The Lycan King's Human Mate

A Promise

Aurora's pov

Everything inside me tightened like the air had been pulled straight from my lungs.

Roman didn’t move nor did he speak but the look in his eyes It burned.

Sharp, controlled and dangerous and it was fixed entirely on me.

A cold wave of awareness crashed over me, washing away the warmth of the fire, the ease of laughter, the brief moment of normalcy I had allowed myself.

I shifted back instinctively away from Darius.

The movement was small, but it felt loud like something fragile had just snapped.

“What is it?” Darius asked, his voice cutting through the silence between us.

I tore my gaze away from Roman, forcing myself to look at Darius instead, even though I could still feel him watching me.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, my voice not as steady as I wanted it to be. “I’m just… a little tired,” I lied.

His expression softened. “Do you want me to walk you back to your chambers?”

The offer was simple and kind.

And for a second, I almost said yes.

Almost but something in my chest hesitated.

“I—no,” I said instead, glancing around quickly. “I’ll wait for Kiera.”

It felt safer and less complicated.

Darius followed my gaze, scanning the clearing until he spotted her and huffed out a quiet laugh.

I frowned slightly. “What?”

He tilted his head toward the far side of the bonfire.

I looked and immediately wished I hadn’t. Kiera was very clearly… occupied. She was pressed against a tall, muscular blonde guy, completely lost in him, oblivious to everything else around her.

My eyes widened slightly before I looked away, heat creeping into my cheeks.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Darius said, amused. “I don’t think she’s heading back anytime soon.”

I let out a small, awkward breath, rubbing my arm lightly. “Right…”

“I don’t mind escorting you,” Darius added, his tone gentler now. “It’s not a problem.”

I hesitated again because this time it wasn't about me being tired but the way Roman was looking at me, like he was going to kill me.

I swallowed, my fingers curling slightly against my palm.

“I—”

“Yes,” I almost said.

Because it would be easier and Darius felt safe. Being near him didn’t make my heart race in fear and confusion all at once.

But before the word could leave my lips a presence cut through the space beside us.

“What seems to be the problem?” his voice was low and controlled.

My breath caught.

Darius went still beside me.

Every instinct in my body tensed as he stepped closer, his presence swallowing the small space we had occupied just seconds ago.

He stood there too close, too imposing his gaze flicking briefly to Darius before settling on me again.

“Nothing, Alpha,” Darius said quickly, his posture straightening, his tone respectful but careful. “I was just offering to escort the Luna back to her chambers.”

Luna. The word felt heavier.

Roman’s expression didn’t change but something in his eyes did. A flicker of something colder.

“No need,”his voice was quiet. Deadly in its calm.

“I’m here now.”

Silence fell. Darius didn’t move or speak and neither did I.

The tension stretched, suffocating, as Roman’s gaze remained fixed unyielding and absolute.

“You may leave,” he added, his tone leaving no room for argument.

It wasn’t a suggestion but an order.

Darius hesitated for the briefest moment just enough for the air to tighten further before he bowed his head slightly.

“Yes, Alpha.”

He stood, stepping away without another word. He didn't even look at me and just like that he was gone. Leaving me alone with him.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

I could feel Roman beside me, his presence overwhelming, pressing in from all sides. The warmth from the fire no longer reached me replaced by something colder and heavier.

I didn’t dare look at him but I could feel his gaze was still on me.

“I will take care of my mate.”

The words echoed in my mind, even though he had already said them.

Possessive and final.

My throat went dry.

Slowly… hesitantly… I lifted my eyes.

And met his.

Big mistake. The intensity there stole the breath from my lungs. It wasn't anger not entirely but something deeper. Something far more dangerous.

My heart pounded as I sat there, caught under his gaze unsure what to say, what to do, how to breathe.

Because the truth was…

Being alone with him like this was far more terrifying than anything in the forest.

____________________________________________________

Roman’s pov

Even after I had dismissed Darius,

the space between us had been cleared of distractions she still kept that careful distance, like an invisible line existed between us that she was too afraid to cross.

My jaw tightened slightly at the thought, but I kept my voice even.

“Are you enjoying the gathering?” I asked, sitting on the weathered log besides her.

Her eyes flickered up to mine.

“Yes,” she said softly. “I am.”

“And the pack?” I continued, watching her closely. “How are they treating you?”

She seemed to relax just a fraction at that.

“They’ve been… nice,” she admitted. “Better than I expected.”

Good. They would be or else they would answer to me.

My gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before I spoke again, quieter this time.

“And Darius?”

Her brows furrowed slightly.

“What about him?” she asked, confusion slipping into her voice.

I held her gaze, unmoving.

“Do you like him?”

The question hung between us, heavier than it should have been.

Her confusion deepened. “What do you mean?”

My expression remained calm and controlled.

“You two seemed pretty close.”

Her lips parted slightly before she shook her head, a small, almost nervous smile appearing.

“No,” she said quickly. “He’s just… friendly.”

Friendly? Or was he flirting? I wanted to ask but held back.

“He reminded me of someone,” she added, glancing away for a brief moment. “He was a boy from my village, we were friends."

A friend? She had been close to a male before.

Rage burned through me, sharp and hot, but I swallowed it down, forcing it into the pit where my beast lurked.

“Is that so?” I asked, my voice lowering just slightly. “And how close were you to this friend?”

Her gaze snapped back to mine, and for a second just a second she looked almost startled by the question.

Then she laughed.

“We grew up together,” she said. “He was like a brother to me.”

The tension in my chest eased.

Not completely. Not until I dealt with Darius. The image of him being near her, touching her flashed in my mind.

“Were you… angry with me?”

The question caught me off guard.

I stilled. Angry with her? I could never be angry with her.

My gaze softened just slightly.

“I wasn’t angry with you,” I said truthfully.

There was a pause.

“But I was with him.”

Her lips parted slightly in surprise.

“And the way you interacted with him,” I added, my tone quieter now. “You were… different.”

She blinked. “Different?”

"I noticed how relax and at ease you were with him, you talked freely and laughed which you never did with me."

Her expression shifted to something between realization and embarrassment.

Then she laughed again, softer this time.

"You can't blame me for fearing you Roman, I mean I've heard stories about you and to be honest they weren't actually pleasant."

"So you think I'm a monster?" I asked.

"Of course not," she said surprising me. "The people of Eldermist was wrong about you. You're not a monster Roman but you are intimidating."

I stared at her.

Then, unexpectedly I laughed. A low, quiet sound that felt foreign even to me.

“Intimidating?” I repeated.

She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Very.”

Something in me eased at that. It wasn't fear or rejection but just honesty.

I heard her breath hitch as I shifted closer, closing the distance between us. Her body froze as I reached out, my arm slowly going around her waist and I gently but carefully pulled her against me.

My beast growled inside my head as her scent hit me, the sweet smell of jasmine was still there, but it was tangled with the acrid tang of her fear and the intoxicating scent of her arousal.

After all she did want me but was afraid of me.

I leaned down slightly, close enough that my voice didn’t need to rise above a whisper.

“You never have to be afraid of me,” I murmured, taking her hand in mine I didn't squeeze, I simply held her.

Her breath caught and she looked the other way.

"Aurora," I said, my voice a low rumble that barely carried past the space between us. "Look at me."

She met my gaze.

“You are my mate, my queen, my luna and the mother of our future children," I continued, my voice low, steady and certain.

I lifted her hand. My eyes remained locked on hers as I bowed my head slightly, pressing a lingering, reverent kiss to the back of her hand.

I lowered our joined hands but didn't let go, my thumb brushed over her knuckles.

"I would never hurt you," I said.

The words weren’t just reassurance.

They were a promise an unbreakable one.