The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans
Chapter 48: The First Feral Fling

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The First Feral Fling

I shifted beneath him, trying not to look like I was trembling.... but I was. Not from fear. That would’ve made more sense. No, this was something else. Something darker. Something that scared me more than any beating ever had.

Kieran’s words were primal, raw and unapologetic, and the worst part was how they sank into me, worming their way past every wall I had built. He leaned closer, his body pressing down against mine like he owned the space, like he owned me. And when I tried to push him away, it was like trying to shove a mountain. He didn’t budge.

"You look like you actually want me to take you," he murmured, voice low and deep, like velvet soaked in sin.

I turned my head, avoiding his gaze. But I could feel it, his eyes dragging over me, undressing me with every glance. My skin burned under it. I felt naked, and not just because I wasn’t wearing anything under the loose shirt he’d dressed me in.

"You feel it too, don’t you?" he asked, no trace of mercy in his tone. "That pull. That need."

"Kieran," I whispered, my voice barely a sound.

He continued anyway, his mouth so close now I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. "In case you’re wondering," he began, slow and deliberate, "I’ve had plenty of she-wolves before. Elite warriors. Lycan-born warriors. Powerful bitches who begged to be under me. Being able to dominate a strong she-wolf, mind, body, and soul, is part of how a Lycan proves his strength."

My breath caught in my throat.

His hand braced the bed beside my head, firm and caging, while his other ran down the length of my side, hovering, not quite touching, but close enough to make my nerves scream.

"You," he said, almost thoughtfully, "could be my first feral fling."

There was no mockery in his voice. That was the most terrifying part. He wasn’t saying it to humiliate me, he was offering it. Like it was nothing. Like I was nothing. A fling. A fleeting taste. A game he’d grow bored of once he proved he could break me like the rest.

I wanted to shake my head. To spit out a no. To remind him that I wasn’t his. That I would never be.

But my body betrayed me.

Every inch of me was awake, hyperaware of his nearness, his strength, the heat of him above me. And the way he said it, possessive, dominant, like he was already imagining what it would be like to have me, made something inside me twist. Ache.

Why?

Why was my body reacting like this?

I hated him. Didn’t I?

But the way he looked at me.... like I was a challenge he wanted to conquer, like I was a flame he couldn’t stop reaching for even if it burned him, it did something to me. Something dangerous.

I looked up into his red eyes, those wild, inhuman orbs that burned like twin suns. And I didn’t see kindness. I didn’t see warmth. I saw hunger. Raw, consuming, animalistic hunger.

And Goddess help me.... something deep, deep down inside me wanted to be devoured by him

Kieran’s face inched closer, and I couldn’t move. I didn’t even breathe. His lips brushed against the side of my neck like a whisper, and my stomach twisted, tight, confused, and burning with something I refused to name

Then, just like that, he pulled away.

He stood, towering over me for a moment before walking back to the couch with maddening calm, as if the earth-shattering tension between us had been a casual passing breeze

I lay there for a heartbeat longer, my body still trying to process, before I forced myself to sit up and adjust the oversized shirt I was wearing. My skin still tingled where his breath had touched me. I hated it

I hated him.

"You seem disappointed that I stood up without doing anything," he said, his voice like smoke and sin, that smug grin playing on his lips as his red eyes locked onto mine.

I turned sharply and shot him a glare sharp enough to slice flesh

"Don’t flatter yourself," I snapped, standing to face him fully. "I know you’re used to girls throwing themselves at you, Lycans, elites, maybe even nobles, but I’m not one of them."

His smile widened, amused.

"I don’t care about your face, or your title, or those stupid red eyes of yours. I despise your rotten personality. You walk around like you own the world and everyone in it. Newsflash, I’m not your property. I might be a feral, I might be utterly powerless because my wolf is dormant, but that doesn’t make me yours to take. I belong to myself. If I’m ever to be taken, if I ever choose to give myself to anyone, I can promise you that it sure as hell won’t be you."

Kieran leaned back, arms spread lazily along the couch, still watching me like I was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. His grin didn’t fade. If anything, it deepened.

"You have a fire within you," he said slowly, eyes gleaming. "One no feral should possess. That fire will either carry you to greatness.... or lead you straight to your death."

I didn’t reply.

I turned on my heel and headed for the door, each step fueled by the burning rage pulsing through my chest. My fingers curled around the handle, and I twisted it without hesitation.

"Thank you for saving me from the White Room," I said, keeping my back to him. "But I’m leaving."

I started to turn the the knob.

And then his voice came again, low, calm, and terrifyingly final.

"The moment you step out of that door," he said, "you’ll be on Lycan’s dormitory. The guards will smell you before you even make it to the stairs. A feral, uninvited. Breaking into the Lycans’ dorm."

He paused. I could feel his eyes on my back.

"You’ll be torn apart before you reach the gate."

My hand stilled on the handle.

"You’re stuck here with me, little wolf," he said, almost like it amused him. "Until I find a way to get you out."

The silence pressed in around me like a vice.

And all I could do was let go of the handle and turn slowly back toward the devil I was now trapped with.