Lucien's kiss was a possession.
It wasn't sweet or tender. It was a storm — raw and consuming. His lips were soft but demanding, his tongue brushing hers with a slow, dominant rhythm that made her knees buckle.
Sera gasped, clutching the lapels of his coat. Her fingers curled into the fabric as he walked her backward through the apartment, never breaking the kiss. When the backs of her legs hit the couch, he paused, lifting his head to look at her.
His eyes weren't fully human.
Not glowing, not shifting… but darker. Wilder. Like something beneath the surface was begging to be unleashed.
"I need you to say it," he rasped, voice low and strained. "Tell me you want this. Tell me to stay."
Sera was breathless, dazed. Her lips tingled from the pressure of his kiss, her pulse racing through every inch of her skin. Her mind screamed danger, but her body… her body sang.
"I want this," she whispered. "I want you."
Lucien didn't wait.
His mouth returned to hers — hungrier this time — and his hands finally touched her. One gripped her waist, sliding up under the hem of her hoodie to find bare skin. The other tangled in her hair, tilting her head just how he liked. He kissed like he ruled the world — like she was already claimed, already his.
And she was unraveling fast.
When he pulled away again, Sera almost whimpered.
Lucien smirked darkly and sank onto the couch, spreading his legs, hands resting on his thighs. "Come here, Sera."
She hesitated.
Something in his tone made her thighs press together.
But the way he watched her… like a predator waiting to devour his mate… made her want to obey.
She climbed onto his lap slowly, straddling him. Lucien hissed in a breath through his teeth.
"Careful," he warned, his voice a growl. "You're playing with a wolf now."
Sera bit her lip and slid her arms around his neck. "Then teach me how to play."
Lucien groaned — one of those low, masculine sounds that came from deep in his chest. His hands gripped her hips and pulled her against him, their bodies pressed close, fire meeting fire. The thick bulge beneath his jeans made her gasp — and he didn't hide it. Didn't apologize.
"You feel what you do to me?" he whispered against her lips.
Sera nodded, dazed.
"And that's before I've even tasted you."
She trembled.
Lucien buried his face in her neck, breathing her in, lips brushing her pulse. "I can smell it. The want. The heat. You're already halfway mine."
His teeth grazed her throat — not biting. Not yet.
But close.
Sera tilted her head instinctively, giving him more skin. More access.
Lucien groaned again. "Careful, little wolf," he whispered. "Offer your throat to an Alpha, and he will take it."
She whispered back, breathless, "Maybe I want him to."
And just like that, Lucien snapped.
He stood — lifting her easily — and carried her to the bedroom in three long strides.
The next hour was a blur of heat, moans, and tangled sheets. He didn't just take her. He studied her — learned every sound she made, every place that made her gasp or shudder. His mouth was everywhere, his hands masterful, his dominance barely leashed.
When she came undone beneath him, it wasn't just a climax.
It was a surrender.
And still, he didn't mark her. Not yet.
He lay beside her in the aftermath, body tense but controlled. She rested her head on his chest, her fingers tracing the curve of one of his tattoos.
"You're holding back," she murmured.
Lucien stared at the ceiling. "Because once I let go… you don't get to go back to normal."
"I don't want normal," she whispered. "I want the truth."
Lucien's jaw tightened. He turned to her, brushing a strand of hair from her face
"Then I'll tell you."
She looked up at him, eyes wide. Expectant. Afraid. Excited.
Lucien's voice dropped into something ancient and full of hunger.
"I'm not just a man, Sera. I'm the Alpha of the Nightfang pack. And you… are my mate."