Chapter 75

Chapter 75
The keys slipped from my hand and clattered onto the floor. I turned to face him, fear tightening my throat. His hands were buried in his pockets, his expression one of mild amusement, as though my terror was a source of entertainment to him.

“You’re joking, right?” I repeated. I didn’t want to believe he was a killer. This man I had come to love.

“I’m not,” Lucien said evenly, his voice devoid of humor. “No human can know that my kind exists. It would pose a threat to my people. I am the Alpha King, and it is my responsibility to protect my pups.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

What about me? I’m human too.

“Are you going to kill me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lucien’s expression softened, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You’re different,” he said, his tone gentler now, stripped of some of that frightening power it carried before. “You’re my girl.”

That sent a rush of warmth through me, battling with the fear still gripping my chest. Lucien really wasn’t good for my health, but somehow I was living for the thrill now, and even knowing how dangerous it was, I couldn’t let it go.

“Your girl?” I repeated, biting my lip.

Lucien nodded, his smile widening slightly. “I like the sound of that. You like the sound of it too, right?”

“Yeah,” I murmured, feeling my cheeks heat despite myself. “I do too.”

His eyes darkened slightly as he stepped closer, his presence filling the narrow space between us. “You know I could never harm you,” he said softly. “Never.”

I wanted to believe him, but the cold way he had spoken about killing Mrs. Baker still lingered in my mind. I bent to retrieve my keys, my hands trembling slightly.

“Let’s just get inside,” I mumbled, turning toward my door.

Lucien followed silently, his eyes never leaving me as I fumbled with the lock. The door clicked open, and I hesitated, glancing back at him.

“Do you… do you want to come in?”

“Do you want me to?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

Lucien’s smile returned, and he stepped inside, his presence immediately filling my apartment the way it always somehow filled every space around me. The door closed softly behind him, and my heart jumped in my chest.

He looked around slowly. “You’ve never shown me around your home, baby girl,” he said lightly, as if nothing in the world weighed on him anymore. Then, almost casually, he reached into his pocket and placed a tulip on the table by the door. “Now Javon can’t hear us.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Does he really want to hurt me?”

“You’re asking because you’re scared, right?” Lucien asked, his gaze softening as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

“Who wouldn’t be scared?” I whispered. “He’s a wolf. I’m only human.”

His grip tightened slightly. “Whether he wants to hurt you is insignificant. What matters is what I want.”

My breath caught. “And what do you want?”

Lucien’s eyes held mine now, and there was mirth in them, but also need, intensity, something steady and unblinking. “You,” he said simply. “All of you.”

My heartbeat quickened. “You already have all of me,” I said, though my voice betrayed how badly I wanted that to be true.

He shook his head slowly. “Not yet.” His hand slid to my hip. “Not until I mate you under the full glare of the moon goddess, with the blessings of Luna.”

The words stole the air from my lungs.

“Mate me?” Jesus. What? My heart nearly exploded, and judging from how wide my eyes had gotten, even a human could probably smell my fear now.

“You’re still scared,” he murmured, watching me closely. “Why don’t you ask me to leave? Take your phone right now and unmatch me on Roped.”

My stomach twisted painfully. “If I did that… how would you feel?”

“Heartbroken,” he admitted quietly.

Silence stretched between us.

Then his hand slid lower, resting against my thigh, possessive but unhurried. Heat rushed to my face before I could stop it.

“Damn, Lucien,” I breathed, barely steady. “You really know what you’re doing.”

“Because you’re my girl,” he murmured against my ear, his voice low, both a promise and a claim. His touch lingered against my inner thigh, sending a slow tremor through me.

“You keep doing this,” I whispered, struggling to breathe evenly as I tried to keep my gaze steady on his impossibly handsome face. “Blowing hot and cold.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

I only stared at him, unblinking.

Then he let go of me, clearing his throat before stepping back a little while I was still trying to steady myself enough to stand properly.

“I’ll leave,” he said quietly. “But before I do, you need to answer one question.”

The sudden shift in him made my chest tighten.

“Where did you get the wolfsbane?”

I blinked, sudden anger swelling inside me. “Is that why you came back?”

He didn’t answer, but his expression darkened enough for me to understand.

I swallowed hard. “What are you going to do when I tell you?”

“Trust me,” he said calmly. “You don’t want to know.”

“I do want to know,” I said, firmer this time. “If you want the truth, then I need to know what you’ll do with it.”

A beat passed.

“I’ll burn the place down,” he said flatly.

My breath caught. “Burn it down?”

“I can’t let humans have access to wolfsbane. It is a danger to my kind.”

“Even if they are going around attacking and killing people?” I shot back, fear sharpening into frustration.

“My kind do not kill humans,” he said evenly.

“But someone is after me,” I insisted. “Do you know who it is?”