CHAPTER FIVE

“Please…please spare me, I beg of you.” Riley cried, tears running down her cheeks, her whole body was trembling with fright.

There was fury in Shawn’s eyes as he got to his feet, “How dare you? I don’t see how this is any of your concern, back off!” he growled. 

 Lucas regarded him, the red eyes, the massive claws, and the air cocky emanating from him, he knew all about it.

“I don’t think a baby Alpha werewolf is any match for a Lycan King.” He said curtly.

Shawn’s eyes widened with realization and slowly he backed away, he knew he couldn’t take on a Lycan and when he saw a path, he turned and ran away after glancing one last look at Riley.

Lucas turned and looked at her, she was shaking with fright and when he bent to touch her shoulder, a massive wave flowed through him. Riley also felt the connection, it was a strong wave that tingled up her spine, stronger than what she had felt when she had met Shawn. She looked up at him and their eyes met, then he broke the gaze and helped her to her feet without saying a word.

He too had felt the connection, it was like…like a mate bond or something but he didn’t say anything, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions so suddenly with an absolute stranger.

“Come.” He said but she didn’t follow him.

 Riley hesitated, “Where are you taking me?” She asked.

“Somewhere safe, my pack. Now common, the forest isn’t the nicest place to be at this time.” He said and led the way, careful not to make contact with her so he wouldn’t feel that spark again.

He took her to his pack as a slave and ordered for her to be taken care of, his Beta came to him and asked ‘what' he had brought home.

“A girl, I found her during the invasion of the Greenwoods pack.” He replied flatly and headed up to his room.

He thought about the girl all night, wondering why he had felt such a connection and why his body felt uneasy. There was a need to please him that he seldom felt and he stirred continuously in his bed until he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Riley, for the first time in weeks, slept like a baby. She had showered and dinner had been brought in a trolley to the bedroom where she had been kept. It was some treatment for a slave, she had been given the impression that she had been captured as a slave but yet, she was treated otherwise. Riley thought everything about her was wrong, she had felt the bond with the ruthless Alpha, Shawn, and now, she felt the same connection with the Lycan king, only that this one was stronger. Her mind was in turmoil, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the Lycan king, the way he had saved her, and the careful way he had treated her. She didn’t know what to make of that, maybe he had felt what she felt too, she slept well that night, as sound as a baby.

The next morning, a soft knock sounded on the door of Riley’s bedroom and two maids walked in.

 “The Lycan King, Lucas, demands your presence.” One of them said while the other walked into the bathroom and set a hot bath for her.

She came out a minute later and said, “Your bath is ready, while you bathe, we will pick a dress for you.” She said briefly and Riley nodded, quite startled by the treatment.

When she came out, they had left the room, a black dress with red roses scattered all over it was placed on the bed. Riley slipped into it, made sure her hair didn’t look too bad in the full-length mirror, and headed out of the bedroom. There she met one of the maids who led her to a verandah. Lucas sat there, smoking sweet-scented tobacco and staring ahead at a pond close by.

At her arrival, he turned and flashed a smile at her, revealing a perfect set of glittering white teeth. Riley got a better look at him and she caught her breath, he was magnificent! Lucas was a tall, well-built man with the handsome face of a Greek god, he had thick black hair and a thin line of beards stretched across his chin and face. A long nose and radiant blue eyes that shone with a dazzling luminosity.

“Take a seat, breakfast?” He offered and gestured to the table that was stacked with different kinds of food.

Riley realized that she was very hungry indeed and bowed her head as she sat down. As she ate, he stared at her and that made her a little bit uncomfortable and she found it difficult to eat freely.

“What were you doing out there at such a dangerous time?” He asked finally.

 She panicked and her eyes darted around, but she concealed her emotions successfully. She didn’t know how he would react if she disclosed that she was from the pack his people had just raided and destroyed.

 “Oh, I lived close by there, I was out searching for…searching for some herbs.” She replied, not meeting his eyes while she buttered another toast. “I’m just a commoner.”

He brooded on what she just said, “So you mean, you don’t belong to a pack or have a mate?” he asked, his curiosity winning over his dignity.

She shook her head, “No, I do not have a mate.” She replied it was the best thing to do at that moment, she thought.

“So how about the werewolf that attacked you?” Lucas asked, feeling an awkward attraction to her as he watched her so innocently and shyly dig into another toast. “He was just a rogue that wanted to take advantage of me,” Riley replied, fearing that her lies were beginning to add up. “I was scared silly, thank you for saving me.” She added meekly.

Lucas smiled to himself, she didn’t have a mate and he was thrilled and excited by that fact. He felt pity towards her, it was never a pleasurable experience for a commoner to be attacked by a mystic creature such as an Alpha werewolf. Again, that connection he had felt the previous day surged through his body now, he loved looking at how beautiful she was. He had never seen one more beautiful than she was, at that point, he discarded the thought of ever making her a slave.