Page 31 of Lycan Prey (Little Secrets Duet #1)

Why did she seem like she was in pain? Knowing she will keep me up, I’m hesitant, at first, but then give into the urge, using my calling.

It’s a low, soothing purr that resonates from deep within me, a sound known to calm and sedate.

I shouldn’t use it on her—using it on a female, especially a werewolf like Bree, can be manipulative, crossing a line.

But she doesn’t stop moving, and I can’t sleep with her wriggling against me.

As the calling takes effect, she quiets, snuggling closer, and I roll toward her before having to stifle my own laugh as she purrs in response, soft and rhythmic, against my chest. This is unexpectedly endearing that she is reacting to my calling.

Eventually, we both fall asleep like this - me with my arm securely around Bree’s waist and Bree burrowed against my chest.

The next morning, I wake up to find Bree still sleeping soundly next to me, though when I glance at the clock, I’m trying to figure out why I have awoken at such an ungodly hour.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I should wake Bree.

But then I remember how restless she was last night and decide to let her sleep a little longer.

She looks so peaceful and content in her slumber, and I don’t want to disturb that.

Instead, I reach for my phone and check the time.

It’s only 6 AM. I sigh and turn off my alarm before settling back against the pillows.

My arm is numb from having it wrapped around her all night, however I don’t dare move for fear of waking her up.

Instead, I take the opportunity to study her face as she sleeps peacefully next to me.

Her eyelashes fanned out against her cheeks.

Her lips are slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of her pearly white teeth.

There are no creases on her forehead or lines around her eyes, just pure peacefulness.

Leaning forward slightly, I smell her. I would die if she woke up right now and caught me scenting her like I accused her last night.

Yet I can’t help myself. Bree’s hair smells of fresh rain and lavender, a combination that is both calming and invigorating.

Her skin has a subtle scent of jasmine, sweet and comforting.

Why she felt so uncomfortable in her sleep last night is a mystery.

Is it something that happens often? Is there anything I can do to help?

I feel an unfamiliar sensation—Bree’s hand, somehow having found its way inside my boxers.

Her touch is unintentional, but it sends a jolt through me, explaining what has woken me.

I try to wake her, but she’s in a deep sleeper, it appears.

I give her a little shake when her fingers squeeze tighter around my cock.

I chuckle softly when I notice she’s also drooling on my chest. She is going to lose her damn mind when I wake her.

“Bree?” I murmur gripping her wrist but she hangs on for dear life like it’s a tug of war!

I grit my teeth when I feel her nails rake the inside of my thigh.

Then she groans, her legs moving under the sheets while she tries to strangle my cock in her death grip.

Her brows pinch, her grip loosening slightly as the strange pains she had last night return.

Had I not witnessed it last night, I would think she was just dreaming, but it’s clear she is in pain.

“Bree,” I say gently as she stirs, blinking herself awake. She stares at me confused. She wipes her mouth sitting up slightly and peering around the room like she forgot she slept in here last night.

“Morning, can I have my cock back by any chance or are we amping up this fake engagement and going all in?” I ask her. Her gaze darts to her hand and her eyes widen in horror as she stares down at her hand inside my pants.

“Yeah, you’ve got hold of my cock,” I laugh.

She sputters when she realizes where her hand is.

“Oh my Goddess,” she gasps, pulling back as if I’m on fire.

“I was okay with you trying to kick the soul out of me, even okay with you hugging me, and can handle you drooling on me.” Her eyes go to my chest as I wipe her drool off me. “I draw the line at giving me blue balls, though,” I tell her. She covers her face with her hands, humiliated.

“It’s okay,” I try to reassure her, seeing she’s mortified.

“It’s not okay! I can’t believe I… I’m so sorry,” she stammers, face red as a beet when she groans, clutching her stomach. “Motherfucker,” she grunts, moving to climb out of bed. I roll toward her, grabbing her sleep shorts and dragging her back onto the bed.

“Hey!” she growls at me. I want answers, because I know this isn’t normal and leaves me with one conclusion I can think of.

The pain makes me curious about her past, the one she is so desperate to hide from me.

“Soren, let me go!” She thrashes so I pin her, crawling on top of her and pushing my body between her legs. She thrashes even more, lashing out. “Get off me, you Neanderthal!” she shrieks and I drop my weight on her. She lets out a huff but stops thrashing.

“You kept me up all night. I want answers, and until I get them, you’re not leaving,” I tell her. She looks away, and I lift my weight from crushing her. “Was he your mate?” I ask, my voice gentler now. I must strike a chord because she swallows and her eyes brim.

She then turns her face back to me and glares at me.

“Well?” I ask.

For a second, she chews her lip, and shakes her head.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

I can see she is trying not to show how much pain she is in because she’s sweating. Her pain is palpable, and suddenly, it clicks.

“He’s with someone else now, isn’t he? That’s why you’re in pain.”

“It’s none of your business,” she snaps, trying to escape me once again as she bucks her hips beneath me.

The sudden realization of our compromising position sends a flush of embarrassment across her face.

It’s an innocent, yet intensely intimate position which she realizes when she bucks against me feeling how hard I am.

I am unapologetic though, she touched it.

I can’t help how it reacts to her. I may be a king, but I’m also a man.

“You embarrass easily,” I tease, noticing her discomfort. “Does having a man pressed between your legs make you that uncomfortable?” My tone is light and playful, but it’s clear I’ve touched a nerve.

She stiffens, her gaze sharpening. “It does when I’m a virgin!” she snaps, her words slicing through the playful air between us.

I pause, taken aback. I knew she was a virgin, I can smell.

I wonder how pure she is. Instinct kicks in, and I lower my head, inhaling subtly, trying to scent any trace of another male.

“You mean… never had sex or never done anything with a man at all?” I press, needing to understand.

Surely she has done things with this mate she is trying to hide from me?

“Just get off me, and stop sniffing me, it’s embarrassing enough!” she demands, her voice a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

“Answer the question.”

“Yes, I’m a virgin. I’ve done… things.” she retorts, her voice rising slightly.

“Done what, exactly?”

Her mouth opens and closes like this is extremely embarrassing for her to even speak of, which is crazy given she is an adult. But it also tells me she is lying.

“I’ve touched one…”

“Just then?”

“No, I touched my ex’s, or more, he made me touch it.” I instantly regret my tone. “I know it’s stupid that I was saving it like it is something precious,” she says softly, apologizing.

“I like that you’re a virgin, Bree. It’s… it’s cute, and very traditional.” I try not to laugh, she glances away and I know she doesn’t believe me. Leaning closer, I trail my nose across her neck.

“It makes you more enticing,” I whisper. “So you saved yourself for your mate?”

She scoffs, looking away. “It doesn’t matter now, anyway. I don’t want my mate. I saved myself for nothing.”

That sting with a pain I hadn’t anticipated. I remember the agony I sensed from her last night. “Did he reject you?” I ask gently, piecing together her troubled expression.

She chews her lip, shaking her head slowly. “No.”

The implications weigh heavily between us. “It explains why you’re in pain if he’s with someone else and the bond isn’t broken. Why didn’t you reject each other?” I probe further, trying to understand her situation.

“It doesn’t matter,” she mutters, clearly agitated, attempting to wriggle out from under me.

My hands grip her gently but firmly, trying to reassure her I’m not going to let her go just yet. “Why are you evading?”

“It’s not your business,” Bree snaps, her tone bitter. Despite her resistance, her eyes betray the truth of her suffering.

I hold her gaze, my voice firm. “It is my business if you kept me up all night because you were in pain.” I let the words sink in. “I had to use my calling to settle you down.”

“You what?” she seems appalled. As she should be but I had no ill intentions, had I, she wouldn’t still be a virgin. Had I wanted to, I could have easily used the calling and taken advantage of her but I didn’t and never would.

“I didn’t do anything and neither did you. But it calmed you down enough that I could sleep.”

Her cheeks flush with embarrassment at the mention of my powers. “I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight,” she murmurs like she thinks I’m upset about her keeping me awake, but that is the least of my concerns.

I soften my tone, trying to reassure her.

“It’s not your fault, Bree. You’re not sleeping on the sofa, I was just wondering, that is all.

” She sighs deeply. I tilt my head to the side watching her.

“But there’s something you can do.” Her curiosity piques, and she looks at me then asks, “About my bond?”

I nod.

“Like what?” she asks and I smile. Without another word, I lean down and kiss her. It’s a soft, questioning kiss that gives her the chance to pull away. She doesn’t.

As we break apart, the tension lingers, but I don’t pull away. “Give him a dose of his own medicine,” I whisper against her lips. I see the hurt flick in her eyes before seeing something else, revenge, as her lips twitch.