Page 23 of Chaos At Second Sight

Lucien charged and knocked Grandpa down, punched Lachlan square in the jaw, and smacked Uncle Clyde clean on the face with his tail—all at the same time, like a furry windwhirl. Then one enormous lycan scooped me off my feet…and ran.

The forest dissolved into streaks of green and brown. He ducked beneath fallen trunks, vaulted streams in a single stride, and threaded between trees that had room for his size.

Lucien was a breathing missile. Wind tore through my hair until I could barely breathe.

“Lucien!” I shouted over the rush. “Stop!”

When a rock face rose before us, he didn’t slow. Black claws punched into the stone, sending debris skittering down the cliff as he climbed.

“Let go!” I tugged at the fur on his shoulders. “I want to go back to the pack!”

His arm only tightened around me.

Minutes later, he landed atop a wide ledge carpeted in moss and set me on my feet with care.

I didn’t hesitate. My palm cracked across his muzzle.

“Bad Lucien!”

His ears flattened instantly, but instead of backing away, he crowded me, one clawed hand reaching for my cheek.

I recoiled. “Don’t touch me.”

He flinched, my words striking harder than my family’s blows.

“Don’t you understand? They’re my family. They love me!”

Lucien sulked, head drooping between his shoulders. “But…they can’t take what’s Lucien’s.”

“They’re just worried about me. They didn’t know you’re my mate!” I stomped my foot. “All you had to do was acknowledge my grandfather as the Alpha. Everyone does that when they enter another pack’s territory!”

“Not Lucien nature to accept Alphas.”

“Those are the rules!”

His ears folded back even farther. “Lucien sorry.”

“Bring me back.”

“No.”

I threw my arms up. “Fine! Let’s just grab ass on the Highlands without a plan then!”

His ears perked. “Grab ass?” He brightened and jumped to my side, both hands landing on my backside. “Lucien like grab ass!”

We didn’t end up playing grab ass, but he had his own thoroughly kicked.

“Lucien bring present for Mate.”

I stayed there, knees hugged to my chest, my chin resting on them, glaring at the valley below. The wind kept picking fights with my hair, the weather was as offended as I was.

Behind me, Lucien sighed. Muffled sounds followed.

Curious, I spied on him from the corner of my eye. My mate was crouched behind a gorse bush, his tongue caught between his teeth in concentration as he rummaged.

As carefully as his claws allowed, he lifted out a small bundle of purple heather. Some of the stems were bent and two flowers had been squashed. Then Lucien reached back and produced the antlers of a red deer, bits of dried blood still caked on the base.

My eyes shifted between the antlers and the flowers—without question, the most Lucien bouquet imaginable. A full smile invaded my lips.