Chapter 26: Mine!

​Lucian’s POV

​I felt Lucas shift beside me and glanced at him. He was watching them too, but his expression had changed—only slightly, but I caught it. His jaw was tighter, and his eyes were fixed on Nathan as he led Annabel toward the dance floor. Then Nathan placed his right hand firmly against the bare skin of her waist, and Lucas’s expression darkened further.

​For one brief second, my attention shifted away from Nathan and toward my brother. Why did Lucas care? Why the fuck was he looking at another man’s hand on my wife’s waist like he wanted it gone?

​Then my wolf surged violently beneath my skin, dragging my attention straight back to Annabel.

​Mine, a dark, territorial roar echoed from the depth of my wolf.

​I froze at the thought. No. Absolutely fucking not. She wasn’t mine. She was a treaty, a responsibility, a punishment, a whore from an enemy pack. Yet here I was, losing my damn mind because another man’s fingers were touching her skin.

​I couldn’t take it anymore. I set my glass down on a passing tray with a sharp clink and marched toward them, the crowd parting around me as my heavy aura swept over the courtyard. I stood by the pillars for a brief second before reaching them, watching the young male’s hand remain firmly against the bare skin of her waist.

​"That’s enough," I said coldly, my voice cutting through the music.

​Nathan caught sight of my expression, and his smile instantly vanished. Everyone in the territory knew my reputation as a bloodthirsty beast. He quickly drew his hand back, bowing his head nervously. "Princess, perhaps I should..."

​"Yes," I said without looking at him. "You should."

​He left immediately. But Annabel remained perfectly still, looking up at me with cool defiance.

​"We were dancing, Lucian," she said quietly. "We haven’t finished."

​"I said that’s enough. Don’t provoke me," I growled.

​Without giving her a choice, I held out my hand. When she hesitated, I grabbed her wrist, pulled her away, and slotted my heavy body against hers, taking over the dance myself.

​The shift was instant. My large hand came down hard against the bare dip of her back, pulling her tight against my chest so that not a single breath of air could pass between us. Bare skin. Fuck. I immediately regretted touching her. No, I regretted how much I liked touching her.

​We moved together to the slow rhythm, looking for all the world like a devoted Alpha and his Luna to the crowd around us. But up close, it was pure poison.

​"Jealous?" Annabel whispered, her eyes flashing with challenge as her hand rested on my broad shoulder.

​"Don’t flatter yourself," I spat back, my eyes locked on hers.

​"Then why did you interrupt?"

​"Because I can."

​Her lips twitched. "So you were jealous."

​"No."

​"Possessive?"

​"No."

​"Angry?"

​"I’m always angry."

​That almost made her laugh, and I tightened my hand around hers.

​Her smile disappeared. For a few moments, neither of us spoke as we moved with the music. Annabel stared up into my face, her expression softening into something raw and confused for a brief second.

​"Why do you hate me so much, Lucian?" she asked quietly. "Is it really just because of the war? I know people from your pack died, Lucian. I know people were hurt. I know your sister is still unconscious. But we lost people too. I lost family and friends too. It was a war. People die on both sides."

​My body went rigid. My jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched violently in my cheek, and my hand tightened around her waist.

​"Do you fucking think this is just about the war?" I hissed down at her. "Did your father really keep you that blind? Did he not tell you what he actually did?"

​Annabel’s lips parted in genuine shock. Her breath hitched, and for a second, she looked genuinely confused. It was obvious she had no idea what I was talking about.

​"What are you talking about? What did he do?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

​I studied her carefully, stopping our movement on the dance floor. She wasn’t pretending. For the first time since she had arrived, something shifted inside me. Maybe Princess Annabel didn’t know as much about her father’s actions as I had assumed.

​Before I could answer her, a heavy, cold presence washed over the entire courtyard. The large doors had opened, and several guards stepped aside. The air grew strangely still, smelling faintly of ozone and crushed pine.

​I froze, turning my head.

​Walking through the edge of the crowd was Lord Axel, the powerful and reclusive ruler of the Fae territories. He rarely attended werewolf celebrations, almost never leaving his own lands for anything that didn’t involve heavy politics or a direct threat. So what the hell was he doing here?

​Axel didn’t look at the food, the bonfire, or the surrounding wolves. His pale, unsettling eyes were locked entirely on Annabel, staring at her with an intensity that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It wasn’t admiration like the other men. It was recognition, shock, maybe even disbelief.

​Annabel shifted beside me, sensing the shift in the air. "Why is he looking at me like that?"

​Leaving the crowd behind, Lord Axel glided straight toward us. People greeted him as he passed, but he barely acknowledged them. I released Annabel’s hand and stepped slightly in front of her, keeping one arm locked firmly around her waist.

​"Lord Axel," I acknowledged, my voice laced with caution.

​"Alpha Lucian," Axel spoke.

​"Is there a problem?" My eyes narrowed as his pale gaze slowly shifted from my face down to Annabel, scanning her features with a dark, mysterious interest.

​"Alpha Lucian, may I speak with you privately?" Axel asked, his eyes never leaving her face.

​"About what?"

​Lord Axel looked at my wife one more time, his expression unreadable.

​"Who’s she?"

​"My wife, Princess Annabel." I didn’t know when that left my lips...

​Lord Axel studied Annabel for a moment and shook his head. "No... she is not."