Chapter 3

Lucian loathed times like these, times when he had to sit back and watch other men touch what belonged to him. Times when he had to watch the men she danced with look at her with eyes that suggested what they wanted to do with her. He downed the scotch in his glass, the liquid burning down his throat. Sadly, it couldn't take away the anger he felt inside. The jealousy that ate at him. There were times when he wanted to walk up to her and tell her what she meant to him, but he couldn't, not when her father took everything away from him.

To distract himself, he looked around the ballroom. People mingled with each other, chatting and dancing to the soft music playing in the air. They had transformed the ballroom into something magical. White and pink fabrics hang around the walls and the ceiling. Chandeliers gleamed above their heads, bathing the room in a warm glow. Flowers were placed in vases on the tables, together with drinks and food.

Omegas moved around the room, serving anyone in need of a drink or something to munch on.

As much as he tried to avoid it, Lucian's eyes turned to the dance floor, to an elevated part of the room. A man he didn't know had his arms around Sybil as they swayed slowly to the music. He muttered something to her that he couldn't catch over the noise, and she smiled.

Draped in her red dress, she looked beautiful. The fabric clung to her skin, moulding her chest nicely. The dress went on for miles, brushing the floor. Her ashy blonde hair fell in waves around her face to where it stopped closer to her waist.

She was breathtaking, and Lucian hated it. It would be easier to resist her if she weren't beautiful. It would be easier to resist her if she were a brat, but she was none of those things.

"Why the bad mood?" Lucian placed his glass on a tray as an omega passed by, and faced the voice. Pierce Sinclair stood next to him, clad in a black suit, his hair slicked back with gel. He carried a glass of his own, which he took a sip from, his eyes never leaving Lucian's.

"You know I hate attending these events," he said. It was true. He would rather stay in his home than watch her dance with someone else.

"I love these. I love seeing the look of disappointment on their faces when all this ends with the same result."

"I know that," he said. Pierce chuckled, his eyes wandering about, resting on a woman clinging to the wall. Before long, his sights shifted. He mumbled an excuse and left.

Poor woman, Lucian thought.

He decided to go get some air when the music died down. He didn't stop, and as he came closer to the exit, the sound of his name filled the entire space. The chatter died down. He felt every eye in the room on him, but he couldn't move. Though he tried to avoid it, a frown took over his face.

If he heard his name here, it only meant one thing. He had to dance with her.

Sybil froze, her entire body turning into stone. Only her eyes moved, searching the crowd until they rested on the person she was looking for. She swallowed hard when she saw him. The hatred in his eyes was so pure, so true.

She waited, expecting him to turn on his heel and leave, but he did the opposite. Once he escaped the trance he was in, he walked towards the elevated space, his eyes never leaving hers.

They traced her face, making it tingle and heat up. When he reached her, she gulped, her palms clammy with sweat.

He stopped an inch away from her. The music began to play again. Once again, the entire room filled with chatter as the shock of what had happened wore off.

Sybil didn't move. She stood in place, her heart galloping in her chest, her mind racing. Still, she believed he would walk away from her. In the three years she had known him, he had never touched her. He had never said anything nice to her. He had never looked her way willingly.

He stepped closer, and she held her breath. When his hands slid around her waist, something in her shifted. Suddenly, it was only them. The room full of people disappeared.

As if he knew the effect he had on her, he brought her flush with his body. Before she could recover, he leaned down, managing to sway them to the music even though her limbs didn't want to cooperate.

"Relax," he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. His hot breath and the touch of his lips sent a shiver down her spine. Heat travelled to her cheeks, then to her whole body.

"I like that colour on you," he said when he pulled away. She couldn't respond; the sensations she was feeling were too much for her to handle. They burrowed under her skin, desire fluttering in her abdomen. The longer they swayed, the more she relaxed into his touch.

Though she tried to focus on the music, she couldn't miss his burning touch. It's like there weren't layers of cloth separating them. Her skin burned, and in a good way.

Her heart pounded, and when he spoke again, she almost threw her arms around him to bring him closer to her. "Lost your words?" With sheer force, she kept her arms draped over his shoulder, fighting against everything not to move even closer to him. Fighting against the urge to kiss him like her body demanded.

Sybil's chest heaved up and down. Unable to form a retort to Lucian's words. With him standing this close, she could smell him. A scent so fine she couldn't describe it. It called to her. It filled her entire chest, enticing things she hadn't felt for anyone in a long time.

"Stop talking," she said. Her voice came out so breathless. The music stopped, and Lucian stepped away from her so fast it took her a moment to process everything.

The moment she recovered, he was gone. Her feet moved before she could form a coherent thought. She followed him until she was outside.

The evening air cleared her mind just a little, but it failed to stop the foolish thoughts running rampant in her mind. The thought that they belonged together. Never had she felt a pull so strong towards anyone; it made her feel like they were…

She shook her head, trying to get those thoughts out of her mind, because there was no way they were mates.

Letting his scent lead the way, she looked around her surroundings. The ballroom twinkled with lights a distance away. Part of her wanted to return before her mother started to worry, but the strongest part wanted her to follow him.

To demand answers. To know that he felt the same way she did.

His scent led her to his house. Minutes passed as she stood before the door. Light filtered out from the living room, proof that he was inside the house.

Raising her hand, she softly knocked on the door, her heart beating closer to her throat. She waited, and the door remained closed.

Just when she was about to give up, the door opened. He stood in the doorway, his hair messier than before. She wondered if he had run his hands through it repeatedly.

"What do you want?" His voice was so aggressive that she flinched. Brushing it off, she moved forward. To her surprise, he moved to the side, a clear invitation. She stepped into the house. And a moment later, she heard the door close behind her, the sound sealing her fate.

She could feel his gaze burning her back until he came to stand in front of her, his gaze questioning.

"What was that?" Now that she stood in front of him, she wasn't so sure about what she had felt, even though the feeling was still humming in her blood.

"You can't possibly think I'm your mate." She searched for something to say, but came up empty.

"It felt like that."

"Don't tell me you're that desperate, Sybil."

"I'm not desperate!" she said, and that's when she realized how close they were standing. Her chest brushed his. Lucian's gaze swept over her face, to her lips until they rested on her breasts. Wherever his eyes touched burned. She wanted him to touch her. She wanted his fingers mapping every inch of her skin. She craved his touch in a way that felt unhealthy to her, but she didn't care.

"I'm not your mate." Though he said that, he didn't move; he only stared at her. His mouth said other things while his eyes wanted something else.