Chapter 5

Lucien stared at the golden card in his hands as it had upset him.

He had just received it from his beta from the Alpha king this morning, and he was nothing if amused.

He was not ignorant of how the king hated him, but inviting him to a ball felt a little deceptive on his part.

"Are you going?" His head snapped up just as his beta, Jamirez, approached him with a look of distaste on his face.

Lucien shrugged, "I have no idea. I have to, but I don't want to." He said.

"Then don't go."

"It would seem rude, and you know why I should go," Lucien said to his beta.

Jamirez sighed, "Yeah, you need to find your mate." He said begrudgingly.

Lucien smiled, his fang showing just the right amount. "You don't sound happy about that. Why is that?"

He regarded his beta with a curious look.

"I don't like the idea of you going there. It could be a trap," Jamirez grumbled.

"I am aware of that, but they should know better," Lucien smirked,

Jamirez smiled; he knew his friend would burn the city if he got provoked. He would love to watch that.

"The ball is tomorrow. We need to get ready," Jamirez said.

"I see. We will be there." Lucien declared.

....

The ballroom was alive with music and laughter, and the guests dressed in their finest attire as they danced and mingled. Killian laughed loudly as he stood in the middle of Alphas. He felt safe even as he

trembled at the thought of meeting the Lycan.

The music cut short as the crowd suddenly hushed. Killian turned just to find a commotion at the grand entrance.

"They are here," one of the Alphas whispered to him.

Killian waved him away as he looked straight at the entrance.

"Remember what we talked about," he whispered to the Alphas.

As Lucien walked through the crowd, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He scanned the room, searching for the source of his unease, when his gaze landed on a beautiful woman standing on the edge of the dance floor. She was trying to blend into the shadows, but Lucien could see the fear in her eyes as she looked around nervously.

His view was cut short by the Alpha king himself. Jamirez bowed out of respect, but Lucien remained standing.

Killian kept his temper in check as he stared at the young man in front of him. He couldn't believe his eyes. He expected someone older, not young, like the dashing man in front of him.

"Alpha Killian, thank you for having me," Lucien said politely.

"It's my pleasure," Killian said. "I haven't introduced the rest of my companions," he tried to get Lucien to mingle.

"I am not here for that. I honored your invitation out of respect, nothing more to it." Lucien cut in.

Killian frowned. His wolf bristled at the disrespect, but he kept calm.

"I understand. Enjoy the rest of the party." He said as he walked away.

Lucien glanced back to where the girl was standing, but it was empty. He sighed to himself.

For a second, he felt his Lycan stir.

Lucien helped himself to a glass of champagne as he perused the ballroom, his lycan watching with keen eyes, trying to guess who their enemies were.

He could feel them watching his every move as he glided through the ballroom with ease.

It was just a minute, but to Lucien, it was a whole hour of watching people dance and talk about themselves. He was bored.

He passed his flute of champagne to the coming server and headed to the terrace to get some fresh air.

Standing across the terrace, he tuned in to his senses and took in the nature around him. His ears got

every sound, and with his eyes, he could see over the distance.

A whimpering sound caught his attention, as did the scent. Out of curiosity, Lucien searched for the

source of the sound, but he couldn't find it.

He heard voices yelling, and the whimpering got louder. He left to investigate.

He traced the voices outside the ballroom. He saw the guards yelling aggressively at someone he couldn't see. He strained his neck to catch a glimpse, but all he could see was someone lying on the

floor as the guards dealt with her.

His Lycan growled inside him, urging him to go intervene.

Lucien stalked to the scene, and the sight in front of him made him growl.

"What is going on here?" He growled at the guard, who suddenly stood to the side.

"I am sorry, your Highness. She was caught trying to escape against her father's commands." One of the guards explained.

"She?" Lucien asked.

He glanced at the form on the floor, his beast urging him to go to her.

"Yes, the princess."

"Help me," she croaked from the floor.

Lucien glanced at her with a brow raised. One of the guards raised his leg to kick her, but Lucien's fast reflexes prevented him.

His leg was in Lucien's grip as the Lycan stared at him with contempt.

"If you don't want to lose that leg, I suggest you keep it to yourself." He snarled at the guard.

"But your Highness, the king demanded..." The guard sputtered.

"And now, I am ordering you to let her go," Lucien growled.

The guards hurried inside, probably to alert their colleagues.

Lucien glanced at the whimpering figure. He crouched to get to her level.

The girl grabbed Lucien's hand as she struggled to get up. Sparks shot up his arm as he stared at it.

The girl raised her head to stare up at him, and the world seemed to stop for Lucien.

He stared at the girl as she stared back, tilting his head to fully understand why the bond tie was shooting out of his heart and entangling with hers.

His beast peeked as he whispered the word "mate,"

His heart threatened to burst from its cage as he gazed at his mate, his chosen one. His beast snarled at the bruises on her body, eager to rip the guards into two for causing her harm.

She was not healing fast. Lucien almost panicked at the thought. One look at her lips made his heart beat even faster.

It was inviting and soft as he looked at it. It felt wrong having to take advantage of her, but she needed his help to heal fast, and he needed to taste her lips to soothe his beast.

"Forgive me, mate." He whispered as he touched his forehead to hers, gathering her in his arms to give her comfort as he lowered his lips gently to hers. Her lips parted open as their lips met. The action pleased Lucien's beast. He pulled back to gaze into her eyes. His heart leaped as his beast growled in satisfaction. He pulled back to gaze into her eyes, feeling content and happy.

She gave him a small smile, her feeble hand reaching to cup his face, making him purr. As quickly as his happiness came, it was quick to shatter. Her hand fell limp, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she went limp in his arms.