Stolen by the Lycan King

KIRA POV:

An unnatural, suffocating fever tore through my veins, setting my blood ablaze.My vision started to fade.

My palm slammed against the velvet wall of the VIP lounge, fighting to keep my balance as my knees buckled into useless cotton.

My trembling fingers reached for my phone, but another violent pulse of heat surged through my core, dropping me straight onto the plush carpet.

My inner wolf thrashed in my mind, howling in frantic confusion. This was not a natural cycle. This was a foreign, artificial storm forcefully tearing down my defenses.

The heavy lounge door clicked open.

The one coming to save me was finally here.

A tall, imposing silhouette filled the frame, cutting off the light from the corridor. Before I could see his face, his scent hit me-a wave of crisp cedar, frost, and ozone, cutting through the sweltering haze like a blizzard.

A broken whimper slipped past my lips. The sheer dominance radiating from him should have sent me running, yet every treacherous inch of my burning skin begged for his touch.

He knelt before me. A broad, calloused hand gripped my jaw, lifting my face.

The moment his skin brushed against mine, a current ripped down my spine, forcing an involuntary gasp from my throat. He let out a low, guttural growl, as if something wild had snapped inside his chest.

Before the last shred of my sanity dissolved, he scooped me into his arms and threw me onto the deep leather sofa.

He came down over me, his cold lips crashing against mine-not in a gentle kiss, but in a raw, commanding claim of ownership.

The friction was too intense, the fever too wild. Overwhelmed by the crushing power of his weight, I opened my lips and bit down hard on the corded muscle of his broad shoulder.

A sharp grunt vibrated against my collarbone.

"Ease up," he rasped, his large palms locking onto my waist with bruising force.

Knowing the sting of wolf teeth, I loosened my bite, panting against his neck.

Before I could breathe, a low, wicked chuckle brushed the shell of my ear.

"I was not talking about your teeth, sweetheart."

The words sank in, and a scorching wave of humiliation instantly set my cheeks on fire.

Beside the sofa, my discarded phone buzzed relentlessly against the carpet, the screen lighting up with a headline notification: Alpha Hayes Carlisle and Clarisa Knox spotted together at the Pack Gala.

Hayes Carlisle was my husband.

The name felt like ice down my spine. My entire body locked up, instantly turning rigid beneath him.

The sudden shift was undeniable.

The man paused, lazy hooded eyes glancing toward the glowing screen on the floor. His gaze swept over Hayes's beaming face before settling back on me, a mocking smirk playing on his lips.

"Carlisle's heir... an acquaintance of yours?" he murmured, pressing a hot, deliberate kiss beneath my jaw.

The mention of Hayes made my stomach churn with disgust.

"Is prying into gossip part of your hourly rate?" I snapped, gasping as I tried to keep whatever dignity I had left.

He let out a low, dangerous laugh.

His grip tightened on my hips, his rhythm turning unapologetically fierce, drowning my defiance in a storm of breathless heat.

Everything was over.I let him shower first.

By the time the sound of running water echoed from the private bathroom, the fever had finally begun to ebb.

Every muscle in my body ached, but I refused to stay another second.

Pushing myself up from the sofa, I gathered my torn dress and pulled my clutch from the floor. With trembling hands, I drew out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills and slammed it onto the velvet armchair.

I did not care who he was.

Holding the wall for support, I slipped quietly out the door and disappeared into the rainy night.

AIDEN POV:

Steam drifted from the doorway as I stepped into the dim lounge, a towel slung low around my waist.

My eyes immediately landed on the neat stack of banknotes sitting on the dark velvet chair.

A slow, wolfish grin spread across my face.

I walked over to the bar, lit a cigarette, and picked up the cash, letting the crisp bills slide through my fingers with genuine amusement.

The outer door swung open, and my Beta, Shawn, rushed in, catching the thick, lingering scent in the room and instantly freezing in horror.

"Alpha! Forgive me for the security breach," Shawn stammered, bowing his head in panic. "Give me thirty minutes, and I will have my enforcers track her down."

I leaned back against the counter, exhaling a thin stream of gray smoke.

"Stand down," I said, my tone lazy and unbothered. "I was a willing participant."

Shawn looked up, completely stunned.

In all the years he had served me, I had never allowed a single female within arm's reach. Pack rumors had long whispered that I was cold-blooded and incapable of desire.

Yet here I stood, my chest marked with fresh scratches.

Before Shawn could wrap his mind around the situation, my voice turned lethal and deep.

"Pull every file on Hayes Carlisle's private life. I want a full breakdown on my desk within the hour."

When the little wolf had collapsed into my suite earlier, burning up from a tainted state, I had expected an ambush. But the moment I claimed her, I had discovered two glaring facts.

She carried no Alpha mark on her skin.

And despite two years of marriage to my half-brother, she had been entirely untouched.

I looked down at the money in my palm, watching the crisp paper catch the dim light.

I liked this little surprise.

Even if she had mistaken me for a cheap escort and failed to recognize who had just taken her.