Palace of New Beginnings

LIANA

Last night, my father was a little somber, knowing it was my last appearance at his table for a while. Lucian left us to have dinner alone together, so my father could spend some time with me before our departure.

It’s not that Lucian’s palace is far away. It’s only just over an hour’s drive away. But that is more than far enough for my father’s liking. I hate not telling him the truth, but I know that Lucian and I need to see how we get along—aside from the physical attraction we feel as mates—before we announce to the world that we are together.

What if I find out that I hate living with him? On his home territory, he might do things that annoy or distress me. He has a reputation for ruthlessness, after all. Equally, I may turn out to be a huge disappointment to him, once he “sees” me in his palace.

Then there’s the issue of Zeke. I haven’t seen him since the night he slept in my room—and maybe it’s better this way. If things don’t work out with Lucian, maybe Zeke will never have to know anything about all this.

If Zeke had only been more committed to me, none of this would be happening in the first place. I wouldn’t have been in that lineup on the night of the ball if I’d been promised to Zeke. The king would never have known a thing about me.

These thoughts do nothing to ease my guilt and worry as we speed away from the house where I was born…the house where I expected to live for the rest of my life.

“You okay, little one?” Lucian asks, placing his hand on my thigh. I nod, covering his hand with mine. We are sitting in the back of an armored limo, side by side. I glance at the front passenger seat, at Kia.

The closer we get to the palace, the more agitated he gets. His muscles tense and his hands form fists as he fidgets. You can practically see the desperate need for his mate pouring off him. You can hear the occasional growl as he rights himself through his jeans, and the scent of his musk weighs heavy in the air.

Damn, he looks in so much pain. I feel partially responsible for it, since I was the one who led Lucian away from his home.

Soon after, we approach a huge driveway closed in by a tall, wrought-iron fence and a double-sided gate. Kia’s fidgeting gets unbearable and Lucian takes pity.

“Go, Kia.”

“Thank you, sir,” Kia almost shouts. Before the driver can stop the car, Kia scrambles out, throwing off his clothes and shifting the second his feet touch the gravel.

I lean over Lucian slightly to look at Kia’s wolf. He’s beautiful, his coat a dark, creamy white, his eyes warm and hazel, with a small fire burning in them. He lets out an earth-shattering howl that makes me shiver as it vibrates through the car. The gates open, and he tears off up the driveway, flicking gravel up at the car.

The limo pulls slowly up the driveway, and I lean forward to watch Kia tearing up the earth of the large grounds that surround the palace as he thunders across the lawn. My ears prick at the most pitiful howl I’ve ever heard, a howl that wrenches my heart. Kia’s ears flick forward and he howls back. I look up toward the giant palace, but can’t focus on its beauty when I see a stunning, sleek, dark-chocolatey wolf bounding toward him.

My heart melts as I watch the scene before me. I am now almost lying across Lucian while I take it in. It’s a beautiful sight. Kia shifts midair, as does his mate, who jumps into his arms. He sinks down to his knees and holds her to him, kissing her with intense passion. It soon heats up, with hands roaming and grabbing, teeth bared and biting, and I quickly look away.

“Oh!” I exclaim, and Lucian chuckles, running a hand up and down my spine as I lie across his lap.

“Yeah…they’ll need a few hours or so now,” he says with a laugh.

I glance over my shoulder to see him looking down at me, and his hand smooths over my behind with a contented sigh.

“Damn…that’s some time,” I say.

“I can understand such desires…” He quirks his eyebrows suggestively, and it makes me tingle.

I hum to myself and he helps me sit back upright in my seat with a smile. I refrain from looking out the windows again until we are directly in front of the palace. The last thing I’d want is to accidentally see Kia and his mate “busy” in the middle of the grounds—not that they seem to mind engaging in such a public display.

When we stop, I look around in awe. My own home isn’t small, it’s like a manor house in size, but ~this~? This really is a palace. I came here only a few days ago, but that was during the night. It didn’t seem as grand as this.

“Wow…” I mutter and he chuckles.

“Doesn’t every princess deserve a palace?” he says with a wink, and I can’t help smiling as he offers his hand.

I look around outside but see no one hovering to welcome us. Where are his servants?

“D-do you need Kia?” I ask cautiously, and he shakes his head.

“Not in my own home, darling. I know this place like the back of my hand, and my staff are very aware that nothing gets moved around. Not even by an inch.”

I nod. A hint of iron in his tone makes me shiver. I bet his staff do exactly as they’re told. Lucian may be gentle around me, but he is still a mighty king who has ruled without being challenged for more than two hundred years. You don’t reign for that long unless you have earned people’s respect—and maybe even their fear.

I’m guessing his staff know that he doesn’t want them hovering right now, or else they’d be hovering like crazy. I bet everything that goes on around here happens exactly the way he wants it to happen.

I’m kind of glad that he doesn’t seem to like the pomp and ceremony that I associate with royalty. I’m definitely in favor of a more relaxed style.

“Come on beautiful, I’ll show you around.” He opens his own door, and I shimmy my way across the back seats and exit on his side with him.

***

I follow his lead up the front steps and he doesn’t even miss a beat. He wasn’t wrong. He knows every inch of his home.

As he leads me through the massive front doors, I look around in wonder. It’s so light and open inside; clear daylight pours in through large windows and patio doors at the far end of the room. Portraits of previous alphas and lunas, kings and queens line the walls. I’m surprised, considering he can’t see that well, but maybe they’re there for the benefit of visitors. Fresh cut flowers sit in large vases, arranged to perfection. Although it’s all rather grand and ridiculously luxurious, it still has a homely feel to it.

“I rely on natural light when I’m not in form. I hate shadows, they make it harder to navigate,” he says openly, and I smile that he’s comfortable telling me more about his condition. “Come on, I’ll show you everything.” I take his hand as he leads me around the ground floor.

There’s an insanely large library that I could get lost in for days at a time, with a vast array of books on its shelves. Almost every kind of book you could think of is stored within its walls.

There’s a home gym that definitely looks well used, and judging by Lucian’s toned abs, he spends a lot of time here.

Lucian shows me to his office where he spends hours every day, alongside Kia, who has his own side of the office with a whole lot more paperwork stacked up compared to Lucian’s side. I assume Kia does most of the filing work and document checks.

He also takes me around the housekeeping quarters, which take up a whole wing of the house. A place this size clearly requires a lot of staff to maintain it.

Then he leads me into a large, glass sunroom, an extension of the house—where an Olympic-sized pool dominates the space. It’s like being outside, except the sides are a frosted glass to allow in the natural light while preventing anyone from seeing in. The ceiling is crystal clear, and you can see the bright, blue sky and white, fluffy clouds floating above. I bet it’s beautiful to swim in here when it rains. Lying on your back watching the water run down the glass would be like a fairy tale.

“Wow…this is beautiful,” I say dreamily, and he chuckles.

“You swim?” he asks, and I nod.

“I really enjoy it. I usually swim in our woods. We have a natural quarry out there that gathered water over the years. It’s always a nice place to swim.” My voice is quiet as my mind flicks to Zeke and me swimming there on hot summer days—and I try not to wince. He nods, looking around before starting to remove his clothes.

“Come on then.”

I watch, blushing a little as he strips. “What are you doing?” I ask, anxiously peering around, and he laughs.

“Relax, baby. No one’s here. Swim with me.”

Stripped to his boxers, he moves toward me and holds my waist in a light grip. I look around once more to check that we really are alone. Then I nod, biting my lip.

A small smile pulls at his lips, and he lifts my vest over my head, dropping it to the floor. He lets his hands follow the curve of my body, finding the top of my jeans and popping the buttons before crouching to shimmy them down my legs. Then he helps me step out of them. Still crouching, he presses a kiss to the front of both my thighs and gives them a little jiggle in his hands, making me blush. “Mmm, so fucking hot,” he murmurs as he pops his fingers into the waist of my panties. I gasp, grabbing his hands.

“What are you doing?” I squeak and he laughs. “Panties stay on. And the bra. Or I’m not going in.” I’ll never be able to make a rational choice about the future if I let my raw physical attraction for this man take over.

“Are you sure?” he asks with a cocky smile. “Don’t worry about being seen.” He leans in. “Anyone who lays eyes on what’s mine, loses them,” he whispers into my ear. Then he gently nips the lobe, making me flush brighter.

“I’m sure,” I say. “The underwear stays on.”

He shrugs regretfully and holds a hand out to me. I take it—trying not to stare at his toned abs—and let him lead me down the steps into the pool.

The second my toes touch the water, I sigh with contentment. It is the perfect temperature, and I melt into it slowly with each step.

“Hmmm,” I hum, relaxed, and let him wrap me around his body as he walks to the deeper side. With my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, I rest my cheek on his shoulders. Lucian’s hands wrap around my own waist and caress the curves gently.

“You’re so beautiful, Liana,” he murmurs next to my ear, and despite the warmth of the water, his words still make me shiver. “I still can’t quite believe I found you…that you’re real, that you’re actually here.” His words touch me softly, and I press a kiss into his neck. He shudders.

“I’m here,” I confirm, and his grip tightens as he hugs me and rests his face on my shoulder, nodding. Tenderness is not something I would ever have expected from this king, rumored to be so ruthless. Some of the stories I’ve heard would shake anybody to their core—and yet this man, here and now? I just can’t see it, I can’t see the deadly lycan king who rules with an iron fist and tears enemies limb from limb. He just seems so gentle…so at peace with me here in his embrace.

LUCIAN

Have I ever felt so complete with someone in my arms? Her warmth, her smell, the soft feeling of her skin brushing naked against mine. Everything about her completes me; she is the piece of the puzzle that has been missing my whole life.

I try to stay relaxed and calm but let her go even the slightest bit and she’ll be sliding along my ready and waiting cock. Just a double layer of wet fabric between us. The thought alone makes me harder.

“Liana…”

“Mhmm?” she says against my neck. Tightening her legs around me, she lifts herself up a little, then slides back down.

“We should…mmm.” I can’t finish my sentence when I feel her panties brush against my abs. I take a deep, centering breath in an attempt to control my crazed thoughts.

“You okay?” she asks far too innocently.

“Oh, baby… too okay,” I manage, and she pulls back a little to look at my face.

“Lucian?” she asks. My grip tightens on her waist, my hold hanging by a thread now.

“Baby, you need to move away, slowly…” I barely manage to get out, and I sense her frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not going to hold on much longer if you don’t move away from me…” I plead, and feel her smile against the skin of my neck.

“Kiss me, then…” she whispers.

I growl and push her back against the side of the pool, pinning her there with my body. My straining cock brushes against her inner thigh through my boxers, and I want nothing more than to pound myself into her, but I can wait until she’s ready.

We kiss, and it’s everything all at once—and also not nearly enough. Her mouth is so warm, I could lose myself in it forever. I want her so badly, it hurts. Suddenly, I know that if I don’t move away from her, I’m not going to be able to restrain myself. Gently, I detach her from me and place her hands on the pool’s edge. Then I push off hard and swim several laps, going as fast as I can. I swim and swim until my body calms down.

Then I come back, panting, and lift her back into my arms.

“Oh!” she giggles a little as I carefully start wading through the water and back toward the steps.

I don’t let her go, carrying her out of the water toward the loungers. Sitting myself down, I swing my legs up, still holding her to me, and lie back with her on top of me.

I’ll never get over how good she feels just to hold in my arms. Trailing my fingers up and down her spine, my inner beast feels utterly sated with having her so close, even without the release it was clamoring for earlier. I am the calmest I’ve felt in a long time.

In the back of my mind is a tiny, niggling question, though. She must feel the same irresistible attraction I feel. And yet—she seems perfectly able to resist it. She is clearly in two minds about this whole situation. What if she decides to ignore the call of nature and obey the call of duty? What if she walks away?

And that is the precise moment when Kia speaks into my mind. ‘Sir? The council meeting?’

~“Put them off,”~ I say lazily. ~“I’m in no mood.”~

~“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t. It’s about—a rather urgent matter. You need to be there.”~

~“Fine. Give me twenty minutes. I’m not just rushing away from Liana on her first morning here.”~

All my hackles would be rising if I was in my lycan form. Fuck. This cannot be good.