Page 12 of Chaos At Second Sight

“Can Lucien mark Mate now? We talked. We did cuddles.” He folded his arms. Very Logan-like.

“Lucien…” I warned him, still smiling.

His fangy grin widened. “A joke.” He opened his arms. “But a hug for Lucien?”

I blinked as he lumbered toward me.

Then everything changed. His mane bristled, his ears flexing back. A growl erupted from him, shaking the earth along with my teeth.

“Sorry!” I blurted. Maybe I did something wrong? Maybe refusing the mark pushed him over the edge? Maybe he was a volatile creature? I knew nothing about lycans!

But he wasn’t looking at me. His blazing red eyes were fixed on something behind me.

Huge hands seized my waist and lifted me effortlessly like I was a flowerpot. Sparks shot through me at the contact. A gust of wind later, I was perched on the branch of a pine tree, needles crowning my head.

“Mate, stay here.” His head remained turned east.

“No, wait! Where are⁠—”

Too late.

One colossal leap and he vanished beyond the boulders, like a shadow fleeing the sunrise.

Then I heard them.

One by one, foreign wolves let out long calls. Their howls climbed toward the sky, almost bouncing off the clouds that lived up there, pervasive and unmovable.

Across the opposite slope, they came, rogues pouring into the clearing. They fanned out and stopped, forming a semicircle of brown and rust-orange fur underneath my tree.

Savage eyes, four pairs, locked on me. Their snarls were also for me. Their long fangs, though some chipped and some missing, still gleamed cruelly white.

A spark of despair ignited in my gut, and the need to fight, to defend my mate, grew stronger with each inhale. For once, I wanted to be the monster. The one nothing hunted. The one everything avoided.

I growled back. Hopping down off the branch, I squared myself against the slobbering wolves. Shifting into my wolf wasn’t an option—those few vulnerable seconds could get me killed.

“Come on, scoundrels.” My hands fisted. My wolf surged up, claws first, fangs popping out and cutting my lower lip, desperate to fight. I shoved her back so hard it hurt.

The four rogues crouched, drool swinging from their jaws, ready to savor their next meal.

I could take two, no doubt. Just because I preferred healing didn’t mean I couldn’t do my share of breaking when necessary and put some manners into these rogues. I knew how to defend myself, and I had Alpha blood in my veins.

Though I’d probably end up in ribbons, maybe missing a limb. Nothing medicine couldn’t fix.

The four rogues ceased their growling, ears shooting upright. With tails tucked, they scrambled away.

All my sweat and worry? Wasted.

“Yeah! Run away!” I shouted after them, annoyed I’d psyched myself up for nothing.

I turned and walked straight into something solid. Ridiculously solid. But soft, too. Except I landed on my butt like an uncoordinated pup. A clawed hand reached down to haul me up. “Sorry,” Lucien mumbled, staring at his humungous feet, all embarrassed.

His long fangs were dripping and glistening with fresh blood. His chest and arms were drenched, too.

“You okay?” My hand slid over his blood-matted fur. None of it smelled like his at least.

He nodded twice, peering at me, his eyes roaming over the length of my face.

Because he was mine, I hugged him as tightly as I could, smelling his wild scent.