RISE OF THE LYCANS - Mates and Bonds

Selena

“They’re both technically crêpes,” he said as his lips quirked.

“A galette is savory, and it’s made with buckwheat. A crêpe is sweet, and it’s made with regular flour.”

“The French and their fancy words.” He shook his head, and I laughed, recalling that his grandmother had said the same thing earlier today.

He ordered the crêpes Suzette with a side of vanilla ice cream, and I was thankful they didn’t flambé it tableside. It was probably safe to do so since Lukas could manipulate fire, earth, air, and water—something the lycans of the past couldn’t. Not only was he the first lycan born in over a thousand years, but he was also the first known elemental lycan. This was a clear sign the Moon Goddess had something extraordinary planned for him.

“How’s your crêpe?” He asked.

“Chocolatey delicious.”

His eyes softened. “You always loved Nutella.”

“Apparently, the French do as well,” I smiled. “France is the world’s largest consumer of Nutella. It’s a household staple.”

“Sounds like it’s a staple in your household.”

I held up two fingers. “Two jars. I always keep a backup just in case,” I laughed.

He reached his hand across the table and swiped his finger at the corner of my mouth. “You had some on your face.” He licked his finger clean and continued eating as if it was the most normal thing to do.

“I hear the triplets are planning a summer vacation in Ibiza?” Persephone’s older brothers were always up to something, and I was curious to see if Lukas was going.

“Ibiza is overrated. Nothing beats Mykonos,” he said.

The thought of Lukas at some summer party destination surrounded by bikini-clad females bothered me. It shouldn’t have, considering he was at a sex club tonight, but it did.

Three females occupied the table next to us and kept stealing glances at him. His jet-black hair and striking blue eyes made him irresistible to shifters and humans alike. I focused on my food and tried not to let it bother me, but my wolf was snarling in my head.

Alphas always seemed to stand out in a crowd, but Lukas wasn’t just an Alpha. He was the strongest and deadliest Alpha in the shifter world and often had to suppress his aura. He towered over six feet tall and was perfectly carved with muscle. His clothing was perfectly tailored for him, and it only seemed to enhance his physique. Lukas smiled at me, and it pulled at the strings of my heart.

“How’s Stella?” He asked, and I knew he was sensing her tension.

“She’s fine,” I lied. She missed his wolf and rarely ever wanted to go for a run without him. “I didn’t see Rex at the club,” I quickly changed the topic.

“He’s at home with Storm. They think it’s pointless since they’re not twenty-five yet,” he explained. “But they’ll be flying in for your graduation with Grandma Dori.”

“He’s in for a surprise,” my wolf whispered.

Remembering I had left Persephone and Grandma Dori alone in my apartment, I quickly finished the rest of my dessert. The crêperie was two blocks away from my building, and I was torn on how to get rid of him without looking suspicious.

“What’s your hurry?” He said as he walked in step beside me.

“Tomorrow is going to be a busy day,” I replied. I’ve got breakfast at the hotel, a spa appointment with the girls, and then the ball.”

“I was serious about skipping the ball.”

My heart fluttered. He couldn’t be serious. This had to be anxiety or cold feet the night before he would potentially meet his life mate and Luna Queen. No matter how much I wished, hoped, or prayed, I already knew it wasn’t going to be me.

“My building is just over there. You should probably try to catch a taxi from this corner.”

“I was thinking that I should come up and meet your company. Apologize for keeping you away longer than necessary.”

“Oh… no. I’m sure she’s probably sleeping already,” I tried to wave him off. “Good night.”

“I think you’re lying,” he said, and I froze mid-step.

I could kick myself. Anyone with waiting company at home wouldn’t have stopped for crêpes. Or, at the very least, they would have ordered extra for their visiting guest.

“Excuse me?” I asked, and he stepped closer to me. Too close.

“Only two jars of Nutella,” he smirked. “I bet there’s a third one hidden in the back of a cupboard.” His face was inches from mine, and I licked my lower lip.

“So what if there is?” I spoke just above a whisper, too focused on his mouth.

That damn smirk of his made my heart skip a beat, and I could feel myself heating up. He was trying to find an excuse to invite himself to my apartment. To be alone with me, and I wasn’t immune to his charm. His eyes focused on something moving behind me, and his head tilted to the side as he stared.

“Grandma?”

“Lukas, honey,” Her voice floated behind me. “You never saw me.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I’m here for the open auditions at the Moulin Rouge. Why else would I be here?” She told him, and I had to choke down my laughter.

“Persephone? What are you two doing here? Did Uncle Balthazar and Aunt Demeter bring you?”

“Well, no,” Grandma said. “Not exactly.”

Persephone stood in silence, holding two bags. By the looks of it, they had ventured out for some food. “Where did you go?” I thought I told you not to leave.”

Lukas turned his questioning eyes to me. “You knew they were here?”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Grandma moaned. “We just went for a quick snack. Relax.”

“Grandma, you can’t go walking around Paris in the middle of the night,” he replied.

“It’s not even midnight, and the last time I checked, I didn’t have a curfew,” she said. “Come on up, I picked up some eclairs and macarons.”

“Great, I’m starved,” Lukas said as he followed her back to my apartment building.

“You just ate,” I whispered.

“When did they get here?”

“This morning,” I replied as we started trekking up the stairs.

“Grandma, I thought you were staying with Uncle Poseidon?” He asked.

“Change of plans,” she casually shrugged.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“I said I wasn’t going to be gone long. You should have waited for me.”

“We got bored. It’s hard to sleep with the time zone difference,” she told us. “I wanted to take a tour of the catacombs at night, but they were already closed.”

“Imagine that… allowing the dead to rest in peace,” he muttered.

“But we did get invited to a secret underground party in another part of the catacombs,” Persephone added.

“So, you want to party with six million dead people buried under Paris?” Lukas replied sarcastically. “Sounds like a real good time!”

“Those gatherings are illegal,” I told her as we reached the top of the stairs.

Grandma pushed the door open, and Lukas was instantly annoyed. “You left the door unlocked?”

“She’s all the way on the top floor. No thief would be foolish enough to climb all those stairs so they could carry down a television.” Grandma shuffled into my tiny kitchen to plate the desserts. “These macarons better be good for the price I paid.”

“I still can’t get over this view,” Persephone moved to the window.

Lukas leaned in close and whispered, “You didn’t think to tell me sooner?”

I shrugged. “Your grandmother can be very convincing.”

“Let me guess, was it the cataracts or the arthritis?”

“Both.”

He shook his head. “Shifters don’t get either.”

After another round of dessert, Grandma Dori and Persephone retired to my bedroom for the night. Lukas tried to persuade them to return to the hotel with him, but they wanted to stay. He sat in the only armchair in my apartment, insisting that he would stand guard for the night to ensure Grandma’s safety. I knew it was to ensure she didn’t sneak off again—probably to that illegal catacomb party.

I went into the bathroom and slipped into my pajamas before I wished Grandma and Persephone goodnight. Padding out to my living room, I returned to the pull-out sofa and yanked the blanket over myself. Lukas had kicked off his shoes and stretched his legs out. He looked perfectly relaxed and amused.

“Why are you smiling?”

“You walk around a club naked, but you dress like a nun to go to sleep,” he chuckled. “You know, they say nearly one-third of France sleeps au naturel.”

“I was not naked in the club, and I don’t look like a nun,” I clipped. “And I’m certainly not going to parade around in something skimpy with your grandmother here.”

“So, if my grandmother wasn’t here, you’d parade around in something skimpy? I’ll call Caspian to come get her!” He grinned, and Stella yipped in my head.

“Good night!” I hugged my pillow closer but kept my eyes glued on him.

“Good night, Princess.”

I never thought I’d like being called Princess, but when he did, it made my stomach flutter. His head turned, and he stared at something outside my window. The clock told me it was midnight, and I knew the Eiffel Tower was sparkling in the distance as it did at the top of every hour. I’ve watched it sparkle hundreds of times, and it always looks as magical as the first time I saw it.

Lukas was here… in my apartment. I should have been freaking out and trying to maintain my distance from him to protect my heart. But the truth was, having him so close was comfortable. The world felt calm and balanced. His fresh, masculine scent filled the air, and it gave me comfort. I breathed in the cedarwood and earthy spice that was uniquely Lukas.

I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep, knowing he was watching over me.

The sun was rising when I opened my eyes, but I wasn’t ready to get up yet. Pulling the pillow to my face, I inhaled deeply and sighed when I realized how wonderful it smelled.

“Good morning,” his deep voice rasped from the kitchen. “How did you sleep?” He asked.

“Great,” I groaned as I realized my pillow smelled like him.

I took a quick sniff of the blanket, and it was saturated in his scent. Rubbing my hand over my face, I tried to recall the events from the night before. When I dosed off, he was sitting in the armchair - the same armchair that his clothes were slung over.

“Lukas?”

“Would you like a cup of coffee before we leave?”

I turned to find him standing in the tiny kitchen, looking like a giant. I tried not to gawk when I saw him, but he was an incredible sight.

“Why are you naked?”

He shot me a grin before he replied. “I’m not naked. These are boxer briefs.”

Moon Goddess, kill me now.

Lukas had asked Caspian to come over in the morning and take Grandma Dori and Persephone to the Louvre Museum. Thanks to the evve tea, their scents were hidden, but he still insisted they be accompanied. I took a quick shower and dressed before I stepped out into my living room to see Caspian.

“The car I took is waiting downstairs to take you back to the hotel,” I heard him tell Lukas before he turned to me.

“Long time no see,” he said with a wink. The grin on his face told me he was also at the club last night.

The ride back to the hotel took about ten minutes, and we made small talk about all the visiting families who would be attending the mating ball. My parents were born in the same pack from Mexico, so my family wasn’t spread out across multiple countries and continents like his were. The ball was going to be a big family reunion for Lukas.

We reached the hotel and took the elevator to the top floor. The door chimed open, but it wasn’t the rooftop. It was the penthouse floor. Lukas turned and leaned into me. His eyes seemed to be searching for answers in mine. For a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to kiss me.

“I’m going to take a quick shower and join you in a few minutes,” he said as he stepped out and pressed the red button for the rooftop.

The door closed, and the elevator lifted up before I could say a word. I should have known he’d want to shower. My scent was all over him, and he didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. I took a deep breath, and the elevator door chimed open to the rooftop. Plastering a smile on my face, I stepped out to greet my family.

“Mi amor!” My father was the first to wrap his arms around me. Stella yipped happily at the sight of him.

“Hola Papa.” It had been three months since their last visit, and yet it felt like an eternity.

“How was your pre-graduation celebration last night?” He kissed the top of my head.

“It was a night to remember,” I laughed and continued hugging my mother and sister.

The tables were pushed together as members of the LaRue and Crow packs mingled. Lukas’ parents hugged me next, and guilt washed through me, knowing that I was keeping a secret from Ares and Eudora. Ares was still my Alpha, and my wolf was feeling anxious.

“Everything okay?” Ares asked.

I’m harboring your grandmother and niece in my apartment. Grandma set fire to a restaurant and wanted to go clubbing in the catacombs beneath Paris. I ran into your son at a sex club last night. My mind was spinning with all the possible answers…

“Fine,” I smiled. “Everything is good.”

We sat down to eat, and I noticed both Cynder and Sol were unusually quiet. After making my rounds and greeting the others, I took a seat beside my mother to eat. Breakfast in France wasn’t a big affair, and it usually consisted of a pastry or bread with coffee or tea. The spread laid out today was incredible.

I reached for my favorite - baked eggs.

“Why do they call them eggs en cocotte?” Flaym asked, pointing to my eggs. “Doesn’t cocotte mean prostitute?”

“Here we go again with talks of prostitution,” my wolf snuffled.

Ares had reserved both the spa and salon at the hotel for the day. There wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for his mate. We spent the rest of the morning getting manicures, pedicures, and facials. Mimosas were served as we got plucked and waxed. I went with the full wax since it had been a while since I treated myself. I wasn’t sure what to do with my hair, and Jose was coming over this evening to assist with hair and makeup, so I just went with deep conditioning at the salon to keep my curls shiny.

Lily LaRue had just turned eighteen and was Lukas’ cousin from Dark Moon Pack. I couldn’t help overhear her conversation with my little sister. “If Lukas doesn’t find his mate tonight, I bet she’s going to be human,” she said. “Though it doesn’t really matter what she is because he’s going to turn her into a lycan.”

“Archer said Lukas preferred human females,” Aspen LaRue chimed in. I felt my chest squeeze. That would probably explain what he was doing at the club last night.

“Only the Moon Goddess knows who is destined with who,” Cynder scowled and shot me an apologetic look.

Through the salon mirrors, I met Eudora’s sympathetic gaze and tried to look as calm as possible. She had always believed I was destined for her son and was just as shocked as the rest of my family when it didn’t happen. Smiling, I reached for my mimosa and suddenly found myself wishing I had skipped breakfast and spent the day at the Louvre with Grandma.