FOCUS ON HEALING

Lymah happily wagged its tail in fervor, urging me to move to the man destined to be with me that stood in front of me, but I ignored her.

I stared at the familiar tall man that was at least 6'5 as he shut the door behind him. Taking his time to take in his surrounding, he slowly walked to the foot of my bed with a predatory gaze. His long legs carried him smoothly across the room, creating long strides of gaps between them.

Dark hair framed his chiseled face, the deep blue of his eyes piercing through the dim light of the room. The intensity of his gaze made my breath catch, and I blinked a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

The mere sight of the man was enough to send electricity coursing up my skin, terrifying and comforting me at the same time.

His black shirt, with three buttons undone from the neckline, was folded up to his elbows, revealing strong, muscular forearms. It was hard not to admire his perfect chest muscles, slightly visible through the gap of the unbuttoned shirt. The fabric strained against the impressive muscles of his arms.

Since I knew Damian at fourteen, I'd never really thought of any man as handsome. He was all I thought about. The perfect guy I compared every other guy to. But staring at this stranger...

They were genetically good looking men like Damian, and there was the man in front of me.

As he stood at the foot of the bed, I could smell him. His scent was intoxicating and addicting. Lymah purred and cried in my head, urging me to leap against him and make him mark me. I could feel my heart swishing against my chest, beating with such intensity that I almost died from the embarrassment that he could hear it.

This was too hard to believe, yet, those piercing deep blue eyes that made my breath hitch, and Lymah's excitement told me it was real.

The most feared man in the realm, Alexander Fenris, King of the realm, was my mate.

"Penelope," he broke the silence in the room, and his deep voice came out in a velvety rumble that sent heat waves through my body. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

I broke out of my daze and tried to stand on my feet. Regardless of whether or not he was my mate, I was still in front of a king. But as I shifted, pain lanced through me, and I stumbled.

Alexander's swift movement couldn't be trailed with my eyes, yet his strong hands caught me before I could fall. The touch sent another jolt of electricity through me, and I gasped, looking up into those mesmerizing blue eyes. "Easy," his command was gentle. "Why would you do something as foolish as trying to stand when you're bearely healed?"

"But you're-" I started, my voice shaky.

"Your king," he finished for me, his lips curling into a small smile. "Yes, but I know you've also felt that I'm much more. And right now, I want you to focus on healing."