Betrayed By Two Alphas:Bound By One Fate

Chapter 6

Aurora’s POV

“Let me,” Lucian said, his hands warm and steady against my waist as he lifted me effortlessly onto the hood of his sports car. My cheeks burned the moment his palms left my skin, the lingering heat of his touch sinking straight through the thin fabric of my dress.

I watched as he climbed up beside me, the vehicle dipping slightly under his weight.

The rhythmic sound of waves rolled gently against the shore, crashing in steady beats. He’d brought me to the beach—his quiet sanctuary, I realized. The moonlight painted long, shimmering silver ripples across the dark water, making the entire night feel softer, almost surreal.

“Here.” He offered me a cold can of beer, the metal dripping with condensation.

I took it with a small, shy smile. He cracked his open with a sharp, satisfying hiss, so I followed suit. My eyes traitorously drifted to the long column of his throat as he tipped his head back and took a long drink, watching the way the muscles moved under his golden skin. When he suddenly shifted his head to look at me, I jerked my gaze away, my heart stumbling against my ribs, and quickly brought my own can to my lips.

One sip and I nearly winced. I hated alcohol—the bitter, harsh burn on my tongue was the farthest thing from enjoyable. But sitting here under the stars with Lucian, I pretended it was the best thing I’d ever tasted.

“How are you?” he asked softly, his voice cutting through the sound of the ocean breeze.

“Hmm… I’m fine,” I replied quietly, keeping my eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

“I mean now that you’re no longer married to him,” he clarified, his dark eyes never leaving my profile. “Do you feel at peace with yourself?”

My fingers tightened around the cold, wet aluminum can. I swallowed hard, debating whether I should give him the real answer or the safe one.

“I am at peace,” I said carefully, choosing my words with precision. “I fulfilled what I came for… so it’s best I move on now that I’m not needed anymore.”

Lucian didn’t speak right away. The silence between us stretched out, heavy and searching. I could feel his gaze scanning every line of my face, looking for the cracks in my armor.

“How were you treated?” he asked, his tone dropping to a quiet, dangerous murmur.

My wolf stirred violently inside my chest, claws scraping at my ribs as she pushed her voice into my head. Tell him. Tell him how Liam treated you like garbage. Tell him how cold that house was.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and looked out at the rolling waves instead, burying the ache in my heart.

“I was treated the way a temporary Luna needed to be treated,” I answered, keeping my voice smooth and devoid of emotion.

Lucian offered a small, quiet smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, and took another sip of his drink. Silence fell over us again—not an uncomfortable silence, but a charged, heavy stillness filled with everything we weren't saying out loud.

“You know… you’re a lot different than I thought you would be,” he said after a moment, a subtle spark of amusement lighting up his features.

I arched an eyebrow at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Whenever I saw you at the pack house before, you looked like someone who would be mean,” he admitted honestly, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Cold. Unapproachable.”

“Me? Cold?” I blinked, genuinely startled. “I smile all the time!”

“It’s the Luna title,” Lucian said, leaning in closer to me. The warm, masculine scent of cedar, ocean air, and clean skin brushed against my face. My heart did a sudden, chaotic flutter. He was too close. Every nerve along my spine came alive, humming with high-voltage static. “Do you care about what others think of you, Aurora?”

“Honestly… I don’t,” I admitted, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “The moment I was freed from that title, I ended up at a club, didn't I?”

A deep, warm laugh bubbled up from his chest, bright and bright enough to shatter the heavy darkness around us. His entire face lit up, his eyes crinkling as he shook his head. I couldn’t look away. My stomach did a dizzying, slow flip.

Then, without a word of warning, Lucian leaped down from the hood of the car. I gasped in surprise, but before I could steady myself, his large hands reached up, wrapping firmly around my waist to lift me down to the sand.

His grip was gentle, but the raw strength behind it was unmistakable. My feet hit the cool sand, but my pulse didn't slow down for a single second.

“Let’s go to the water,” he murmured.

“Wait—hold on,” I said, my cheeks flushing. “I didn’t bring extra clothes, Lucian!”

“Take mine.”

My breath hitched as he reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt off in one effortless, fluid motion. I knew I should turn my head, but my eyes refused to obey. The moonlight caught the sharp cut of his shoulders, the muscle defining his chest, and the tight lines of his abs as he moved. My throat went entirely dry. Turn around, Aurora, I screamed at myself, heat rushing all the way to the tips of my ears.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked, tossing the warm fabric toward me before turning his back to give me privacy. “Put it on.”

With shaky, uncooperative fingers, I unzipped my dress, let it puddle at my feet, and pulled his oversized shirt over my head. It swallowed me whole, falling halfway down my thighs. It was still radiating the heat of his body, completely wrapping me in his addictive scent. I felt almost dizzy under the weight of it.

You look like you belong to him, my wolf purred inside my mind.

Be quiet, I scolded her.

“Are you done?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Yes,” I whispered.

He turned back around, and the moment his dark eyes landed on me swimming in his shirt, something intense and dark flickered in his gaze. He collected my gown, threw it onto the back seat of the car, and then reached for my hand.

I didn't hesitate. I let my fingers slide into his. His hand was large, rough, and fiercely warm against mine as he pulled me toward the water's edge.

The first wash of icy sea water over my bare toes made me gasp, but before I could pull back, Lucian scooped up a palmful of water and splashed me right in the chest.

“Hey!” I squealed in shock.

“You definitely needed to cool down,” he teased, a mischievous grin breaking across his face as he splashed me again.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that!” I laughed, immediately scooping up water and throwing it right back at him.

He took off running through the shallow waves, his laughter echoing across the empty beach. I gave chase, kicking up spray as I ran after him on the slippery, wet sand. I took a sharp, quick turn to cut him off, but my foot caught on a hidden drop in the sand.

With a breathless yell, I stumbled forward, crashing right into him. We tumbled down into the surf together—Lucian twisting mid-air to absorb the brunt of the fall, and me landing hard right on top of his chest.

The world stopped.

The icy splash of the waves, the cold ocean wind, the dark sky—everything dissolved. The only thing left was the sound of our ragged, heavy breathing and the rhythmic thumping of his heart beneath my palms.

Our faces were inches apart.

I froze, locked under the intense heat of his gaze. My pulse slammed wildly in my throat. I tried to push myself up, but a sharp twinge in my ankle made me wince, pinning me right back against his warm chest.

“Are you hurt?” Lucian asked softly, his hands moving automatically to cradle my waist, holding me close.

“I’m fine,” I breathed, the words barely audible over the roaring in my ears.

He didn't let go. Instead, his dark eyes dipped down to my lips before rising back to meet my gaze. The playful, teasing light in his expression was completely gone, replaced by a raw, heavy tension that made my breath catch in my chest.

He began to lean up, closing the tiny space left between us.

My mind spun in wild, chaotic circles. Is he going to kiss me? Oh God, this is my first kiss... what do I do?

Before my frantic thoughts could give me an answer, Lucian’s lips pressed gently, possessively, against mine.

My eyes widened in electrifying shock as a blinding wave of heat shot straight down my spine, shattering every thought in my head.