"You will care for me."

LUCIAN: [YOU WILL CARE FOR ME]

ASPEN SPED INTO THROUGH THE DOOR and sat at the center of the living room, allowing me to fall off of his back. I fell onto my chest and he shifted again, pulling me to my feet. "The Alpha needs assistance."

The ladies were in the middle of cleaning and rushed to me once they saw my bloody form. They circled around me, each of them murmuring amongst themselves and trying to come to a nonsensical decision on which one of them should be able to care for me. All except for one. Agitation creased at my brows, and my lip twitched. The girl always knew how to challenge me. She kept her back turned to me with her attention on the table she was cleaning. 

"Alpha Lucian, please allow me to care for you." One of the women took my arm but I shook my head, positioning her palm back down to her side.

"Thank you lady Mariann but there is no need. Miss Lydia will be caring for me." 

She whipped her head over her shoulder at me mentioning her name, her brows arched and her lips in a slight pout. 

"Is there a problem?" She asked, pretending to be clueless with those big doe eyes. Her voice was soothing and gentle but she was not such. Not even fucking close.  

I walked  over to her holding my waist  and grabbed her wrist, "Come."

She furrowed her brows, "And why must I submit to that? You only order." She tried freeing herself and I must admit, the little woman is strong. I smirked inwardly at her feistiness.

"This is no argument, girl. You will care for me."

"Sorry but I really am no submissive person so your efforts are truly only pointless." She continued, "Now please  let go of me."

I felt my jaw tick, how can someone possibly be so maddening. Not exactly poor to look at but just a rather frustrating person who I can't help but abhor. I took her other wrist and pushed her against the wall, further closing in the distance. With her chest against mine her eyes widened and I gritted my teeth when she started slapping at my chest. 

"You're crushing me, asshole!" 

I held her wrist tighter and pinned them over her head. "Then stop fighting." 

She closed her eyes, her chest even closer against mine as she breathed and a quiet groan left my lips when her breast touched my body. My wolf seemed to crave her custody. She barely even touched me yet I was already wanting her closer, her hands running up my chest, her soft lips against my skin. 

'Shit…' I hissed internally, not noticing how much the thoughts of her to my submission had aroused me. 

She opened her eyes. "Fine. No more fighting," She looked to her side, "Please get the hell off of me." She shoved her hands into my chest to push me away but even though I created distance between us, I still grabbed her wrist again.

"Listen carefully." I placed my other hand on her shoulder, feeling light on my feet, "There's a bullet inside of me and you're going to take it out in that room," I pointed to the door opposite to her, "Try anything  and I will kill you."

"You're serious." She took a step back, "You're putting your life in my hands. What happens if I were to just push that bullet deeper." She was serious.

"That won't be happening." I opened the door and stepped inside, seating her on the edge of the bed while I searched the shelves for the first aid. 

I lifted the box and dropped it in her lap, sitting beside her. "Start."

"This is fucked up." She rolled her eyes and went on her knees. "I've treated bullet wounds before but this has been in you for far too long. I'm not sure I can do…"

"Do it." I commanded and she pursed her lips starting her search through the kit. 

She took out the scissors, "Let's hope you're strong as that ferocious demeanor you put out." 

"Then that's for you to judge."

"Uhm…where do I…" She moved her hands around awkwardly, not sure of a comfortable position to rest it.

"Here." I took her hand and pressed it flatly against my stomach so that she could work the scissors. 

"Ah Right."  She moved it lower so that she could get a better grip and again I found myself focusing on her every move. She leaned forward closer, her face now close to mine, her ass arched in the air and her hair flowing down her shoulders. 'Fuck.' I heard my wolf growl low.

My eyes fell to her lip, those lips that she would fold between her teeth almost every minute once under stress.

"Stop..." I stared at her side profile, "Stop doing that."

She glanced at me. "What is it? Don't tell me that hurts already. I'm barely touching you."

"No it doesn't. This does…" I held her face and used my thumb to drag her lip from caged between her teeth. 

"What?"

I then trail my thumb down her chin to her neck making a circle just above her cleavage before I brushed her hair behind her ear. "You smell delicious." 

"Do you wish to eat me?" She added humorously before she refocused on my wound. 

"You do not wish to know the answer to that question."

"You're looking at me like you're enthralled, your eyes are awfully reddened and your face is pale. I think that bullet is doing something to you. You're poisoned." She leaned in closer until her lips brushed my ear, "I could have easily killed you. You're this vulnerable…" She turned to look at me again. 

"Why not? Just as I could have easily killed you in the bunker."

"I don't want you in your human form, I want you dead as a wolf." She said seriously. 

"Is that a threat?" I take her jaw into hand and twist her face to look at me. Her face was delicate in my palm and I kept it there longer, staring into her green eyes that were shadowed yet radiant. She scanned my face, the once small staring contest turning into a bigger game between us. I pulled her closer, unblinking,  her hand now on my shoulder and her thigh against my torso.  Her hand travelled from my shoulder to neck and her fingers tug at my scalp. 

The sharp tug made my body jolt and I saw a smirk play at her lips. 

"Clever now." I whispered before I grasped her inner thigh. Her back arched from the surprise and a soft groan left her throat to which she tried to conceal by biting her lips.

She blinked and lowered her thigh  lifting her hand to face to show the small bullet resembling a bean between her fingers. "I've seen this before." She seemed puzzled and at the same time amazed by the weapon. "It's different."  She was mostly talking to herself. 

"What even happened?" She glanced back at my wound that she started patching and I decided that she should know.

"Garnet." I said and then shook my head. "And humans." I then stared down at the bullet in her hand, "What is it? You look interested."

Silence. She went absolutely silent and said what I expected her to say, "It's nothing. And even if there is, do you think I would tell you.'

The girl is from the outside so I was sure I'd gather knowledge but she showed none such, either she was clueless or a master at masking her emotions. 

I clenched my fist after learning nothing and stood. She slid off of me and fell to the ground with a thud and I pressed down on the stitches she sewed effortlessly and looked down at her. "Tomorrow you will join me."  I said with finality and left the room to avoid her endless opinions. 

***

The moon had already risen in the dark sky when I ran my hand through my hair and opened the door to my room, hoping for sleep once I entered but I sensed that I was not alone. 

"Raur!" Phelcia jumped out of the dark corner, her tan skin on display, glowing as she had come from a fresh bath. Her scent was strawberry coated. 

I showed no emotion, keeping the relaxed nonchalant look on my restless face.  "Why do you stand clothless in front of me, Princess Phelicia? " My tone was awfully uninterested and cold, displayed by my emotions. 

"Princess? You know there is no need to address me as such, Lucian."  She crossed her arms, puckering her lips. "How many times do I have ro tell you, you are allowed to drop the honorific. I am simply Phelicia and tonight," She licked her lips, her eyes of lust, "anything you want me to be." 

"Did I ask to be called Lucian? Regard me as I am and I shall regard you as you are." My jaw clenched, "That is Alpha Lucian and you are Princess Phelicia." 

"But we are mated. I am your lover." 

"Fucking hell…" I massaged my temples, "We— I am but a tired man."

"Perhaps you need someone to wake you." She ran the tips of her fingers down my arms seductively and took her wrists. Phelicia raised a brow, testing a reaction out of me and thereby her way of boosting her control. Slowly she lifted my hands to her chest and planted them firmly on her breasts.

She kept her hands on my wrists and started walking backward to the bed at the centre of the room. 

"You don't know how much I have missed you, Lucian." She sat at the edge with a frown before she proceeded to lay, drawing me down with her so that my legs were on opposite sides of her thighs. 

She locked her hands in my hair and pulled my face closer. Our foreheads touched and she connected our lips, kissing me deeply with her tongue moving with mine to show much she craved me. She tilted her head for further access while travelling down my waist. She gripped the waistband of my pants attempting to lower it but I put my hands over hers and pulled away, breaking the kiss.

"Why did you do it?" I stared into her eyes and she rolled them.. Phelicia raised her head  to continue kissing me but I looked away, showing her that I was serious. 

"You're speaking about Garnet and that girl, right?" She asked and then sighed. "Well it's easy, that girl was such a pest."

"I will be looking to the day that you see that it is you who is the pest. You fucking knew better than to anger Garnet!"

"Will you calm down? Fine, I admit that I was also a  little jealous. It was stupid at the time, I don't even know why I reacted because I see how lowly she stands now, but can that please not get the way right now. Do not wish to make love to me? You are permitted to love me."

I folded hands, my knuckles clenched tightly enough for nails to puncture the flesh of my palms. "It's bold of you to mention that."

"You're hurting me." I heard her gasp suddenly and looked down at my hands which were now wrapped around her neck. I hadn't noticed that I was straggling, adding too much pressure,  until she tried freeing herself.

I removed my hands and sighed, mumurring, "I don't know what to do with you."

Phelicia massaged her neck with one hand and reached my jaw with her other.

"Please don't be angry, it wasn't much of a deal." 

"You should go to sleep." 

"I'm not tired. Why are you  avoiding me…"She started kissing along my jaw but I laid her on bed again by her shoulders.

"You will not be able to satisfy me." 

"What?" Her brows knitted. "How is that so?"

"You will not."

Phelicia knows that I have been with other women but her expression still faltered. Hearing those words must have surprised her because it meant that she was on the level of the multiple other women who failed to get a reaction out of me.

 Multiple women have tried pleasuring me but there was never a connection.

There's a pit in my stomach that longs for my partner yet I ignore it continuously, filling that empty feeling of love with lust instead.

Lust. The limited feeling from Phelcia brought me a sudden realization of just how bad I wanted her. Those bright green eyes and porcelain skin. 

How badly my  body aches for her. My hands wishing to be around her neck, my lips against hers and my mouth claiming  every inch of her smooth skin. I am yet to understand the tension and my wolf's possessive instinct toward her.