CHAPTER 49: Unstable

CHAPTER 49: Unstable
ARIA 
His weight presses down on me, suffocating me along with his feral scent that makes my wolf rattle. I try to buck him off, to claw at his face, but my movements are sluggish. My limbs feel like they’ve lost complete control. 
“That’s right, little wolf,” he rasps, his breath hot against my neck. “Surrender to me. Let me show you what you really want.” 
He lowers his head, his teeth grazing my skin. Panic flares with me, and I thrash and squirm, trying to push him off, but he holds me still, pinning me with his body.
Ally tries to push him, but he knocks her out of the way as if completely compelled by the heat within me. 
Suddenly, he’s ripped off me, his weight no longer crushing me. I scramble up, finding my footing and my gaze finds the familiar face that I’ve seen countless times. 
Lucian. 
His fingers are wrapped around the man’s throat, squeezing until the man is gasping and clawing at him, his eyes bulging. 
“You dare do that again, and I will see to it that you die screaming. Do you understand me? Or must I show you what that entails right here and now for a taste of my female and her heat?” 
The man gasps, his lips turning blue. Lucian releases his hold just as the man falls to the ground. He doesn’t hesitate before dragging himself to his feet and disappearing into the crowd.
I watch him go, breathing hard, the adrenaline slowly fading.
Lucian turns, his eyes finding mine, and suddenly I can sense him everywhere.
“Okay, it wasn’t her fault.” Ally slips in, knowing where this is heading. 
“Ally, don’t.” Darius walks into the scene. “I warned you.” 
Lucian ignores them both, his focus solely on me. He takes a step closer, and I instinctively flinch back.
“Are you hurt?” 
“I’m fine.” 
My body trembles, and my voice is shaky. My wolf, she’s not happy, and I don’t even know how to fix this. How do I stop the heat? How do I stop being the centre of attention for other wolves?
He looks unconvinced, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he offers his hand. 
“Take my hand.” 
“No.” 
“Aria,” he warns. 
“You can’t tell me what to do,” I argue, brushing my hand over the ground and finding my own strength to get up. “I’m fine.” 
His eyes narrow. He grabs my wrist and hauls me upright either way. 
“That was not fine.” His words are sharp. 
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, trying to downplay the situation. “He’s gone now.” 
And he is. Far away. 
“It matters to me.” He steps forward, his tall frame covering mine. “You’re my responsibility, Aria. Your safety, your life. Everything. If I can do nothing else, I will ensure that you remain unharmed.” 
I pull my wrist away from his grasp. “I don’t need you to protect me. I’m doing perfectly fine.” 
“Is that so?” He raises a brow. “Your heat is making you a target, Aria. Haven’t I made that already clear? Every unmated wolf in this territory will be drawn to your scent.” 
“Perhaps we should head back,” Ally says, stepping forward and looking between me and the alpha.
Lucian glares at her. She shrinks back.
I don’t.
“I’ll go,” I say to him. 
“I’ll take them both.” Darius comes into the picture. 
Lucian gives him a conflicted look as well. I recognise it for what it is: a power play. Lucian doesn’t want to share, not even with his most trusted Beta.
“That won’t be necessary, Darius,” he says, his voice smooth. “Take your sister back home. I’ll take care of Aria myself for the remainder of this.” 
I don’t want him to, I try to refuse, but one look in his eyes, and the words die in my throat. 
Darius doesn’t argue back. He simply nods and then turns to Ally, who has a blank face. She mouths me a quick sorry before she’s on her way out with her brother while I’m left all alone with a force far bigger for me to handle. 
Lucian turns back to me. 
“Come.” 
I cross my arms over my chest, “Oh, you just wanted to show who is the boss here. Didn’t you?” 
“That is because I am the Alpha. And it is my duty to ensure the safety of my pack members.” He pauses, his gaze softening slightly. “Especially you.” 
I roll my eyes and huff, but it isn’t long before he has his fingers around my wrist, and we are making our way outside.
“I’ll take you somewhere where you won’t be bothered. No other male will try to get close. Trust me, they know the consequences of doing that and wouldn’t risk my wrath.”
We reach the car, and he opens the door, gesturing for me to get in.
“You mean you’ll take me somewhere where no one will interrupt us from whatever you have in mind?”
He pushes me inside without a word. 
“You’ve become defiant.” 
“Hmm, I wonder why,” I retort, leaning back on the seat as he shuts the door and walks around the car before getting in.
I already know where I’m going, I don’t have to think twice or even question it. Some intentions are just as clear as the sky.
His house appears in my view, and I take it in for the second time. 
The high walls, the windows, the garden and the fountain. All of it. 
He takes me inside, and I can feel my wolf rising all over again. And everything that I’ve been trying to suppress is coming straight to the surface. 
The scent that Lucian leaves behind as he moves about it makes me feel things. Feelings that shouldn’t even be there, and I can barely stop them.
“There’s no one here,” I state, taking everything in. I don’t spot any servants. 
“I dismissed them,” He replies. “I don’t need an audience.”