The Lycan’s forbid desire

Chapter 3

Elara Pov

Through a gap in the hedge I could see them.

A woman in a red dress was bent over a stone bench. Her skirts were pushed up around her waist exposing her bare skin. And behind her was a man, he had dark hair, broad shoulders. His pants were undone and pulled down.

He was inside her.

My breath caught. I froze completely, i couldn't move even though every part of my brain screamed at me to run.

The man's hips moved in steady rhythm. It was hard and deliberate, his balls slapped against her with each thrust. His hands gripped her waist tight enough to leave marks. The woman's face was pressed against the stone, she made sounds that were half pleasure half desperation.

I should leave. I should run right now.

But my feet wouldn't move.

The man said something too quiet to hear. The woman whimpered in response. His thrusts became rougher, faster and more unrestrained. The sound of skin against skin echoed in the quiet garden.

This was wrong. I was watching something private, something intimate. I needed to go.

Then he turned his head.

Our eyes met.

I stopped breathing. He was beautiful in a dangerous way, sharp jaw, dark eyes that seemed to see right through me. He looked powerful, dominant, clearly noble from the way he carried himself even in this moment.

And he didn't stop.

His hips kept moving. He kept snapping forward with brutal force that made the woman cry out but his gaze stayed locked on mine. He holding me captive, deliberate, claiming, completely unashamed.

It felt like a challenge. Like he was daring me to keep watching, daring me to look away first.

My face burned. My heart hammered so hard I thought it might burst but something else happened too. Something I didn't understand and didn't want.

Heat flooded through me. Low in my belly. Between my thighs where I suddenly felt empty and aching. My n*****s tightened against my dress until they hurt, sensations ran through my body that I'd never experienced before.

This was bad. This was so bad.

The man's mouth curved into something dark and knowing. His grip on the woman tightened and his movements became almost brutal and punishing. But his eyes never left mine.

He was performing for me now. Showing me exactly what he could do. Making sure I understood the power in those movements.

The woman moaned loud and desperate. Her fingers clawed at the stone bench. Her whole body shook.

My legs felt weak. My skin felt too hot. That ache between my thighs intensified until I wanted to press my legs together. Wanted something I couldn't name.

The man's jaw clenched. His rhythm stuttered for just a moment. And still he watched me with those dark intense eyes that saw everything I was trying to hide.

I felt a dangerous reaction I didn't understand. My body responded to him in ways that terrified me. This wasn't supposed to happen, i wasn't supposed to feel this.

The woman gasped. "Please. Please."

The man finally looked away from me. He leaned down and said something in her ear. Something that made her whimper.

That broke the spell.

Panic overtook me. Pure terror washed through my veins.

I turned and ran.

My shoes weren't made for running. They caught on uneven stones. My dress tangled around my legs, i didn't care. I just needed distance between me and whatever that was.

Behind me I heard the woman's voice, she sounded confused, asking something.

I didn't hear his response. I was already pushing through hedges, taking turns without thinking. Just putting space between us.

Branches caught at my dress. Leaves slapped my face, my breath came in gasps.

Finally I stumbled out onto a different path. My chest heaved, my hands shook so badly I could barely hold my skirts up.

What was wrong with me?

I'd seen something scandalous. Something private, i should feel disgusted and offended. Anything except this strange heat that wouldn't go away.

But that wasn't what terrified me most.

What terrified me was how my body had reacted. The heat, the ache, the way my n*****s were still hard against my dress. The way I could still feel that pull toward him.

I pressed my hands against my face. My skin was burning up.

"There you are." Marcus appeared from another path. "Father's looking for you."

I dropped my hands quickly. "I was just walking."

"Your face is really red." He squinted at me. "Are you sick?"

"No. Just warm." I tried to smooth my dress but my hands were shaking. "Take me back inside."

He offered his arm and I took it gratefully. My legs felt unsteady, like they might give out at any moment.

We walked in silence. Marcus kept glancing at me but didn't ask questions. Thank god for little brothers who knew when to stay quiet.

The ballroom felt safer somehow. It was normal and real. I let Marcus lead me to where Father stood talking with other merchants.

"Elara." Father frowned. "Where have you been?"

"The gardens. I told you."

"You look disheveled. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I wasn't fine. I was the opposite of fine.

He studied me for a moment then turned back to his conversation. I stood beside him trying to look calm, trying to forget what I'd seen. What I'd felt.

But my body wouldn't cooperate. That strange warmth lingered. My skin felt too tight, every breath seemed too shallow.

I watched the other girls around the room. They looked composed and elegant, like they knew exactly how to behave at fancy balls. Like they'd never stumbled onto something they shouldn't see.

I felt like a fraud. Like everyone could tell what I'd just witnessed.

My heart wouldn't slow down. It kept racing, pounding against my ribs like it was trying to escape.

And it wasn't just from fear.

That was the terrifying truth I couldn't escape. My heart raced not from fear alone but from the terrifying truth that my body had responded to what I'd seen.

To him.

To the way he'd looked at me while he moved inside that woman. To the power in his movements. To the challenge in his eyes.

My body had responded and I didn't know how to make it stop.