Plus Sized Ruthless Lycan

The blood drained entirely from Calista’s face. She stumbled backward, her bare shoulders hitting the glass of the sliding patio. Her wide, terrified eyes darted from the flashing screen of the phone in my hand up to my face.

"You're his uncle," she breathed, the words barely making it past her lips. "You're Lord Valerius."

I couldn't step toward her. I forced my Lycan to sit down, forced the aura of my dominance to pull back so she could breathe. I hated the fear in her eyes. I despised it, especially because it was directed at me.

"I am," I answered.

"You knew," she choked out, her hands gripping the edges of my dress shirt.

"You knew who I was this whole time. This is a game. A sick, twisted game. Eric put you up to this, didn't he? To humiliate me?"

A growl tore its way out of my chest before I could stop it.

"Do not ever," I warned, taking one slow, step toward her, "associate my mark with that boy's pathetic games. I don't play games with what belongs to me, Calista. And Eric doesn't possess the spine to even look me in the eye, let alone ask me for a favor."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" she cried, a fresh tear spilling over her lashes.

"Because I didn't know you were the girl he rejected until you whispered your name in my ear in the dark," I told her honestly, stopping just inches from her trembling body. I raised a hand, gently brushing the tear from her cheek with my thumb. She flinched, but she didn't pull away. "By the time I pieced it together, my fangs were already sinking into your skin. And even if I had known before I kissed you... it wouldn't have changed a damn thing. You were always going to be mine."

She let out a broken sob, shaking her head. "I don't understand. Men like you... you don't look at girls like me."

"Men like me?" I scoffed quietly, tilting her chin up so she had to look into my silver eyes. "I have spent my entire life controlling every single aspect of my world. I don't make mistakes. I avoid anything that could even slightly tarnish my reputation. But the second I saw you

walking down that hallway, smelling like vanilla and sorrow, my self-control completely vanished."

It was the truth. It was almost embarrassing how fast I lost my mind over her.

My Lycan had been restless, pacing and snarling in the back of my mind ever since we arrived in this miserable territory. I had been with numerous women over the centuries. Beautiful, flawless, high-society women. But none of them had ever sparked even a fraction of the connection I felt when Calista crashed into my chest.

When I kissed her, my entire world tilted on its axis. The bond snapped so violently I felt it in my bones. Pure, unadulterated bliss.

"I'm not supposed to be here," I murmured, tracing the mate mark I had left on her collarbone. "I didn't even want to come to this territory."

"Then why did you?" she whispered.

"Because my Beta, Zelda, wouldn't stop nagging me," I muttered, recalling the irritating morning two days ago. Zelda had practically kicked my office door down, reminding me of the PR nightmare I would cause if I skipped my stepbrother's son's Binding Ceremony.

Eric's father had begged me to attend. The Crimson Shadow pack was merging some of their western borders, and the media was crawling all over the territory. As the CEO of the largest Lycan enterprise on the continent, my presence was required to legitimize the event. It was good for my business image, and more importantly, it was a chance to remind the northern packs exactly who held their leashes.

When my motorcade had rolled into the pack square yesterday, it was pathetic. The entire pack had dropped to their knees, exposing their necks in total submission. The she-wolves had practically thrown themselves under the tires of my car.

I became a rogue intentionally. I left this weak pack decades ago because I refused to bow to their idiotic politics. I built my wealth in the human world, operating in the shadows, until I was feared enough to become the undisputed King of the Northern Coast.

And out of all the desperate, power-hungry women in that crowd yesterday, my mate turned out to be the one girl who had been pushed into the dirt.

"Calista," I said softly, pulling her out of her spiraling thoughts. "Look at me." She blinked, her wet eyes meeting mine.

"I know you're hurting. I know that boy shattered your heart last night," I told her, my voice turning incredibly serious.

"But you are not a victim anymore. You are the Luna of the Northern Coast. You are my mate. And no one, especially not my pathetic excuse for a nephew, will ever disrespect you again."

"I can't go back there," she whispered, shaking her head frantically. "All my things are at the packhouse, but I don't care. I'll leave them. Please, Valerius, don't make me go back. They laughed at me. They all laughed at me."

The raw pain in her voice made my blood boil. My Lycan wanted to shift right here on the balcony and tear the entire Crimson Shadow pack to shreds.

"We are going back," I commanded gently, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against my chest. "You are not going to run away. You are going to walk into that packhouse, and you are going to pack your bags while they watch. You are going to leave with your head held high."

"They'll mock me."

"They wouldn't dare" I growled, a dark smirk pulling at the corner of my mouth. "I want to see who is brave enough to speak to you that way."

The black Veldec Car idled smoothly down the dirt road leading to the Crimson Shadow packhouse.

Zelda was driving, his eyes occasionally flicking to the rearview mirror. He hadn't said a word when I walked out of the hotel with Calista holding my hand, but the slight smirk on my Beta's face told me he already knew exactly what was going on.

Calista sat rigidly beside me in the backseat. I had made a few phone calls while she showered. A private boutique had opened its doors early specifically for me, and I had a dress delivered directly to the penthouse.

She looked breathtaking.

The deep red fabric hugged every curve of her body perfectly. I had practically growled when she walked out of the bedroom wearing it.

"Pull up to the front," I ordered Zelda as the packhouse came into view. "Yes, Alpha," Zelda replied, steering the vehicle toward the main courtyard.

The post-ceremony brunch was in full swing. Dozens of high-ranking pack members, reporters, and elite guards were scattered across the lawn, holding champagne flutes and laughing under the morning sun.

"Calista," I said, turning to her. Her hands were shaking in her lap. I reached over, taking her soft hands in my large ones, forcing her to look at me. "I want you to get out first."

Her eyes widened in sheer panic. "What? No! Valerius, please—"

"Listen to me," I interrupted gently. "I am going to be right behind you. I will not let a single hair on your head be harmed. But I need you to walk onto that lawn alone for exactly thirty seconds."

"Why?" she breathed, terrified.

"Because I want to see their true faces," I told her. "I want to see exactly how they treat you when they think you have no protection. I need to know exactly whose lives I am going to ruin today."

She swallowed hard, searching my eyes. She was scared, but I could see the tiny spark of courage trying to ignite in her chest. She nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Zelda parked the car just outside the wrought gates. He stepped out and opened Calista's door.

I stayed in the tinted backseat, rolling down the window just an inch so I could hear everything.

Calista stepped out.

The moment her heels clicked onto the driveway, the chatter on the lawn began to die down. Heads turned. Drinks were lowered.

I watched the moment the pack recognized her. The shock rippled through the crowd, quickly followed by the disgusting, arrogant sneers I had fully expected.

"Well, well, well," a venomous voice rang out across the courtyard.

The crowd parted as Marie strutted forward, wearing a tight white dress that intentionally highlighted her small, pregnant stomach. Eric walked right beside her, his arm draped casually over her shoulder. He looked incredibly smug until his eyes landed on Calista's new dress. He frowned, clearly confused by the sheer wealth dripping off her.

"Look who decided to show her face," Marie mocked, stopping a few feet away from Calista. "I thought you ran off into the woods to cry like a little wounded pup."

"I just came to pack my things, Marie," Calista said, her voice shaking slightly. "Let me pass."

"Pack your things?" Eric scoffed, taking a step forward. He looked Calista up and down, a nasty smirk forming on his lips. "And go where? No pack is going to take in a heavy, pathetic, rejected wolf. Who bought you that dress, Calista? Did you steal from the pack funds before you left last night?"

My Lycan was roaring, clawing violently against my chest.

Patience, I told my wolf. Let them dig their own graves.

"I didn't steal anything," Calista said, holding her ground.

"You're a liar and a joke," Marie laughed, taking a glass of red wine from a passing waiter's tray. "You really think dressing up changes what you are? You're still the same fat pig who thought my mate would actually want her."

Without a second of hesitation, Marie threw her arm forward, splashing the entire glass of dark red wine directly onto Calista's dress.

Calista gasped, stumbling back a step as the red liquid dripped down the silk. The crowd erupted into laughter.

Eric chuckled, shaking his head. "Clean that up, Calista. Maybe if you get on your knees and scrub the courtyard, I'll let you stay in the servant's quarters."

That was it. The limit had been crossed. I kicked the door open.

The laughter in the courtyard died instantly.

Wolves gasped. Several of the weaker members immediately collapsed to their knees, clutching their throats as the air was sucked from their lungs.

Eric froze, the smug smile completely vanishing from his face as the color drained from his cheeks. Marie stumbled backward.

I reached out, wrapping an arm around Calista’s waist.

Eric's eyes widened his gaze dropping to the fresh mate mark resting prominently on Calista's collarbone.

I looked into my nephew's terrified eyes. "How dare you treat my mate that way"