Chapter 26

Harper’s POV

Lucas stares at me, his body completely still for a moment before he moves. I scramble back until I can go no further and hit a tree. The bark scrapes against my back, and I whimper.

“L-Lucas, what are you doing?” I gasp, holding my breath as he moves closer. His pupils contract before thinning and becoming slits. Wolf eyes. His wolf is taking over. Is he even in control anymore?

Before I can stand or run, Lucas slams his palms to the tree’s trunk, caging me in.

“You shouldn’t be… don’t come any closer,” I croak, but he doesn’t listen. He’s taken by the heat, and when he starts to lean in, I turn my head, trying to dodge him.

All that does, though is expose my neck to him, which is a mistake. With my neck exposed, I give him exactly what a wolf craves. Submission. A satisfied rumble sounds through Lucas’s chest, sending a shiver through me. It settles in my core, and even though I try to ignore it, it warms everything in me.

“Lucas, you have to stop! You have a mate!” I try to push at him, the heat from his body seeping into my hands where I touch him.

“Mate,” he growls softly, but he doesn’t stop. I whimper as his nose touches the invisible mark on my shoulder, setting it aflame.

I cry out, the sound coming out more sensual than expected, and before I know it, his lips are on me. Heat pulses through my body, and I can’t stop myself from arching into his mouth, moaning when he licks a hot, wet line up my neck.

It does something funny to my body, filling it with molten lava. I grip his sides, my fingers digging into his skin when his teeth scrape the sensitive skin there.

“L-Lucas,” I gasp. Then, another traitorous whimper falls from my lips. I struggle to push against him because he’s much stronger than me and because my body doesn’t want to fight him.

Something deep within me yearns for every touch and every kiss, arching into him when he skates across the skin where the mark is.

Electricity crackles in the air around us, and my vision blurs when he lifts me. My legs instinctually wrap around his waist, my dress sliding up my thighs as he presses me back into the tree. A feeble protest falls from my lips, “W-we can’t d-do this.”

Lucas merely growls before slamming his lips down on mine and swallowing the moan that leaves me.

Large, hot hands grip my ass, pulling me against the hard erection he’s sporting. I mewl and roll my hips, needing more contact, more friction. Just more. I need more.

My mind turns to mush as I move against him, rolling my hips into his and feeling the heat take over.

“Mate. Must mate,” he rumbles, teeth scraping against the invisible mark.

My entire body jolts, sending me hurtling out of the hot fog I’m caught in. What am I doing? I screech and shove at Lucas’s shoulders. He doesn’t budge; instead, he hauls me closer, grinding my pussy against his cock. I whimper, bite my lip, and dig my nails into his shoulders.

“L-Lucas! I’m not y-your mate!” Each time he rolls his hips, I almost fall to the pleasure, but I force myself to focus. “Get off me! You’re n-not thinking straight!”

I try my hardest to pull my hips away from his, but the tree behind me doesn’t allow much movement.

“This is just the heat pushing you to do something you don’t really want,” I tell him, trying to wiggle free. A mistake, I assure you, because he thinks I’m trying to move against him, which earns me another thrust and a hand around my neck.

He doesn’t squeeze, but the pressure is there.

I moan. I can’t help it.

The vibrations from his growls, the way his cock rubs against my soaking pussy, and the way his hand lightly squeezes my neck sends me into a heated frenzy.

“L-Lucas.”

Another growl.

Another thrust.

Another mewling moan escapes my mouth as my head falls back against the tree.

“Lucas, please.”

I don’t know what I’m pleading for at this point. I want him, but I shouldn’t. We both have mates.

This shouldn’t be happening.

“Harper?”

I open my eyes and meet his bright blue eyes. His eyes are unfocused, but they’re his.

“L-Lucas, you have to let me go. I… we can’t do this. You’re in heat and—”

“Shit,” he grates and shakes his head roughly. I watch as his eyes flicker between blue and gold, telling me exactly how much he’s struggling to be here right now.

“Let me go, Lucas. Put me down.”

The hand under my ass disappears, allowing me to drop my legs. I wobble, my knees nearly buckling, but I lean back against the tree.

“Turn and walk away,” I order, but my voice is shaking just as bad as my legs.

A fist slams into the tree beside my head, and I duck, scrambling away. I fall to the ground a few feet away, unable to hold myself up on jelly legs.

“I-I can’t…” Lucas groans again, and I watch him carefully. There’s no telling if he’ll snap again. I watch as Lucas punches the tree again, probably using the pain to keep him grounded. He’s breathing heavily, panting, and his face is red and sweaty as he hunches over.

The doctor in me wants to help, but the logical part of me knows that a werewolf in heat needs to have sex to satiate the heat. Usually, a mated werewolf satiates the hunger with their mate, but Sierra isn’t anywhere near here.

“I’m sorry, Harper. G-Get out of here bef-ore I d-do something…” he groans again, his eyes flashing gold and pupils thinning to slits as his wolf comes forward again.

Quickly, I scramble to my feet and run. I don’t look back, hoping and praying that he has enough control to not stay where he is or run the other direction and not chase me. Wolves love to chase.

If he decides to come after me, I won’t be able to outrun him. Who knows what he’ll do if he catches me again. Hopefully, he’ll isolate himself and ride the heat out or find Sierra to help control it.

The idea of him going to Sierra to satiate himself has bile rising in my throat, but I push it away and head toward my room. It’s the only safe place right now. No one else is there and no one will be coming to look for me. I’ll be alone and safe.

When I finally make it to my room, I lock the door and push the heavy desk in front of the door. That should do the trick.

Panting, I flop down on the bed and take several deep breaths. My body still buzzes from his touch no matter how much I try to forget about it. My clothes feel itchy, my mark burns, and my pussy throbs.

I hate how much of an effect he had on me, especially since I shouldn’t want him. I only need to focus on two things: finding the man who marked me and getting to know Logan. Lucas is nowhere in that picture, and because of everything that happened today, I didn’t get a chance to look for the man who marked me.

Now how am I supposed to find my mark mate?