Page 11 of The Wolf's Appetite
I focused on busywork, pretending that this was an actual distraction from the Lycan male consuming myevery waking moment.
Later that evening,I was finishing up my last round of chores, the estate quieter now that dinner had been served and the sun had dipped below the hills.
The corridors felt hushed, as if even the grand walls held their breath in the stillness. It was peaceful and one of my favorite times when I only had my thoughts to keep me company.
I moved down the upper hall to check the guest rooms, my footsteps soft against the thick runner that covered the polished wooden floors, my mind focused on finishing my tasks.
But then Ifeltit—the sensation that always came before I sawhim.
It was an inexplicable awareness, like the air had thickened, like my body recognized something before my mind could catch up. I wasn’t alone. I didn’t have to look to know who it was.
Lennox.
His presence wrapped around me before I even turned. My heartbeat kicked up, my skin prickled, and I felt a flush rise to my cheeks. Gods, why did my body betray me this way, yet I didn’t feel his fated mate connection?
But surely there was something monumental here… right? AnOtherworldshouldn’t have any sexual feelings toward anyone but their fated mate. But my wolf didn’t acknowledge that Lennox wasmine.
I clenched my jaw and tried to steady my breathing, tried to act unaffected. But it was useless. I could feel Lennox in every single cell of my body.Allof him. The sheer weight of his attention.
Slowly, I turned to face him because ignoring him wasn't an option, not in the professional sense, at least. I drew in a deep breath as if that would anchor me.
Obviously it didn’t.
And the moment my eyes met his, that spark I’d come to dread—and crave—slammed into me. A jolt of heat moved through my body, settling right between my thighs.
A rush of something I didn’t want to name because doing so would make it real.
His gaze was locked on me, his expression unreadable at first glance. But when I reallylooked…when I let myself see past the intimidating mask he always wore… I saw it.
Confusion.
A flicker of uncertainty in those dark eyes when he stared at me, as if trying to dissect all thewhys.
Like he didn’t understand why he was standinghere… watching me. Like he didn’t know what to do with what he was feeling.
That made two of us. Because I didn’t know either, and no matter how much I tried to ignore these feelings and push away the suffocating confusion I felt about them, I still found myself wanting to be near the growly alpha Lycan male.
But right now, all I knew was the pounding of my heart, the tingling awareness between my thighs, and the way my entire body felt hot, flushed, and far too sensitive.
Lennox leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his massive chest, the muscles straining the dark fabric of his shirt. He was so big. So powerfully male that I felt small standing beneath the weight of his attention.What I wouldn’t give to be his shirt right about now.
And it wasn’t just his size—it was the energy that rolled off him. Like barely leashed violence and raw heat all wrapped in the aroma of cedarwood and smoke. And I found myself loving those scents.
They’d become a favorite despite trying to ignore them… and him.
I should have walked past him. Ishouldhave ignored the way his gaze burned over me like a brand. But I couldn’t. I was frozen in place, trapped in whateverthiswas between us. And despite his silent wolf,despite how fractured he was, I knew Lennox felt this, too.
How could he not?
It felt as if there was a neon sign flashing above my head announcing every feeling that coursed through me.
“Can I help ye with anything, My Lord?” I asked, forcing the words past my tight throat. I aimed for steady, proper, and respectful—but the slight tremor in my voice gave me away.
He didn’t answer right away. He just stared at me like he was trying to figure something out, as if he didn’t know if he wanted to chase me down and tackle me to the floor or run from me.
“No,” he finally said, his voice low and rough around the edges.
He had the kind of voice that buzzed across my skin and made me feel feverish. The silence stretched between us making the air heavier, thicker, and charged.
