Bound By Fate

Lucien's POV

I punched the wall so hard my knuckles cracked.

"What the hell was that?" I snarled, looking at the kitchen door that Kieran had just slammed shut.

My dog was going crazy inside my head. Pacing and screaming and demanding I go back in there. Demanding I find that girl again and never let her go.

But I couldn't. Because what just happened made no sense at all.

That smell. That incredible, perfect smell that made my whole body shake with need. And then seeing her face and feeling something snap into place in my chest like a puzzle piece I'd been missing my whole life.

The mate bond.

But Kieran felt it too. I saw his face. I felt his shock through our twin link.

How could we both be mated to the same girl? That was impossible. It had never happened before in pack history.

"Lucien," Caelan grabbed my arm. "We need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" I yanked away from him. "Talk about how our lives just got completely screwed up?"

My hands were shaking. My wolf was so angry I could barely think straight. He wanted to go back in there. He wanted to claim what was ours.

But she wasn't ours. She couldn't be ours. We were meant to mate with Elaria or some other Beta's daughter. Not some random pack member who smelled like heaven and looked at us like we were monsters.

"Did you see how scared she was?" Caelan asked softly.

Yes. I saw. And it made my wolf whine like a kicked puppy.

"She should be scared," I said, even though the words tasted like lies. "We're Alpha's sons. We're scary."

"Not to her," Kieran said. His voice was rough. "Never to her."

I looked at my brother. Perfect Kieran who never lost control. Perfect Kieran who always did what was expected. Perfect Kieran who looked just as messed up as I felt.

"This can't be happening," I said.

But it was happening. The truth was burning in my chest like a fire that wouldn't go out.

"We need to find out who she is," Caelan said.

"We need to stay away from her," I snapped back. "Whatever this is, it's going to cause trouble. Big problems."

But even as I said it, my wolf was laughing at me. Stay away? From our mate? Never going to happen.

I could still smell her. Even out here in the hallway, her smell was stuck in my nose. Honey and blooms and something sweet that made my mouth water.

"I'm going back to the party," I said, because I needed to get away from that door before I broke it down and scared her even more.

The pack house was full of people enjoying our return. They were laughing and talking and having a great time. But all I could think about was her.

Who was she? Why hadn't I noticed her before? How long had she been in our pack?

I grabbed a drink and tried to act normal. Tried to smile and joke with pack members like I always did. But my wolf was hunting. Searching the crowd for any sign of that incredible smell.

Then I caught it again.

Faint but definitely there. Coming from the direction of the dining room.

My feet started moving before my brain caught up. I pushed through the crowd, following my nose like a bloodhound. People were calling my name, trying to talk to me, but I couldn't hear them over the noise in my head.

She was close. Very close.

I turned the corner into the dining room and froze.

There she was.

She had her back to me, holding a tray of dirty dishes. Her dark hair was pulled back in a simple knot. She was small and delicate, but something about the way she moved made my wolf sit up and pay attention.

She was graceful. Quiet. Like she was trying not to be noticed.

Why would someone try to be invisible in their own pack?

I took a step forward, and she must have heard me because she turned around.

Our eyes met for the second time.

The world turned sideways.

The mate bond hit me again, stronger this time. Like lightning hitting the same place twice. My knees almost buckled from the force of it.

She was beautiful. Not pretty like Elaria with her perfect makeup and fancy clothes. Beautiful in a quiet way that made my chest tight.

Her eyes were huge and dark, and right now they looked frightened.

Of me.

That hurt more than it should have.

"Hi," I said, because I couldn't think of anything else to say.

She dropped the tray.

Dishes crashed to the floor, breaking into a million pieces. The sound echoed through the dining room like gunshots.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, dropping to her knees to pick up the broken pieces. "I'm so sorry! I'll clean it up!"

Her hands were shaking so bad she could barely hold the broken dishes. A piece of glass cut her finger, and she winced.

The smell of her blood hit my nose, and my wolf went totally insane.

She was hurt. Our mate was hurt.

I was across the room and kneeling beside her before I even realized I was moving.

"Don't," I said, catching her hands to stop her from picking up more glass. "You're bleeding."

Her skin was so soft. So warm. Touching her sent electricity shooting up my arms.

She looked up at me with those big dark eyes, and I forgot how to breathe.

"Who are you?" I asked quietly.

"Aisla," she whispered. Her voice was like music. "I'm... I'm just an omega."

Just an omega.

Like she was apologizing for living.

That made my wolf snarl with rage. Not at her. Never at her. At whoever had made her think she was "just" anything.

"Aisla," I repeated, trying her name on my tongue. It felt perfect.

She tried to pull her hands away, but I couldn't let go. Didn't want to let go.

"You're bleeding," I said again, looking at the small cut on her finger.

Without thinking, I brought her finger to my mouth and licked the blood away.

She gasped.

The taste of her blood on my mouth sent fire through my veins. My wolf howled in victory.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

"Lucien!" Kieran's voice cut through the haze in my head. "What are you doing?"

I looked up to find both my brothers standing in the doorway. Kieran looked angry. Caelan looked worried.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was Elaria standing right behind them, her face twisted with rage and something that looked like murder.

"What," she said in a voice like ice, "is going on here?"