LYKOS

Being derailed and tied up by some guy on my mate's rooftop definitely wasn't part of my plan. I could've easily overpowered him but the moment he mentioned waiting for my mate to arrive my plans to break out of the chains and knock him out were effectively thrown out the window. I can only imagine what my friends back at the den would think if I didn't make it back but I could definitely spare some time to see my mate, to talk to her. I smelled her before she appeared and the moment she was in front of me I knew my cover was blown but that didn't matter. Her sweet scent was addictive, it took everything in me not to break my chains and scoop her up in my arms but I didn't want to freak her out before I had the chance to talk to her.

Her captivating eyes were wide, her jaw slack as she recognized me. She opens and closes her mouth but no words come out.

"Cat got your tongue? Or should I say wolf?" I tease her, unable to help the smirk on my face.

"Why were you following me?" She breathes out, her chest rising and falling rapidly with every breath.

"I thought I just told you the reason why. Plus, it doesn't help that you've been haunting my dreams for years now," I explain, watching her keenly.

"I- I need a moment," she sputters, turning and rushing into the penthouse.

This is my chance. With a flick of my wrists the chains break and fall with a loud clink and I stand, stretching and taking a seat on one of the mats I see while I wait for her to come back out. What if I scared her away? What if she runs? The sound of the penthouse door being pulled open grabs my attention before I can spiral.

"Care to join me?" I ask, pulling another mat next to me and patting it.

I hear her take a deep breath before she walks over to me and gingerly takes a seat on the mat next to me. I keep my eyes fixed on the view before me while her gaze burns into the side of my face.

"How do you know I'm your mate? Maybe there's some confusion," she says, her voice thick with uncertainty.

"Do you feel that?" I ask, turning to her and stretching my hand to touch her shoulder, relishing the tingles that erupt from the part of my hand that's on her, spreading throughout my body as her breath hitches.

"What is that?" She asks breathlessly.

"The bond," is all I say, dragging my hand away.

We sit in silence for several minutes before she breaks the ice.

"You said I've been haunting your dreams for years. How? How long?" Her voice is quiet, hesitant even.

"I've been dreaming about you since I turned eighteen. Dreaming of you being chased by monsters, being attacked by the same monsters that killed my family, the Rumarark. Every time I try to save you but I couldn't reach you. Sometimes you're just there, reaching for me only to fade away just as I reach for you," I explain.

"Rumarark. Is that what those ugly creatures are called?" She asks.

"No. They're different," I answer quietly.

"I'm sorry about your family. How old were you when it happened?" She asks quietly.

"Ten," is all I can say, my chest clenching painfully.

"So... Shifter huh? You come from a family of shifters then?"

"Yeah. They were like royalty among the shifters."

"That's strange. I come from royalty too, except my family's specialty is magic. My parents sent me away as an infant to a secluded village before they were killed," she explains, her gleaming eyes distant. "How many other factions are there?" She turns to me.

"Unfortunately I don't really know. Never looked into it too much. Maybe it's time I do," I say quietly, my wheels turning as I go over what I've just learned.

"So, you shift into a wolf," it's not a question, just a statement.

"And a lion. And a dragon. Although those were much later developments," I answer with a smile.

"Damn! I-I was not expecting that," she chuckles.

"Me neither. Until it happened," I smile, watching her every move from the corner of my eye.

"You could've easily broken the chains earlier when Galen held you. Why didn't you?" She turns to me, her head tilted in question, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"That was the plan. But then he mentioned you were coming. I had to see you, talk to you before I left," I turn to her with a small smile, enjoying the way her eyes rake over me.

"So you think I'm hot, huh?" I smirk and she looks away, her cheeks turning pink and even from where I am I can see her biting her lip.

"W-where do you live?" She asks, her face still turned away.

"Khoros. Not too far from Mitropolis," I answer.

"What were you doing in my neck of the woods when you were stalking me?" She turns to me, her lips pulled into a smirk.

"I felt pulled to you. To your presence. My instincts led me to you. I didn't even realize it until I saw you," I answer with a shrug. "And I wasn't stalking you," I add.

"Oh really? What would you call it?" She teases.

"I was finding you," I turn, pinning her with an intense stare.

Her breath hitches as she gazes back into my eyes and it feels like she's reaching into my soul with her eyes. We stay like that for a moment, eyes locked, hearts pounding. I take a breath and a sweet scent fills my nostrils. I take another deep breath and my nostrils flare when I realize what it is. My breath hitches and my jaw locks as I feel my body's temperature skyrocket and part of me immediately go hard but I'm lost in the sweet scent of her arousal. I don't even realize I'm reaching for her until my fingers close around her hand and her eyes flutter, her breath becoming ragged. My eyes go wide when her gaze lowers to my bare chest and I realize my arousal is much more prominent, my free hand flying to my lap to try and cover the evidence.

"I- Wh-What's happening?" Her breathy whisper making my blood roar in my ears.

"I- uh, i-it's the pull," I barely recognize my voice when I answer, willing myself to drag my hand away and place it back on my lap.

I swear I see a flicker of disappointment flash in her eyes before she covers it up quickly. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath, turning her beautiful face away from me as she crosses her legs. My eyes follow the movement and suddenly my throat feels parched like I've been in a desert without water for days.

"Do you mind getting me some water?" I ask, hoping she'll oblige before I pounce on her.

"Sure. Maybe a shirt to go along with that," she mumbles under her breath as she gets up and heads into the penthouse.

My eyes can't help but follow her as she saunters away. Her sweatpants do nothing to hide her curves. Fuck! Is this what it feels like? We've just gotten acquainted and I can barely hold myself back from pouncing on her. All I can think about is spreading those thick thighs and burying my face between them before I sink into her. My wolf and my lion growl loudly while my dragon roars so loud I have to look around to make sure no one heard it. I look down to find a very conspicuous tent on my pants and a heavy sigh escapes me. Her light steps don't register until she's behind me and I stand way too fast, forgetting all about my situation. She hands me a large cup filled with water and a black tshirt.

It's the way her eyes follow the cup to my lips, the way they seem to darken as she watches my throat through her dark lashes while I gulp the water down. It's the way she watches the rise and fall of my bare chest while I drink the water. The way she swallows thickly as her eyes trace the tattoos flowing down my sides to meet on my lower abs, tracing the hair that disappears into my pants. The heat from her gaze sears into my skin as if she's touching me leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. My body jolts, my hips buck and my thick length flexes in my pants involuntarily when her eyes find my bulge. Her eyes go wide, her lips part and her tongue traces her plump lower lip as she squeezes her thighs together, doing nothing to stop the scent of her arousal from filling the air around me. I can't bring myself to look away from her and all thoughts of hiding fly out the window with the way she's drinking me in with her hungry eyes. A growl reverberates from deep inside my chest in response and I can feel my forms pushing me to claim her right here and now. I lower the empty cup from my lips and hand it back to her when I find myself sucking on air. Her eyes fly back up to my parted lips as she takes the cup, her hand freezing for a moment when her fingers brush mine.

"I, uh, I'll just take this inside. Don't go anywhere," she whispers as she slowly lowers her hand, pausing for a moment with her eyes still on my lips before she turns and walks into the penthouse.

Fuck! How the hell am I supposed to go back to the den now? I feel my jaw clench and I shift my focus to the black tshirt in my hand. I slide my arms through it as I put it on, surprised to find that it's my size as it fits snugly. How did she-? Magic! Obviously.

"Stay and claim her! She's ours!" My wolf growls loudly.

"I have to go let the others know I'm okay. We don't want them to come looking for me thinking I'm in danger or something," I respond.

"No! Stay!" My dragon roars and I sigh heavily.

"We can come back later. Plus, we don't want to creep her out," I try to reason with them but the lack of conviction in my voice is clear.

"Claim her!" My lion growls deeply and I feel my fangs start to drop.

"Stop it! We'll do that when she's ready!" I respond firmly, my hand coming up to cover my mouth hoping the fangs retract before my mate comes back.

"So..." Iri's voice echoes and I whirl around to find her standing behind me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she laugh nervously.

"No, don't apologize. I was lost in thought," I answer, the words tumbling quickly out of my mouth.

"I-I have to go, ????????? (sweetheart)," my voice comes out husky.

Her face falls a little and my chest tightens painfully.

"I just need to tell my friends that I'm okay so they don't come looking for me. I'll be back later," the words tumble out of my mouth before I can think them through, taking a step towards her.

"Y-you don't have to," her voice is quiet, her eyes locked on my lips and her breathing ragged.

"I know. I want to. I don't think I can stay away now that I've found you," I take another step towards her barely leaving any space between us and her breath hitches.

My skin erupts in tingles as I place my hand on her cheek.

"Can I just hold you before I go?" I ask.

She barely finished nodding before my arms immediately go around her waist. I bury my face in the curve of her neck and inhale deeply, taking in her scent as she wraps her arms around my neck and stand on the tips of her toes. I don't even think about it. I straighten my back with my arms still around her and she wraps her legs around my waist tightly. I can barely breathe when I feel her heat against me and I bite back a groan.

"Are-are you growling?" Her voice comes out in a breathless whisper and my arms tighten around her.

"Let's just say my forms and my body seem to have a very visceral reaction to you," I whisper back and stop myself from saying any more before I put my foot in my mouth.

I hold her tightly against me, relishing in the feel of her warm soft skin on my face as I rub my cheek on the side of her neck, my lips brushing the curve there and landing on the spot where her pulse is strongest. I feel her gasp and tighten her arms around me, shifting her hips against me, her ass rubbing against the hardness that rests just beneath it. A groan escapes my lips as she shifts again and my lips close over her pulse, my tongue darting out to taste her. She gasps, arching into me and the feel of heat of her breath on my neck and her shapely breasts pressing against my chest makes my head spin. No words are spoken between us and neither of us seem to be able to stop. My little mate shifts her hips again, pressing her heat against me, her little sighs of pleasure driving me insane and I growl loudly, one of my hand dropping down to her luscious ass.

"If you don't stop doing that I might end up taking you right here," I growl lowly as I pull my head back slightly, resting my forehead against hers, struggling to catch my breath.

My mate's only response is to moan and grind onto me again and I can't help it. My lips crash onto hers, sucking, licking, coaxing them open before my tongue dives into her sweet little mouth. The taste of her makes me growl and tighten my grip on her hip, guiding her movements as she grinds faster and faster against me, chasing her climax. Her moans grow louder and her heat pulsates against me as she rubs back and forth on my length. Soon enough she screams and I eagerly swallow it down as she tumbles over the edge, her legs shaking around my waist and a burst of wetness soaking the front of my pants. I drown in her sounds and the sensations and I feel my thickness swell and twitch, my hips bucking against her and loud growls leaking into her mouth as I find my release. Fuck!

"Can I use your bathroom? I don't think I'll live it down if I show up to the den with my pants soaked," I rasp against her lips once we've both come down from our high.

My mate unhooks her legs from my waist and I hold her as she stands shakily. The moment her eyes land on the very wet spot on my pants she bites her lip and giggles and the sound sends a jolt of heat through me and I find myself go hard again. Her giggles go quiet and her eyes widen, snapping up to mine and I feel my face go flush. She takes my hand and drags me into the penthouse, leading me to the bathroom. I quickly take off my clothes and get into the shower, closing the glass door behind me and turning the water on. I run my hand down my face and curse internally with a chuckle as I look down to find myself painfully hard again. I grab my thick length in my fist and stroke to thoughts of my sweet little mate. Fuck! I'm done for.