CHAPTER 85: TOUCH ME LIKE THIS...

Leia pressed a single finger just below Lucien’s visible collarbone, tracing a slow line upward along the exposed skin beneath his half-buttoned shirt. Her voice dipped into a whisper. "Then... if I get close to you, will you keep stepping away from me?" She arched an eyebrow, testing him.

Lucien let out a low chuckle, amused by her boldness. "Why would I do that? My intention has always been clear—" his eyes roamed from her lips to her flushed cheeks, then met her gaze again, "—I want you to be mine. But you’re the one making this difficult for both of us. Don’t you feel anything for me?"

Leia swallowed hard, trying to steady the fluttering in her chest. If she wasn’t careful, she’d crumble before him. Her silence gave him the answer he needed.

"Oh?" Lucien leaned in, his voice teasing her. "Did you hear that? Your heartbeat, I can feel it."

Leia’s eyes widened. Their chests were nearly pressed together now, and the warmth between them was palpable.

"Let me go," she said, cheeks burning. "You’re... you’re a pervert."

Lucien’s smile vanished, his expression darkening. "What did you call me?"

"Per—"

Before she could finish, he flipped her onto the mattress with swift force, his lips crashing down on hers. Leia gasped, her hands braced against his chest, breath catching when he lifted her leg and traced his fingers slowly up her thigh.

But then, Lucien abruptly stopped. He pulled back, eyes stormy but laced with hurt. "I’m not a pervert," he said. "I respect you, Leia. So watch what you say. Can’t you see I admire you?"

His hand slipped away from her thigh as he sat up, still on the bed, resting on his knees.

Leia blinked, stunned by his reaction. "Fine. I’m sorry. Now... go to your room."

Lucien tilted his head, and before she could react, he lay down beside her, pulling the blanket over them both.

"Why should I?" he said smoothly. "I’m sleeping here. With you. On the same bed."

Leia blinked rapidly, her brain short-circuiting. She turned her back to him, bringing her hands close to her chest.

’It is happening again. I lost to him. I am unable to argue with him,’ she thought to herself.

Lucien gently brushed his fingers along the nape of Leia’s neck, causing her to jolt slightly and tilt her head toward him.

"What do you want now?" she asked, clutching the blanket closer around her.

"Nothing," he replied with a faint smirk. "Should I turn off the lamp?"

"Yes," she muttered, still wary of his playful antics.

Lucien leaned over and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into a soft darkness. For a while, he simply stared at the ceiling, his voice eventually breaking the silence.

"I’ll be heading to the palace for a few days. I hope you won’t miss me too much."

Leia turned toward him abruptly. "Why are you going to the palace?"

"The Alpha King has summoned me. It seems like something important," he answered, his tone calm but unreadable.

A short silence passed before Leia asked, "By the way... that night in my hometown, how did you stop the police from taking us in? It looked like we were moments away from getting arrested."

Lucien’s lips curled into a teasing smile, though she couldn’t see it in the dark. "Kiss me and I’ll tell you."

Leia groaned. "Forget it. Don’t answer."

He chuckled. "Alright, alright. I called the Alpha Prince. He’s a close friend of mine. He pulled a few strings and smoothed things over before it escalated."

Leia blinked in surprise. "Wait... you have connections like that?"

Lucien turned his head toward her, voice low and amused. "What, you thought I was some average wolf with no influence? You’ve underestimated me, Leia."

"That’s why you act so mighty all the time," Leia mumbled, her voice soft but laced with a hint of sarcasm. Then, after a brief pause, she asked the question that had lingered in the back of her mind for far too long. "Why do you admire me?"

Lucien turned his head slightly on the pillow. "Do I really have to answer that?"

"Of course you do," she said, her lips curving faintly. "I deserve to know why someone like you likes someone like me."

Lucien exhaled slowly. "Because with you, I don’t need to pretend. I can put my guard down and just... be myself. That doesn’t happen often."

Leia blinked, not expecting that kind of answer. "So you trust me? Just like that? What if I betray you one day? You’ll cry. Or worse, curse me."

He let out a soft laugh, the sound laced with warmth. "You won’t. You’re not that kind of woman, Leia."

She was silent, unsure how to respond. But Lucien wasn’t done.

"Besides," he added with a spark of amusement in his eyes, "you’re the only woman who runs away from me. That alone makes you admirable.

Leia felt the weight of his gaze settle on her skin, and a sudden warmth crept up her neck, flushing her cheeks. She turned her face away instinctively, needing a moment to breathe, to think.

But before she could shift further, Lucien’s hand slid to the small of her back, drawing her close. The motion sent a jolt through her. Oy was unexpectedly breath-stealing. She could feel his breath graze her cheek, his nose brushing against her skin with a tenderness that made her eyes flutter shut.

Her lips parted slightly, caught between protest and surrender. She wanted to stop him. She should have. But her body wasn’t listening, it responded to him in ways she hadn’t prepared for. Her breath hitched when his warm hand slipped beneath the hem of her night top.

"Lucien... you’re not supposed to—"

"Do you hate my touch?" he whispered, his lips grazing her jawline. His voice was low, coaxing, but not forceful. He shifted his weight, leaning above her, supported by his elbows, their eyes meeting in the half-dark. "Say it, Leia. Say you hate it, and I’ll never touch you again."

His fingers moved with gentle curiosity along her waist, his touch igniting tremors through her body. She bit her lip, a quiet sound escaping her throat, too soft to be a protest.

"No... I don’t," Leia finally murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucien stilled above her, watching her closely.

"But... I don’t want to fall in love," she added, the words trembling on her lips.

"Why?" he asked softly, his gaze searching hers, not with judgment, but with inauistiveness. While he shared a lot of secrets with Leia, she hardly did that. She would hardly even share about her feelings. She appeared to be too guarded.

Leia hesitated, her fingers curling slightly into the blanket between them. "Because I’m afraid," she confessed. "I heard it from Mom... how Dad said he loved her, yet he left. He let her raise me alone. She waited. She suffered. All in the name of love."

She took a breath, eyes flicking away as she tried to steady herself. "I don’t want that. I don’t want to give someone that power, to make me feel whole, only to abandon me later. I’m scared of it."

Lucien didn’t interrupt. He only listened.

"And when you touch me like this..." Leia’s eyes lifted to meet his again, vulnerability shimmering in their depths. "I feel something I’ve never felt before. My heart reacts in ways I can’t explain. It scares me."

"I understand," Lucien said, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "When I return from the palace, we’ll find your father together. I’m sorry for delaying this matter."

He paused for a moment, taking a breath slowly. "And as for love... Leia, not every man is like your father. You’ve seen how I am with you, how possessive I am for you. I’m not the kind of man who walks away."

His hand rested against her cheek, his thumb brushing her skin as he continued, "From the moment I first saw you, I didn’t just see a woman who caught my eye. I saw someone who could stand beside me as my Luna."

He leaned in closer. "So don’t hesitate to open your heart for me. I’m not going anywhere. I want only you, Leia. From the beginning, you have been my only choice."

Leia felt a sudden flutter in her chest, a sensation she couldn’t control, and this time, she didn’t look away. Her gaze held his with not only trust, but desire too.

Before she even realized it, her lips brushed softly against his. Her eyes drifted shut, and she let herself melt into that kiss. It was tender at first, as if testing the waters of a bond neither had dared to fully acknowledge until now.

Her hands moved on their own, gliding up to the back of his neck, fingers slipping into his hair as she gently pulled him closer. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as their kiss deepened and a warmth bloomed in her chest.

She had never imagined surrendering to him, yet here she was, not just allowing it... but desiring it.