck in a breath before I was pinned.
His claws dug into the dirt beside my head, his massive body caging me against the ground.
I didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
Alaric’s beast was massive, larger than any Lycan I’d ever seen. His silver eyes burned like wildfire, wild and hungry.
But it was his snarl–the deep, primal growl vibrating through his chest–that made my stomach twist.
I swallowed hard. Alaric…”
He was just there. As if he was brain dead. His body was shaking as if he was trying so hard to keep himself in control.
My pulse hammered against my ears. I was acting brave, knowing fully well that he could rip me into two in the blink of an eye.
This wasn’t the man who had smirked at me during dinner.
This wasn’t the king who had teased me, tormented me.
This was something else.
Something that didn’t see me.
Or if it did-
It didn’t see me as Liana.
It saw me as prey. A wolf and a human. He wanted to prowl but he didn’t, instead he sniffed.
I took a slow, careful breath. “Alaric, please come back to me.”
The beast’s ears flicked slightly.
I held his gaze, keeping my voice steady. “You know me. Don’t you remember me?”
His nostrils flared, inhaling deeply.
His lips curled slightly, as if tasting the air–tasting me.
Then-
A flicker.
Something in his silver gaze shifted. He stumbled back. He growled head shaking.
“Alaric…,” I called out once again.
His breath hitched.
Then, abruptly, he moved back.
1 gasped, still frozen on the ground, watching as his massive body trembled-
Bones cracked.
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Chapter 31
Muscles twisted.
And then, right before my eyes, his monstrous form shrank-
Until he was human again.
Naked.
Covered in blood.
And staring at me like he wasn’t sure if I was real.
“Liana,” he rasped.
I swallowed. “You almost killed me.”
His jaw clenched. “I know.”
We stared at each other.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us breathed.
Then-
His legs buckled.
And the King of Lycans collapsed.
I didn’t think.
I just moved.
“Alaric!” I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands reaching for his face. His skin was clammy, burning hot despite the cold night air. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his chest rising and falling erratically.
I hesitated before touching him, but something deep inside me knew–if I didn’t ground him, he might not come back at all.
So I cupped his face gently.
His lashes fluttered.
His silver eyes–still tinted with the remnants of his beast–flickered open.
“Liana…” his voice was rough, barely above a whisper.
“I’m here, I murmured. “You’re back.”
His body trembled, muscles still spasming from the shift. His lips parted slightly, his breath uneven as if speaking took effort.
I let my thumb stroke his cheek, wiping away a streak of dirt. His skin was warm beneath my touch, his jaw sharp and strong even in his weakened state.
“Stay with me,” I whispered.
His eyes locked onto mine, something raw flickering in them–something vulnerable, something I’d never seen before.
For the first time since I met him, he looked tired.
No arrogance.
No cold indifference.
Just Alaric.
My heart clenched.
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Chapter 31
*I almost―” He exhaled sharply, looking away. “I could have killed you.”
“But you didn’t.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s not the point.”
I held his face firmer. “It is the point.”
He looked back at me, frustration and something deeper swirling in his silver gaze.
I exhaled slowly. “You knew me, Alaric. You pulled back. You stopped.”
His throat bobbed.
I sighed. “You won that fight, but you lost control. And now you’re paying the price for it.”
His gaze dropped slightly. “It’s never been this bad before.”
I frowned. “What changed?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then-
His fingers twitched.
I wouldn’t have noticed, except they were close–so close that they brushed against my thigh.
The touch was light. Barely there.
But my breath hitched.
His eyes flickered toward where his fingers rested.
Then back to my face.
A slow inhale.
I felt it happen.
The shift.
Something in the air between us crackled, like the remnants of a storm still clinging to the atmosphere.
I should have pulled away.
I should have ignored the way his eyes had darkened, the way his fingers now rested deliberately against my thigh.
But I didn’t
Because for the first time, Alaric wasn’t just the king.
He was a man.
A man looking at me like he was starving.
I swallowed. “Alaric-”
“Don’t move.”
His voice was low. Rough.
Like his control was hanging by a thread.
My pulse hammered.
I felt the warmth of his fingers against my skin, the heat radiating from his body despite the night chill.
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Chapter 31
Slowly, his other hand lifted, fingertips ghosting over my wrist.
A silent question.
I didn’t pull away.
His fingers brushed up my arm, slow, deliberate, tracing a path that sent shivers racing down my spine.
I shouldn’t have let this happen.
But I did.
Because I was losing myself in him.
His gaze flickered to my lips.
A second of hesitation.
A breath.
Then-
He pulled me closer.
My chest pressed against his. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.
His lips parted, eyes darkening further. “Tell me to stop.”
I didn’t.
He exhaled sharply, fingers tightening on my waist. “Liana.”
My breath came unsteady. “You’re burning up.”
A small smirk. “So are you.”
My cheeks flushed.
I hated how right he was.
I hated how my body leaned into his instead of away.
Hated how the warmth of his touch sent fire racing beneath my skin.
He leaned in slightly, just enough that I felt the heat of his breath against my lips.
A heartbeat.
A second.
Then-
A sharp voice shattered the moment.
“Your Majesty!”
I jerked back.
Alaric’s gaze darkened in frustration, his fingers tightening before-
He let go.
I turned sharply to see Knox running toward us, his expression unreadable but his gaze flickering between us for a second too long.
“Situation handled,” Knox said shortly, his voice clipped. “We need to get you both back.”
Alaric exhaled through his nose.
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Chapter 31
Then, as if the moment never happened-
His face turned cold again.
Distant.
Like nothing had shifted between us at all.
I should have been relieved.
But all I felt-
Was frustration..
And want.
I clenched my fists as Alaric pushed himself up, his jaw tight as he nodded at Knox.
He stumbled but stood tall.
I felt the loss of his warmth instantly.
Like an ember being sn
uffed out.
Neither of us spoke.
Not when he reached for his cloak and draped it over his bare shoulders.
Not when he turned away, heading back toward the castle without another word.
Not when I was left standing there-
Still feeling the ghost of his touch.
And the fire he had left behind.
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