Alric's POV
I hated myself.
I hated fate.
And I hated this cursed wolf inside me.
For nine years, I'd kept the beast caged. Buried. Starved. But under the full moon, the cracks always showed. Tonight was no different.
I had promised myself-I wouldn't lose control. Not here. Not in front of her.
And yet... those eyes of mine betrayed me. Red, burning, inhuman. She saw. She saw too much.
I should've pushed her away. I should've silenced her with words, or threats, or anything else.
But the footsteps were getting closer. Whoever it was-it wasn't human. My wolf knew it instantly, the way every hair on my body bristled. Too dangerous to fight here. Too risky to reveal myself.
So I did the only thing that made sense.
I crushed my mouth against hers.
Her lips were warm, trembling, her heartbeat slamming against my chest like a trapped bird. She tried to push me back-fragile, desperate-but I only held her tighter. Better she think me reckless, cruel, even lust-drunk... than let the truth slip out.
Because the truth would kill her.
I deepened the kiss, sucking on her lips, biting down until the taste of her nearly drowned out the blood already burning on my tongue. Her scent-sweet, For the way her small breath smelled like the life I had no right to take.
Damn it. She wasn't supposed to matter.
But she did. Too much.
And that made her dangerous.
"You would have been better if you'd stayed blind." I whispered into her ears.
For a second the footsteps that'd been closing in vanished, and the beast I'd been flinging at the edges of control finally eased. First full moon in nine years I'd had anyone this close. Tiny miracle-if miracles smelled like iron and smoke.
I slammed my fist into the wall one last time, rolled my shoulder, and let my back hit the bricks. I inhaled until my rib protested. Behind me she sniffed-a small, fragile sound-and I realized I still didn't know her name. Surprise, surprise.
She wiped her face like she'd been taught tears are private business. Cute. I should've let her walk. My rule's simple: use and dump. Clean, efficient. No complications. Life's easier that way.
She didn't read the memo.
She was the stupid anomaly I'd kept because Ulric wouldn't stop ruining everything. Beating him yesterday felt like ripping out an old tooth-relief, hot and sudden. Killing him outright had crossed my mind. Brutal, satisfying. Impractical. My career doesn't survive murder. Who knew morals could be inconvenient?
She tried to slip away and I hauled her back. My fingers were rough on her chin; I forced her to look at me.
Ocean-blue eyes under the moon-maybe glitter from tears, maybe some hopeless belief. They caught the light like glass that could be cut. I wanted to smash them. I also wanted to keep them. Both were bad ideas.
My gaze dropped to her lips. Small. Wet. Dangerous. Far more tempting than all the girls I'd used and tossed. The wolf thudded in my ribs, a warning drum. The man almost answered.
For a second-because I'm an idiot and because the universe hates me– I almost kissed her again.
"Perfect," I muttered. "My worst habit and my worst enemy wrapped in one tidy package."
"Le... let go of me," she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath, shaky, like she was afraid I'd snap her in two.
Even her rebellion sounded like a plea. Cute. Tonight of all nights, though, I wasn't in the mood to bully this little chipmunk.
"Why do wo-" I started, ready to mock whatever weak excuse she was about to throw at me, but the sharp buzz in my pocket cut me off. Once. Twice. Then again, insistent as hell.
I growled low, snatching the phone out like it had personally offended me.
The headlines were clear and screaming across the screen:
"Popular Hockey Player Alric Harlow Caught in Violent Clash with Referee."
Perfect. Fucking perfect. News like this always spread faster than wildfire, and I was no stranger to the spotlight. Normally, I could shrug it off-let them call me a beast, a brute, a menace. They weren't wrong.
But this? This wasn't just about me. This was about Ulric, about the poison he dripped into every corner of my life. The bastard had bribed a referee, and the idiot had the audacity to take his side in front of me.
I cracked my knuckles, the memory still sweet. "Next time he won't dare," I muttered, a dark grin tugging at my lips. "Referees don't forget broken ribs so easily."
While muttering my anger under my breath, I almost missed it-her body swaying, about to knock out cold. Good. She should leave. I wanted her gone.
And yet... no.
Her presence was irritating, suffocating even, but the thought of her absence? Awkward. Empty.
"Stay a little," I said, the words foreign on my tongue. The first time in nine years I'd asked anyone to do that. Because truth was, I didn't want to be alone. Not yet.
She blinked at me, confused, fragile. To me she was still nothing-an unbitter pawn, irrelevant in the grand scheme of my war.
"I have work..." she whispered.
"In the bakery? Or the dishwashing place?" My smirk stretched wide, mocking. "Neither's exactly worth bragging about."
I laughed, but the sound tasted bitter the second it left me. Her eyes dropped, sadness spilling into them so fast I almost cursed myself. Why the hell was she so sensitive? It wasn't even an insult-it was just a fact.
"You're coming with me tomorrow," I said flatly, cutting off her silence. "To the hockey team headquarters. I've got an important meeting with the board of directors and sponsors."
"I... I have work," she tried again, weak but stubborn.
I leaned in, my voice a low snarl against her ear. "I'm your important work." I inhaled her hair-cheap shampoo, sure, but clean, oddly pleasant. "And besides, it's the weekend."
Her chin trembled in my grip. Then I felt it-something wet trickling against my fingers. I tilted her face up, and there it was. Tears, spilling freely, pooling in those ocean-blue eyes under the moonlight.
I smirked despite myself. "How much more water do you keep in those beautiful eyes, hmm?"
