Alpha's Vet

River's Kiss

Chapter 15 – River’s Kiss

Lucas POV

“I am not,” is all I can say. If I start telling her the truth—how she’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, how wearing my shirt has me painfully hard, how I’ll never wash it, how tonight I’ll clutch it while releasing the tension building in me—I’ll lose control entirely. No. I am not will have to do.

The silence stretches, unbearable. She watches the river, unaware of the storm she’s ignited inside me. My gaze doesn’t leave her. I feel like a predator, stalking her. My body is wound tight, my hardness a constant reminder that I can’t stay still.

“Mmm… I’m going to take a dip in the river. Do you want to join me?” I hear my own voice and curse it. Why would I ask her that? I’m trying to put distance between us—less clothes, more exposure—but Lex, my wolf, is bouncing in my head like a frenzied pup, eager and impatient.

She hesitates, a soft blush rising to her cheeks. “Maybe… in a minute.” God, she looks so vulnerable. Sitting there, oblivious to the chaos she causes. I imagine kissing her, tracing her body, making her blush the same deep red all over. I clear my throat, stand, and keep my back to her, refusing to show how much she affects me.

I strip off my shirt before diving into the river, the cold water barely cooling the fire inside me.

Lara POV

I watch him dive in. His back… his muscles… I lick my lips, suddenly reckless. Who cares about hesitation? I want in. I need in.

I shrug off his shirt—my heartbeat racing as I do—and walk toward the water. I feel his gaze on me, predatory and unrelenting. I should be afraid, but instead, it turns me on. His aura burns red—not anger, but raw, pure lust. I know it instinctively, as naturally as I breathe.

I step into the river slowly, feeling the cold bite, but it doesn’t matter. Desire drowns any self-consciousness. I move toward him, until we’re only inches apart. He scans me, memorizing every inch of me.

“You are beautiful,” he whispers. I hear him. Every word slides over me like fire.

I glance down, overwhelmed. His hand tilts my chin upward. “Don’t ever look down when you’re with me. Keep your eyes on me.” My heart skips. This feels unreal, like a dream I never want to wake from.

His hands find my waist, hot and firm, igniting a fire wherever he touches. I lean into him, needing his chest, wanting to touch him, to feel him through the water. My fingers move on their own, tracing his shoulders, sliding slowly down his chest. He stiffens against me but can’t hide his growing hardness.

“f**k it,” he mutters under his breath, and crushes his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around him, holding on as if he’s my lifeline.

The kiss is nothing like I’ve ever felt—electric, all-consuming. My body ignites from head to toe, every nerve ending screaming. He presses against me, impossibly close, and I crave more. My instincts are overwhelming. I am lost to him, to this moment.

Finally, he pulls back, both of us gasping. His forehead rests against mine. He hasn’t moved away because he doesn’t want to. His body is still hard, and the hunger radiates off him.

Our breathing syncs. I don’t know who is taking in air faster. I hear it clearly in my mind: Mine. Hormones, desire, and instinct—all blurring together.

I start to pull away.

“Don’t!” he warns, breathless. “Just… give me a minute.” I feel the restraint, the effort to control himself.

Ten minutes pass before he regains some semblance of composure. He hasn’t looked away. His hands continue to caress my back, soothing… or claiming. I don’t care. I want him everywhere, all over me.

Lucas POV

She’s a witch. No mortal should have this kind of power over anyone. She stole my soul the instant I kissed her. No other touch could ever compare.

I’m paralyzed by desire, terrified of moving and exposing her to the world. Wolves are often uninhibited, but she… she makes me weak. My mate. My Luna. No one else is allowed to see her like this.

Lex snarls, ready to rip anyone who’s ever touched her apart. I force him to wait. She is ours. She will never belong to anyone else.

The river surrounds us, cold and oblivious to the storm we’ve created. She is here, with me, and I know, deep in my soul, that I’ll never let her go.