RISE OF THE LYCANS - Mates and Bonds

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Lukas

This was proof the Moon Goddess hated me and wanted me to suffer.

Alpha Darc greeted us upon arrival, and his sister was immediately shoved under my nose. I greeted her with a simple head nod, and to his disappointment, my lycan showed no reaction to the female.

We moved through the courtyard, and it was more of the same. Alpha Orléans introduced two daughters, Marie and Antoinette. One was dressed like the old French Queen, and the other was barely dressed. Then there was the cousin, the Beta’s daughter, the Chief Warrior’s son, and several other hopefuls hoping to be my mate.

My mother gave me an apologetic smile, and my father fought to conceal his smirk. We were flanked by Flaym and his parents, as well as Selena’s parents. The lineup of females was overwhelming, and Flaym seemed to be the only one enjoying the attention as we were paraded through. I wasn’t interested in any of these females, and my beast was starting to get restless.

My escape came when my phone vibrated, and I reached for it.

“Leave it,” my father said as we continued walking through the main entrance.

“It’s Rex… it could be urgent,” I replied, thankful for the distraction. I stepped away into a corner to answer.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Grandma and Persephone—,” he started to say before I cut him off.

“They’re here.”

“Oh, sweet Goddess,” he breathed in relief. “Balthazar is furious. We thought maybe they went into Manhattan to catch a show or something. He sent the triplets to the city to look for them.”

“No, they’re here. I think they hid in the jet when we left for Paris,” I told him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think to tell you.”

“I’ll let Aunt Demeter know. She’ll calm him down.”

“How’s everything else?” I asked, and I felt the tension through the phone when he remained silent. “What is it?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “I had the dream again, only this time it was in a wild-looking garden, and you were there.”

“The black mist?”

“Also there,” he replied. “Don’t wander far from the castle. Something doesn’t feel right.”

“Are you sure it’s not the lineup of she-wolves wanting to devour me?” I chuckled.

“Just be careful,” he warned.

“Will do,” I replied and disconnected the call.

We moved through the palace, and Alpha Darc guided us upstairs into the Hall of Mirrors, where some were already gathered. The hall was long and opulent. Everything was tipped in gold, and the seventeen mirrors matched the seventeen glass doors that looked out over the gardens. The mirrors were made up of hundreds of smaller mirrors in a time when only the Venetians knew how to manufacture such perfection.

I remembered reading somewhere that the French had paid a hefty sum to get a few Venetian artisans to come to France and make the mirrors for the great hall. When the Venetian government found out, they ordered the assassination of the men to keep the trade secrets from falling into the hands of the French. The assassinations happened too late, and Frenchmen learned the craft.

“It’s as beautiful as ever,” My mother said, though this wasn’t her first time here.

“This is where your LaRue ancestors enjoyed many evenings long ago,” Alpha Darc told me. “They may have been shifters, but they were also nobles.”

“Judging from the Roman and Greek statues in the hall, I’d say there was a great deal of shifter influence in this time period,” my father replied.

“The fountain of Apollo in the garden is a favorite around here,” Alpha Darc smiled, knowing that my father’s golden wolf was named Apollo. The ass-kissing was already annoying my beast.

“It’s my favorite fountain,” my mother smiled.

I gazed out the window overlooking the gardens, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but there were too many people. Some were even wearing full face masks. “What’s really amazing is that they managed to construct all of this opulence, fountains and all… yet they couldn’t figure out proper toilets.”

“If you look closely at some of the paintings around here, you’ll find some familiar-looking LaRue faces,” Alpha Darc replied.

“I don’t see the point since the LaRue faces haven’t changed much over the centuries,” I chuckled dismissively.

The only face I wanted to see was hers. I knew she was here, and I needed to see her to calm my beast down. I told myself her calming effect on me was because we had been so close since we were pups, but I was lying to myself. I couldn’t get her out of my mind, and the thought of finding a mate that wasn’t her was like a silver blade to my heart.

Alpha Darc continued his informal tour, proudly spouting historical facts about the castle as I pretended to listen. My beast continued to grow restless, and the urge to see her was driving me mad. A small tremor shook the ground, and my father turned his attention to me. I usually had more control over my elemental energy, but my father had to use his control over the elements to neutralize mine.

“Lukas?” He called through the mind link.

“My beast is anxious,” I replied.

“Is he sensing his mate?”

I nodded. “I think we need to go outside and look.” Any excuse to see if she had found her mate. Only then would I finally be able to let her go. Let her go… or kill him.

The moment we stepped outside, I shifted the wind to try and pick up her scent, but my father neutralized my element again.

“Calm down,” he said through the mind link. “You’ll stir up the air and make it harder to locate the source of her scent.”

Fuck, he was right. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I didn’t want to scent anyone but her. Heads turned, and I tried to remain calm as I scanned the masked faces for her. I saw Cynder’s red hair before my eyes finally found Selena’s familiar form.

Time stood still when she slowly turned to face me. In her purple gown, she looked like a dream. When her eyes met mine, my lycan snarled in frustration. Destined mate or not, he wanted her. I watched her turn and make her way to the dessert buffet. Knowing her so well, I knew she was searching for something chocolatey.

Several females flocked to my mother in hopes of getting close enough to me. It wasn’t just the females annoying me; it was also the males watching Selena. Alpha Darc practically tripped over his feet when he followed her to the dessert buffet. He stopped short when my cousin beat him to her.

Constantine Theodorus may have been my cousin, but Selena was an unmated, beautiful she-wolf who was fair game. Jealousy flamed through me when he hugged her, and I watched as they spoke. He offered his arm to her, and she laughed at something he said. Family or not, my lycan wanted to sink his claws into Constantine.

Alpha Singh, who came from a long line of Maharajas, was bold enough to walk right up to her and greet her despite her arm being looped around Constantine’s. It seemed to be every Alpha for himself, and my lycan wasn’t happy. I watched as Singh scented the air, hoping to claim her as his mate. A low snarl rumbled in my chest, and my father gave me a questioning look.

“We should eat.” I wasn’t really hungry, but I figured people would leave me alone if they saw I was trying to eat. I moved to an empty table closest to the orchestra and hoped the music would calm me.

For a moment, I thought Constantine was going to join my table with Selena, but he stopped short one table and pulled a seat for her. My other cousin from Greece, Alpha Adonis Kappas, quickly seated himself on her other side. Werewolves had excellent hearing, but lycan hearing was far superior. Despite the music playing behind me, I heard Adonis tell her how stunning she looked.

“Lukas, are you okay?” My mother asked. She may have been human, but she didn’t need to be a shifter to tell I was raging on the inside.

“Somethings not right, Mom. Rex and Storm have been trying to tell me, but I haven’t been listening.”

“Something’s not right tonight?” She questioned in a low, alarmed whisper. “Or just in general… with the late matings?”

“Everything.”

Selena pushed away from the table suddenly and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She looked like she was going to throw up. Male shifters started sniffing the air and following her with interest. She swayed and whimpered while clutching herself tighter. Her breathing seemed labored, and for a moment, I thought she was going to burst into her wolf.

“What’s wrong with Selena?” My mother asked in a panic.

Something was happening near the appetizer buffets, but I couldn’t look away from Selena. She was panting and groaning, and something was definitely wrong. She took a few more wobbly steps and nearly fell over.

“Selena?” I raced to her and heard the snarl of several angry Alphas.

That’s when it hit me.

Her pheromones were so strong that they instantly called to my beast. It smelled like pure euphoria, and I wanted to devour every bit of it. She was in heat, and my cock pulsed with the knowledge. I reached for her, and her skin felt hot. She looked up at me as sweat glistened from her forehead, and her pupils were fully blown.

“Lukas,” she instinctively curled into me, and it set off the other males who were reacting to a she-wolf in full heat. “Please…” she begged.

I heard screaming from somewhere beyond, but all I could think about was getting Selena out of there before the males started fighting for the right to mount her. I considered using my element to pull up a wall of fire to keep the other males away from her.

“Lukas… move away from her,” my father called to me, and my lycan roared in response. No one was going to come near her.

“You’d better get her the hell out of here before you have to fight your way out!” Flaym shouted.

Selena let out a whimper and doubled over. Her scent hit me again, and it was stronger. Releasing my full lycan aura, I snarled at the hungry males who were driven by the animalistic instinct to rut her. My canines dropped, signaling I was ready to fight for her. Fortunately for me, I was the only lycan here, and it would be foolish to challenge me.

I reached for Selena and scooped her up in my arms before running back to the parking lot.

“Lukas!” My father was the only one who could keep up with me. “She’s not your mate,” he reminded me.

“Haven’t you noticed,” I growled back. “None of us seem to have mates.”

“I know you’re responding to natural instincts, but think about this—”

“She’s mine!” My lycan snarled possessively.

Our human driver was standing with a few other drivers, smoking a cigarette. He immediately extinguished it beneath his shoe when he saw me approach.

“Everything okay, Monsieur?” He asked, taking in the writhing female in my arms.

“Food poisoning. We need to leave right away.”

“Lukas,” she cried my name.

“It’s okay, baby,” I crooned. “I’ll get you out of here.”

The driver immediately pulled the door open, and I slid into the backseat. Holding her tightly against me, she nuzzled her head into my neck to breathe me in. My father stood silently observing before the driver closed the door.

“Monsieur Crow, there’s a hospital down the street. Would you like me to stop there?” The driver offered as we set off.

“Take us back to the hotel as fast as you can. We have a family doctor there,” I told him.

“Right away.”

“How is this happening?” She cried.

“I don’t know.”

“It… it hurts,” she whimpered.

“Hang in there. I’ll take care of it soon.”

She turned to press her chest into me; the contact should have been comforting to her wolf, but it only frustrated her because of our clothes. I stroked the exposed parts of her skin to help soothe her, but it only made it worse for me. Her pheromones spiked, and I was ready to pounce on her in the back of this limo.

I wanted to ease her pain with a quick orgasm, but I knew my lycan would lose control with the first wave of her sweet release. Lycans were primal compared to regular shifters. A lycan understood territory, rank, mating, procreating, hunting, hunger, death, and dominance. I could sense how wet and ready she was for me.

My beast started purring, and she nuzzled closer into my neck, seeking comfort. The bastard was humming in delight at the thought of knotting her and hoping to fill her with our pup. I knew it wasn’t possible because lycans could only reproduce with their destined mates, but it wasn’t going to deter me from rutting her through her heat.

“I… I… need,” she struggled to say it, but I knew it. She needed me. She wanted me… always has. And now she was looking up at me with those wide, hungry eyes. I’d move heaven and hell for her.

“Almost there,” I whispered in her ear and kissed her neck, breathing her in.

Despite the driver speeding, it was the longest half-hour ride of my life. He was human, so I didn’t have to kill him. A shifter would have scented the pheromones rolling from her, broadcasting her heat. Instinct would have kicked in for him, and I wouldn’t have hesitated to rip his throat out. I removed a hundred euros from my wallet and handed it to the driver when he pulled the door open.

“Please return for the others,” I instructed him.

“I will,” he nodded. “Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Crow.”

“You’ve returned early,” the concierge greeted me.

“Place a do not disturb on my room unless I ask for something.”

“Oui, of course,” he called out from behind me as I raced for the elevator. The last thing I needed was for another shifter to scent her. My lycan wouldn’t hesitate to protect what was his.

Hell… when did she become his?

We reached my room, and I gave the same direction to the floor butler. Locking the door behind me, I made a beeline for the bed.

“Your dress is stunning,” I said as I reached for the zipper and allowed it to fall to the floor. It took all I had to keep from destroying the dress, because I knew she had made it.

“I’m on fire!” She moaned and bent over the bed, exposing her silk purple panties.

The crotch of her panties was soaked, and I couldn’t resist bending down to run my tongue along her seam. Instinctively, she pressed herself back against my face with a moan, desperate for contact. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep control over my beast, who was demanding to be inside her.

I had dreamed of exploring all of her warm curves and tasting every inch of her, but now wasn’t the time. She had waited long enough, and my lycan was growing more in control. I tore the scrap of panties from her and freed my cock. The sight of her freshly waxed pussy glistening with her slick arousal drew a growl of pleasure from me.

When she moaned my name and swayed her hips from side to side like a siren calling for my cock, I nearly lost my mind. My lycan was drunk on the scent of her heat, and I couldn’t stop him. I did the only thing I could… I thrust deep into her with one swift motion.

The beast inside roared, and she cried out in bliss. Buried deep inside of her, I remained motionless to give her a moment to adjust to my size. I leaned down to press kisses on her shoulder and nibbled at the back of her neck.

My Selena—my sweet and beautiful girl was finally mine, and I’d kill any wolf who tried to take her from me.

My hand cupped the fullness of her breast, and I rolled her hardened nipple between my fingers, wishing I could taste it. I traced my hand slowly down to the curve of her wide hip. She had perfect hips that were made to carry pups. I started pumping in and out of her, and she moaned with every stroke.

It was a tug-of-war as I struggled not to hurt her with my beast’s urge to mate her hard. I pounded in and out of her until my knot started to swell. My grip on her hips tightened as I mounted her. I wasn’t sure if she knew exactly how lycan anatomy worked, but I hoped she had heard the rumors.

“Lukas!” She cried out as her orgasm ripped through her.

The sound of my name on her sweet lips shot straight to my balls, and the need to fill her with my seed was overpowering and feral. I buried myself deep inside her just as my knot tied us together. The pulsing shot through my cock with each spasm and spurt, branding her with my scent.

My canines dropped, and my beast demanded I sink them into the silky smooth flesh of her neck and take what I wanted.