KILLIAN'S POV
The music pounds louder by the second inside the hall. I can feel it through the golden glasses glasses, clinking silverware, and the laughter of nobles who've drunk too much and think too little.
Women swarm me like moths to a flame.
They laugh too loud, lean too close. Their fingers keep brushing against my arms, my chest, trying to earn a glance, a favor. One bold brunette practically climbs into my lap, curling herself around me like she owns the damn right to breathe the same air. I don't even remember her name. Don't care to.
I barely hear a word any of them say.
Because my mind—my entire being—is elsewhere.
It's with her.
Layla.
My little omega.
The only person who can disarm me with a look. The only one I want, even though I shouldn't. Even though the very thought of her makes my blood burn and my wolf stir like he's waking from centuries of sleep.
She's the only one who ever dares challenge me.
The only one who makes me feel like I'm not just the Alpha of the most powerful northern pack… but a man. A man who wants. A man who burns.
I can still smell her.
Vanilla and Jasmine – her scent. I can' forget it even if I wanted too.
I catch a glimpse of her earlier—serving drinks to nobles. She doesn't even glance in my direction. She doesn't have to. She haunts me. she acts like I don't exist even when I stared her down. The fucking nerve of her. doesn't she want me like I want her? doesn't her skin burn when she thinks of me?
I clench my jaw.
"Alpha," a sultry voice purrs beside me. It's the stupid brunette—again. Her fingers trail up my thigh like she has any right.
My lip curls. My patience? Gone.
"Get out," I growl low.
She blinks repeatedly in shock. "Wh-What?"
I stand. My chair scrapes against the marble floor, and everywhere goes silent.
"I said," I turn to her "Get. Out."
A gasp echoes through the hall.
The woman on my arm—some nobleman's daughter, maybe—stares at me like I've struck her. "Is this about that omega?" she spits. "That stupid little—"
My hand shoots out before she finishes.
I grab her by the hair and yank her head back sharply, baring her throat.
The entire room freezes.
"Say her name like that again," I snarl, "and I'll rip your fucking tongue out."
She whimpers. Her eyes go wide with terror.
"I-I'm sorry—" she whispers.
"Apologize to the empty air. You don't get to say her name." I growl.
She nods frantically.
I shove her away, disgusted.
"All of you, out of my sight."
The room clears in seconds.
No one dares argue. No one looks me in the eye. The doors slam shut behind them, and I stand there alone with my hands clenched at my sides and my chest rising and falling like I've just come from battle.
And in a way, I have.
I'm not battling anyone in that room. I'm battling myself. I can't take it anymore.
My wolf is howling inside me, restless, starved. My skin feels too tight, my blood too hot.
I need her.
I don't remember walking through the halls. Don't remember much of anything except the burning in my veins. Until I stand outside her door.
Layla's.
I don't knock. I just open it.
She lays there on her side, curled in sleep. The thin sheet clings to the curves of her hips, her waist, her legs. Her hair spills across the pillow. My mouth goes dry. My cock throbs painfully against my pants. The moonlight coming in from the window highlights her body.
She looks…ethereal. She looks like she just came out from a painting.
She shifts slightly, as if sensing me. Then her eyes open. For a moment, her eyes are soft, sleepy and confused.
"Alpha?" she whispers. Her voice is hoarse. Her face looks so innocent as she stares at me in confusion. Her lips are parted in the sexiest way possible.
Fuck.
That voice. That face.
I step in, closing the door behind me, sealing us in.
She sits up slightly, rubbing her eyes. "Is something wrong—?"
"Yeah," I rasp, walking toward her slowly. "Everything's fucking wrong."
She blinks. "What do you—?"
"I can't stop thinking about you," I cut her off "Every time I try to breathe, you're there. Every time I close my eyes, you're all I see. Your lips. Your body. The way you looked at me the other day like you hated me and wanted me all at once."
She swallows hard. Her scent spikes and I can tell she's nervous.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispers.
"I don't care." I say "You know why? Cause you're mine"
My knees hit the side of her bed.
I lean in close and grab her jaw, pulling her closer to me.
"I want to ruin you," I whisper in her ear, "I want to taste every inch of your skin and hear you beg for me."
Her breath hitches. Her pupils dilate. I can feel her wolf reaching out to me. I can feel the desire radiating off her. she wants me just as badly as I want her.
Perfect.
Why is she hiding it then? Why has she been acting like I don't affect her? she's going to get punished for that. I'll make sure of it.
"Alpha—" she whimpers.
"Killian," I correct. "Say it. I want to hear you say my name."
"Killian," she breathes. Her voice sounds almost like a sin.
That's it. That's the sound that snaps whatever restraint I have left.
I crush my mouth to hers.