Chapter 11 LUCIAN
LUCIAN’S POV
I found myself standing in her house once again and to be honest, I was shitting myself. I couldn’t afford to mess this up again.
I hadn’t planned on coming here. Hell, I hadn’t planned on doing anything but maybe get some damn sleep. But I couldn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. Every breath I took felt like it still carried her scent, and for the life of me, I couldn’t shake it.
So, I did what I always did when I couldn’t think straight, I let Varos out. A run was supposed to clear my head. But instead of the open woods, I somehow ended up here, at her doorstep.
I just wanted to catch a glimpse of her. Maybe through the window, maybe reassure myself that she was real. But what I didn’t expect was her rushing out the moment I arrived, eyes wide and heartbeat spiking like she’d caught my scent.
When she asked me to come in, it took everything in me, every ounce of control I had left to stop Varos from bounding forward or shifting right there. The last thing I wanted was to stand naked in front of her again, not after how our last encounter went. So, instead, I bolted into the woods, ran like a coward, found some clothes from our stash, and came back.
The look in her eyes when I emerged, that quick flicker of hurt, like she thought I’d left her standing there.
If only she knew… even after just a few meetings, she had no idea how deeply she’d gotten under my skin.
Now, sitting in her kitchen, watching her move about, I was barely keeping it together. She’d offered to make me hot chocolate, and as she moved around that small kitchen, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
She wore a loose nightshirt, which was too short, stopping just below the curve of her ass. And as much as I didn’t want to stare, my gaze kept betraying me. Her legs were smooth, pale in the dim light, and every brush of her skin against the cool tile made my pulse spike.
It was a cold night, and that thin shirt wasn’t doing much. Every time she turned, I caught the faint outline of her nipples pressing through the fabric. It was torture.
I wanted to touch her. To drag her close, to taste her.
I wondered what she’d taste like. Would she be as sweet as she smelled?
“Lucian,” Varos’s voice snapped in my head, laced with amusement. “You’re spotting one.”
I glanced down, and sure enough, I was painfully hard, the thin fabric of my shorts doing little to hide it.
“Not that I blame you,” Varos chuckled. “Just look at her.”
I shifted uncomfortably, trying to adjust myself. “Think clear thoughts,” I muttered silently.
“Not possible with her in the room,” he snickered.
“Shut it,” I growled, blocking him out. The last thing I needed was him adding fuel to the fire.
“Would you care for some cookies?” her voice came, soft and unsure. “I made some earlier today. Well… Nyx did. But they’re really good.”
Her tone made something inside me soften.
“I’d love some,” I replied, managing a small smile.
She smiled back, visibly relieved, then went back to rummaging through her kitchen. A few minutes later, she brought a tray over with sugar cookies, still slightly warm, and two glasses of chocolate milk. She set one in front of me, one in front of herself, and sat across from me.
“Thank you,” I muttered, taking a sip. It was sweet, a little too sweet but comforting. “It’s really good.”
“I’m glad you like it,” she said, grinning.
Then she took a sip from her own glass and moaned. Soft. Unintentional. But enough to shoot straight through me like lightning.
A growl slipped past my lips before I could stop it.
She froze, confused, staring at me.
“Aria,” I said quietly, leaning forward, “I’m trying to be civil. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make sounds like that. They… really affect me.”
Her eyes went wide, her cheeks flooding red. “I- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she stammered, dropping her gaze.
“Hey,” I said softly. “Look at me.”
She hesitated, then lifted her eyes.
“I’m not angry,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady. “Just… if you make sounds like that, I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself. And we both know neither of us is ready for that. Even if every instinct in me is screaming otherwise.”
Her blush deepened, spreading down her neck. I had to look away before I did something reckless.
“Who’s Nyx?” I asked, forcing the conversation to safer ground.
She blinked, confused. “Nyx?”
“You mentioned she made the cookies,” I said, smiling faintly.
“Oh! Right,” she said, relaxing a little. “She’s my best friend. A witch from your pack, actually. She bakes and sells at the market.”
I nodded. “Then tell her she makes incredible cookies.”
They almost rival Josie’s. Almost.
“Sooooo…” I began, hoping she’d keep talking.
“Sooooo…” she mimicked, smiling shyly. Then, after a beat, her tone softened. “How did you know I was an Omega?”
I leaned back. “Honestly? I didn’t. Not at first.”
Her brows furrowed, so I continued, “When we met, you smelled like honeysuckle, something sweet, something floral. But I couldn’t quite place it. Omegas usually smell like roses and from your reaction towards me my wolf guessed you were an Omega, but I wasn’t certain. Then the second time I saw you, your scent was even more muted, suppressed. The floral notes were almost gone. That’s when I asked, to be sure. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Oh,” she whispered, her voice small.
“Just ‘oh?’” I teased gently.
She smiled a little. “Yeah. I thought you’d gone digging around about me. I overreacted. I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
“It’s fine,” I said easily. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry too, for upsetting you. That wasn’t my intention.”
Her eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering there. “I didn’t expect you to apologize,” she admitted softly. “Your kind usually don’t.”
“‘My kind,’ huh?” I asked, a faint smile tugging at my lips.
She nodded. “Yeah. Alphas.”
I chuckled quietly. “Well, I don’t mind apologizing when I’m wrong. Seems like basic decency, doesn’t it?”
She laughed, and the sound loosened something in my chest. “It does. Just… not something I’m used to.”
Her words shouldn’t have hit me the way they did, but they did. What kind of life had she lived for kindness to sound foreign? Whoever made her think she didn’t deserve softness… I’d make them pay.
But not tonight. Tonight, I just wanted to bask in her presence.
“I want to get to know you,” I said quietly.
Her fingers froze on her glass. “What?”
“Properly,” I added. “Not just as my mate. I want to know you, what you love, what you hate, what makes you laugh, your favourite food, your favourite movies. I want to know everything, if you’ll let me.”
Her breath hitched. “O-okay.”
“Excellent! Tomorrow, then?” I asked. “Lunch? Or dinner?”
She smiled. “Lunch is fine.”
“Marty’s place still around?” I asked, remembering the greasy little diner with the best burgers in town.
I loved that old man, I worked for him for a bit in high-school, he was the best.
Her grin widened. “Yeah. Still there.”
“Good. Then it’s a date.”
“It is,” she whispered, smiling.
“Perfect.”
I glanced at the clock. 11:14 p.m. Damn. “I should probably head out,” I said, even though every part of me wanted to stay.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was that late, I'm sorry for keeping you.” she said, jumping up, gathering plates.
I followed her to the sink, stepping around until I was standing between her and the counter. She turned and we were suddenly too close. Her breath caught. So did mine.
I lifted a finger to tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You didn’t keep me,” I said, my voice low. “I wanted to stay. But I want you to rest before tomorrow.”
Her lips parted, and my gaze dropped to them like I had no control left. Every ounce of restraint strained under the weight of wanting her.
Then she bit her bottom lip, and I nearly lost it.
“Don’t,” I murmured, brushing my thumb over her mouth, freeing her lip from her teeth. “Don’t do that. You’re making it harder for me to leave.”
Her breath trembled as I traced a smudge of chocolate from her upper lip, then without thinking I brought my thumb to my mouth, tasting it. Never looking away.
Her eyes went wide. She swallowed, her hand twitching toward her lips.
We stood there, suspended in silence, tension thick enough to drown in.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I finally said, stepping back, voice rougher than I wanted it to be.
She nodded quickly. “Goodnight, Lucian.”
“Goodnight, Aria.”
I stepped into the cool night, closing her door behind me.
And as the moonlight washed over me, one thought pulsed in my mind, steady and dangerous.
This girl is going to be the death of me.