Settling In 🌶️

Lilac

Two weeks had passed since Lilac had left her family and joined Kyril as his Luna.

She was slowly adjusting to her new role, and even though it was a challenge, Kyril was helping her every step of the way.

By nature, she was a vulnerable werewolf.

Her innocence and purity were evident to all who met her, and the pack showered her with respect and kindness, as they saw her as a blessing from Selene.

By bringing balance to their Alpha, she had also brought balance to the people.

Lilac also knew that Kyril had spent the past two weeks ensuring no one crossed or neared his borders without authorization.

There had been no sign of the red-eyed intruder. Despite the relief this brought her mate, Kyril still wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight.

Wherever she went, he followed.

This didn’t bother Lilac in the slightest. She loved his presence, and in truth, there was no one else he would rather spend his time with.

They were currently walking to the emissary building, where Kyril conducted all his official business with creatures from outside his realm.

It was a stately stone mansion near the edge of the territory and one of the oldest buildings in the territory.

Today’s meeting was with the vampire lord he had rescheduled with weeks ago when Lilac arrived.

“How long will this take?” Lilac whined.

“It should only take an hour. I thought you’d be happy to get out of the house,” he teased.

“If we were doing something fun, maybe,” she responded.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in this meeting except twiddle my thumbs in silence until you finish your business.”

“I brought you along because I don’t want you to leave my side,” he said coolly.

In truth, Lilac didn’t want to leave his side either, but the fact that they were going to meet a vampire spooked her. She had always found them to be sinister and cold.

There was something about the way they looked at people and the velvety manner in which they spoke that made her blood chill.

“My little flower, all you have to do is sit and listen,” he coaxed. “The meeting won’t take long. Besides, you’ll eventually have to take these types of meetings yourself. You need to see how they are conducted.”

She felt scared and uncomfortable. Why didn’t he understand?

Even after she confessed her true reason for not wanting to go, he was still adamant that she came along.

What else could she say? What else could she do to get her point across?

Huffing at his reply, she stopped in her tracks and pulled back. “No.”

Kyril halted his movements before slowly turning to face her.

“No?” He narrowed his eyes.

“N-no, I said no,” she stuttered out, her confidence wavering.

He cocked his head to one side and smiled deviously. “Your defiance is an interesting thing,” he said with a husky tone. “Fine. If you truly don’t want to go, then you can wait outside of the conference room with Jon. I won’t continue to push this.”

He let go of her hand and proceeded to walk away.

A small pout formed on her lips at the thought of them actually separating, even if it was just for an hour.

At least now she knew that if she stood up for herself he would respect her wishes, which was important to her.

Even more, she wanted to show him that she was worthy of being his Luna, and to do that she couldn’t be scared away by a silly vampire.

“Wait.” She grabbed the hem of his shirt to keep him from leaving. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to come with you.”

KYRIL

Kyril smirked, taking her hand in his.

He was happy she had changed her mind. If she was going to grow as a leader, she would have to be pushed, and this was a good first step.

Once they reached the meeting space, he pushed open the door, revealing three large men sitting behind a long table in the center of the room.

They all seemed to be impassive and composed, their faces remaining stoic as all three stood in unison.

The men looked physically identical to one another. Their broad body structure, height, blue eyes, and aristocratic noses were all similar. The only difference was their hair color.

Two of the men had blond hair while the man who stood in the middle was a brunet.

“Vasilio, good to see you,” the brunet greeted.

“Likewise,” Kyril responded, as he led Lilac to a seat. “Before we begin, I want to quickly introduce my mate. This is my Luna, Lilac. She will be joining us today.”

The men nodded their heads at Lilac in acknowledgment.

“My name is Stavros,” said the brown-haired vampire. “Vampire Lord of the Corban Coven, and these two men are my advisors, Deacon and Maximus.”

“Let’s get down to business,” Kyril interjected, not liking how they stared at Lilac.

“Ambrosia stones. Are you still willing to lease us the land?” Stavros asked.

“I am curious, why do you think you’ll find anything?” Kyril asked. “This land has been under my pack’s control for millennia. We would know if it held such riches.”

“There are some skills better left to other species, Alpha. Although your smell is impeccable at tracking down game, it is less suited to sniffing out gems. Those tasks are better left to the more refined creatures.”

Kyril flashed a hint of his fangs in distaste.

“It was that kind of insolence that made me throw you out before. I’ll do it again.”

“Are you still hung up on that? It was years ago, and I wasn’t offering you such favorable terms. Even a beast like you couldn’t turn this deal down.”

Stavros leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. “Unless you prefer we deal in a language your kind better understands.”

“Is that a threat, Stavros?”

“Only if you wish it to be, Kyril,” the vampire lord replied, cracking his knuckles. “No questions in exchange for thirty-five percent of the raw-stone value. That’s all I’m asking for.”

Lilac couldn’t believe the way this vampire was speaking to her mate. She had never met a being as powerful as Kyril before in her life.

To meet a vampire who...acted like he was a match, who spoke with such blatant disrespect, it was terrifying.

What was Stavros Tadd capable of?

But Kyril only seemed to have a mind for business.

“Forty-five percent,” Kyril declared.

The vampire lord considered Kyril’s counter, running his thumb along his eyebrow. Then his eyes flicked to Lilac and the look he gave her...was unlike any look she’d ever gotten before.

She felt smaller than small. She felt like she was nothing. Like she’d fallen into an abyss and would remain falling for eternity.

The vampire finally eased his gaze and shrugged casually. “Fine.”

Stavros stood up, turning once more to Lilac. “Take care, Luna. I hope we meet again soon.”

Lilac took a deep breath, unable to explain what she had just experienced. When the vampire was gone and they were finally on their way home, Lilac turned to Kyril.

“What just happened?” Lilac asked.

“Stavros claims that the mountain we reside on is full of ambrosia stones. These jewels are sacred to the dragon people, and as a result, they pay a hefty sum for them.”

“And that vampire lord intends to sell them to the dragons?” she inferred.

“Or so he says. But I know for a fact there are no ambrosia stones in that mountain. The dragons stripped this region of them centuries ago. Besides, he would be a fool to have agreed to my requests, and Stavros is no fool. He’s up to something, but I don’t know what.”

Lilac silently nodded.

When they reached the threshold of their bedroom, exhaustion swept over them.

They both stripped off their clothes as they staggered toward the bed.

Lilac sighed as she slid under the sheets. Kyril followed, and she adjusted her petite body so she was lying across of his chest.

Yawning, she snuggled against him. “I feel like it’s too early to sleep,” she mumbled.

He gently kissed the top of her head. “It doesn’t matter. Just sleep, my love.”

***

When Kyril awoke, Lilac was still asleep with her arm draped over his waist and her legs entangled with his.

He moved her long silky hair away from her face and lightly traced his index finger against her pale cheek.

He wanted to let her nap, but she was still recovering from his mark, and it was imperative that her body stay fueled and strong.

“Wake up, mate,” he whispered, rubbing her shoulder.

She groaned in response and tumbled to the other side of the bed.

He rolled his eyes. ~So that’s how she wants this to play out.~

Kyril reached over and spanked her bottom with his heavy hand. Lilac squealed in response, whipping around to face him.

“Did you just spank me?” she gasped.

“Don’t look so mortified, it was just a small tap,” he casually replied.

“Please, there’s nothing small about you,” she fussed, lying on her back again.

Kyril grinned wickedly at her response. “Nothing? How flattering,” he said with a playful wink.

Kyril quickly crawled on top of her, careful not to crush her under his weight.

“I’d like to thank you for your kind words,” he whispered seductively.

He pressed his hips between her opened legs, causing her to spread them wider. She released a whimper as he connected their lips in a slow, passionate kiss.

He felt himself straining against the fabric of his briefs as he pulled back. The scent of her arousal filled the air, encouraging him to continue.

Kyril now rolled his hips against hers, slowly grinding his erection against her core. He let out a low growl, coaxing a breathless moan from his mate.

“You’re so small... I will have to be careful,” he said, trailing kisses all over her neck.

Lilac groaned, lifting her hips to meet his.

A gasp escaped her lips as his large hands suddenly gripped her ass and pressed her lower half firmly to his manhood.

“I’d place a pillow under your hips so I could enter deep and slow,” he whispered into her ear while grinding harder into her. “Can you imagine the feeling of me thrusting deep into you?”

Lilac

Lilac lost herself in Kyril's words. Her face was all but red as she squirmed in his hold, trying to increase the friction she felt between her legs.

Kyril continued to kiss down her body until he reached her core.

Pausing, he looked up at her before pressing a small kiss against her core.

“Please,” she whined, raising her hips as he pressed his tongue against her moist panties.

“No,” he said, smiling. “It’s time to eat a different meal.”

Pulling back completely, he pushed himself off the bed and headed for their closet.

“You can’t keep doing that!” she complained, throwing a pillow at him.

The last two weeks Kyril had been building the sexual tension between them. His intimate touches were driving her insane.

“We’ll mate when it’s time,” he said, grinning. “Patience. I want our first time to be special. Not rushed or interrupted. By the way, we’ll be eating with the pack tonight,” he informed her, emerging from the closet in a tight pair of slacks and fitted collared shirt. “I hope you’ve recovered from the nap.”

She sighed dramatically and flopped back onto the bed.

“Perfect. I’ll wait for you downstairs,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.

?

The red-eyed creature peeked out from his hide, watching the couple as they walked hand in hand toward the pack house.

Kyril’s mate reminded him so much of ~her~.

The way she carried herself evoked old memories, haunting memories. He felt his heart clench.

It pained him that such a sweet girl would have to be the collateral damage, but that was Kyril’s fault, not his.

No one would get in the way of his vengeance.

He knew it was almost time. Four weeks had passed since he’d returned to this wretched kingdom.

They had almost caught him once, but he had been patient, biding his time until the perfect moment presented itself.

~One more day~, he said to himself.