A Lover and A Liar

Kissed Him

Julian saw her walk out of the room, all flushed and embarrassed after she had kissed him.

She had kissed him.

Alina. Kissed him. On the lips.

And then ran away from him as if he had the plague.

One hand moved to touch his lips, as if he needed to touch, to have a living proof if what just happened was real or a trick of his imagination. And his imagination had played lots of tricks on him these day, it was hard to separate the reality from a dream.

But her lips on his had felt too real to be a dream. Too soft, too warm, just like he had imagined them to be. And it hadn't even been a proper kiss, Julian hadn't kissed her back. How could it when it took him this much by surprise, when it was this wrong?

When it felt this right?

Her strong scent of cinnamon and apples that lingered on his lips had started to drive his wolf insane, triggering him into wanting to get out and follow after her. And then do more than just kiss.

Julian closed his eyes, just for a brief moment letting himself imagine how it would be to have her in his arms properly. To smile to her properly, kiss her properly.

Do all the things he was supposed to do with Katherine.

The thought of his mate stopped the thoughts of Alina before they went too far. But what shocked him the most was that except his human part of mind, nothing else was guilty for basically cheating on his mate. His wolf was perfectly fine with it. More than fine, if Julian could admit it to himself, he was excited. Pacing in his mind almost joyfully that Alina had taken the first step herself, calling Julian a coward that hadn't been the first to kiss her.

His wolf was simply insane. And it seemed Julian was not far away from there either.

As if on cue, the door opened without a knock and it took Julian a nanosecond to realize who'd walk inside. There was only one person who never knocked, which had always frustrated him inside. Only that this time he felt guilt. Only guilt at facing his mate.

He hadn't been the one to kiss another woman, but the fact that he desired it, so much, so really much, made him not capable of looking her in the eyes.

"Here you are," Katherine groaned in frustration. "I can't believe you keep wasting your time with this stupid thing instead of spending it with me."

Julian made a step back as soon as she approached him. She narrowed her eyes, but he raised his hand to stop her.

"I'm tired," was the only lie he could think of.

"Of course you are, you keep making swords―"

"Katherine!" he cut her off. "Stop." But the guilt he immediately felt inside as she stiffened and looked away from him started eating him inside. "I'm tired and my wolf needs to stretch his legs."

"Then I can run with you―"

"No," the word left his mind before he even thought of it. "I need some time alone."

Before she was able to answer, he walked away, almost tearing his clothes from his body and leaving his wolf break his bones smoothly, taking control.

The runs he took in the gardens on the back of the castle always calmed him down, whenever he needed to relieve the stress and frustration of his political matters, court problems, and the stupid fights with his mate.

However, this time it was not working at all. His wolf kept sniffing the air around, and only then Julian realized it was the scent of cinnamon and apples that weakly lingered on the air and drove him almost insane for more. Before he was able to take control, his wolf followed where the scent came most strongly, this time taking his sweet revenge by blocking Julian on the back of their shared mind and taking all control.

As soon as his eyes fell on the beauty in front of him, the wolf lifted his head on the air and howled as if he had found his proper destination.

Alina, who was sitting down on a big swing Julian remembered Arthmael had made years ago for their sister, wrapped her arms around her body, instinctively protecting herself from the animal in front of her. For some reason, this time his wolf growled, hurt that she feared him.

She had absolutely no reason to fear him when the wolf was so fond of her.

Yet, when he expected her to run away, a small timid smile spread on her face. "Hi, Julian," she whispered the words, and it looked like part of her wanted to disappear from his sight after what she had done just half an hour ago, and part of her was so mesmerized by his view, she didn't want to look away.

Pride crept in his body was he watched her big honey eyes studying her, and it took Julian a few other seconds to realize she had recognized him in his wolf form.

How? 

His wolf didn't care for an answer, he took other steps in front of her, and for his utter and complete surprise, sat down on his hind legs in front of her, wagging his tail and sticking his tongue out like a love-struck puppy. If it was another time, Julian would have laughed at him. Now though, he was so shocked, so very mesmerized by every action of his other part.

Alina let out a giggle that made his heart pound on his chest furiously. She stroked the spot between his ears softly, her hand sliding down on the wolf's face, his mouth, until he started licking her hand affectionately. And the entire time Alina smiled brightly, lovingly, playing with his wolf like she had known him for years.

"You aren't that scary for an Alpha, are you?"

If someone else would have said that, the Alpha wolf would have showed them their teeth, even cut a hand off just to prove them otherwise. Now, he stretched his body at her caresses, and got on his back fully, all his four paws playing with her hand like he was a pup.

Her heart melted at the sight, her eyes shining with joy. And that was what Julian had wanted to see since the very first day, he figured. Alina being happy. No, him making Alina happy. Everything else that made absolutely no sense were of no importance right now but the smile on her face that could light up the whole Court.

"Where have you been this entire time, huh, handsome?" 

Alina hadn't surely expected to for him to shift back on his human for, but Julian did so as soon as he took control. She froze on the spot, dumbfound, her eyes wide-opened and her jaw hanging down in shock.

Her gaze didn't drop lower, but it didn't rise upwards either. It was rather stuck on her well-defined chest as he fingers played with one another nervously.

It made him chuckle, his ego busting. "My eyes are up her, lovely."

It seemed he dragged her out of her daydream, because immediately, her pretty eyes found his and they didn't dare to move back down. "Julian," she almost stuttered, the breath caught on her throat. "I... You weren't supposed to turn human," she protested, as if his wolf was a complete entity from him. Even though the tone of her skin was a dark caramel one, he could still see the blush on her cheeks.

Making her nervous was his new hobby he hadn't known he would enjoy as much as he did now.

"Wasn't I?" He c****d his head slightly on one side slightly. "You had much fun with my wolf, I thought you needed a break."

"Nope." She shook her head from side to side with a nervous smile on her face. "Not at all, so do your thing and turn back, please."

Julian couldn't help it, he laughed, his sensitive hearing catching up to the way her heart pace increased. Did he affect her as much as she affected him?

Alina looked down at her trembling hands, taking a deep breath to calm her heart. "Julian, listen," she began. "I didn't mean to do that..."

"You didn't?" Instinctively, he made a step closer.

She shook her head, deciding that looked down at his chest was probably safer. "No. I shouldn't have done that," she whispered, obviously affected by his proximity.

And Julian was far too gone to care about the consequences right now. "You shouldn't have," he admitted, his hand raising to cup her face as his thumb left a long trace on her cheek. "But you did. And I cannot get that out of my mind."

"Julian," she whispered. Her bottom lip rolled between her teeth nervously, and his thumb went to pull it out, trace it just slightly, but that was enough for Alina to close her eyes, to shift closer to him.

It almost drove Julian insane how responsive she was to his touch.

"This isn't fair, Alina." His voice came out strained, almost pained. "It isn't fair how much everything you do drives me insane. Did you come here for this very reason? Do you like how you mess up with my head? Do you want me to beg you to stop?"

She didn't speak. All she did was shake her head no, her eyes closed.

"We shouldn't do this, you know that, right?" Those words were meant more for himself than Alina, but his lips didn't agree to stop. They didn't want to not brush against her plump ones, half-opened and waiting for his.

But his ears caught noises behind them, not near but near enough to alarm him of what they were doing.

He put some safe steps as a distance between them, watching the way her eyes didn't open yet. She was still waiting for his kiss, still almost desperately opening her lips for more.

It took Julian lots of self-control to stop himself from continuing.

"Alina," he called, and she opened her eyes, surprised and a bit flushed. "We have company."

As soon as he said the words, three wolves approached them.

Julian was happy his brother and his friends hadn't actually found them kissing.

What had he been thinking?