Chapter 3: Shadows in the Mirror
1275 Words
(Sophia POV)
I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss all day. It replayed in my head like a loop on my i********: stories, his mouth on mine, hot and demanding, the way his hands gripped my hips as he owned me.
My body still ached from it, a low throb between my legs that made focusing on anything else impossible.
I’d trained three clients that morning some rich execs who thought planks were torture but my mind kept drifting back to Lucian.
Those gray eyes, flecked with silver, stared into me like he could see every secret I hid. He was my boss, for God’s sake. This was a recipe for disaster, the kind that could tank my career and my following.
What would my fans think if they knew? “SophiaLiftsSteel getting lifted by the CEO?”
Yeah, no.
But damn, the pull was real. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt him grinding against me, hard and insistent, promising more.
By afternoon, I needed to burn it off. The resort gym was packed with guests—tourists snapping selfies on the ellipticals, staff milling around like nothing was wrong.
But I caught the whispers. “Did you see the moon last night?” one trainer muttered to another.
“Red again. Freaky.” I shook it off, chalking it up to city pollution or some eclipse thing.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—more notifications. A DM from a fan: “Your squat form is goals! What’s next at the new gig?” I replied quickly, keeping up the persona: “Big things are coming. Stay strong!”
But inside, I felt unsteady, like the ground was shifting under me.
I headed back to the main gym after lunch, needing solitude. The place was quieter now, sunlight streaming through the windows, bouncing off the mirrors. I changed in the locker room, slipping into fresh gear—a gray tank top and shorts this time, hair still in that ponytail.
Warm-up done, I hit the bench press, loading the bar lightly at first, building up. Reps flew by, muscles warming, sweat starting to drip. It felt good, normal. Until the lights flickered.
Once. Twice. Then the whole room dipped into that eerie red emergency glow, just like last night. My heart slammed in my chest, the bar clanging back into the rack.
“Hello?” I called out, my voice echoing off the walls.
No answer.
But the prickling on my neck was back—someone, something was watching.
I grabbed the nearest dumbbell, heavy enough to swing if needed, and scanned the mirrors.
Shadows danced weirdly in the red light, making everything look distorted.
Footsteps? No, it was heavier.
A low rumble, like a growl, vibrated through the floor.
Panic hit hard, but I forced myself to breathe.
“This isn’t funny,” I snapped, backing toward the door.
Then it lunged from the corner—a blur of dark fur, teeth flashing, eyes glowing yellow.
It was not a dog.
It was too big, too wrong.
It slammed into me before I could swing, knocking me flat on the mat.
Pain exploded in my shoulder as claws raked across my arm the cut was shallow but it burned like fire.
I screamed, kicking wildly, my foot connecting with its side.
It snarled, hot breath on my face, saliva dripping.
This was it.
Some rabid animal loose in the resort? My mind flashed to the red moon, the warning text. Stay away from him.
But who?
The door burst open.
Lucian.
He moved like a storm, tackling the thing off me with a roar that shook the mirrors.
They rolled across the floor in a tangle of limbs and fur, snarls echoing.
I scrambled up, blood trickling down my arm, staring in horror.
The creature was massive, wolf-like but twisted, muscles bulging under matted fur. Lucian pinned it, his hands…they were changing?
His fingers elongating, nails sharpening into claws. His eyes blazed silver, teeth bared in a growl that wasn’t human.
He snapped its neck with a sickening crack, and the body went limp.
Silence fell, it was heavy and thick.
Lucian rose, his chest heaving, blood smeared on his torn shirt.
His eyes faded back to gray, claws retracting like they’d never been there.
“Sophia…” His voice was rough, laced with something raw—fear?
Concern?
I backed against the wall, dumbbell still clutched tight.
“What… what the f**k was that?”
Tears stung my eyes, hot and angry. I hated crying, hated feeling weak like this. My shoulder throbbed, emotions crashing: terror from the attack, confusion at what I’d seen, and underneath it all, that damn pull toward him.
He stepped closer, hands up like I was the wild one.
“A rogue. It’s handled.” But his gaze flicked to my wound, darkening with guilt.
“Bullshit!” I yelled, voice breaking.
“Your eyes—they changed. And that thing… It's not a dog You’re not…Human.”
The word stuck in my throat. This couldn’t be real. Werewolves? In a five-star resort?
He closed the distance, caging me against the mirror without touching.
His heat wrapped around me, cedar scent mixing with blood and sweat. Despite everything, my body reacted with my pulse racing, my n*****s tightening under my tank top.
“You saw too much,” he murmured, his hand reached out to brush hair from my face.
His thumb grazed my cheek, soft, sending sparks down my spine.
I should have shoved him. Run. But the fear twisted into something else—need, desperate and raw.
“Tell me the truth,” I whispered, dropping the dumbbell. My hands fisted his shirt instead, pulling him closer.
His breath hitched, eyes dropping to my lips. “Later.” Then his mouth claimed mine—fierce and possessive.
I kissed back hard, pouring all the chaos into it: the adrenaline, the pain, the confusion.
His hands roamed, sliding under my tank, his palms felt hot on my bare skin.
He teased my breasts, fingers circling n*****s until they pebbled, pinching just enough to make me gasp into his mouth.
“Lucian…” I moaned, arching into him. He lifted me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist, pressing me into the cool mirror.
The contrast—cold glass on my back, his heat everywhere sent shivers through me.
He ground against my core, hard length straining his pants, the friction building through our clothes.
I rocked back, needy and wet already. His mouth trailed down my neck, sucking, nipping, teeth grazing in a way that made me wonder if he’d bite.
One hand slipped into my shorts, his fingers found me slick, wet, and ready.
He stroked slowly at first, circling my c**t, then plunged deeper, curling inside.
Pleasure spiked, my head falling back against the mirror with a thud.
“Yes… don’t stop…”
He growled low, vibrations humming through me.
“You’re mine, Sophia. Feel it.”
Emotions swelled—wanting him, fearing him, everything blurring.
I was close, hips bucking against his hand, when alarms blared outside.
Sharp, insistent. Red lights pulsed brighter.
Lucian froze, pulling back with a curse. His fingers slipped away, leaving me aching, unfinished.
“They’re here.”
“Who?” I panted, sliding down, legs shaky.
He grabbed my hand, eyes scanning the door.
“The ones who sent that thing. We have to move.”
Fear gripped me again, colder now. Footsteps pounded in the hall—multiple, coming fast. Was this the end of my fresh start?
Or just the beginning of something terrifying?
- Writer
