Page 12 of The Wolf’s Appetite (The Lycans #8)

AISLING

T he storm had started not long after I arrived home; the wind howling around the small cottage, rattling the old windows as rain pelted against the small structure thick and fast.

The fire crackled in the hearth, but its warmth did nothing to ease the chill that had settled in me.

Because something was… off. I felt it in the air. In the heaviness pressing down on my chest. In the gloom I felt in my soul. I didn’t know if it was just unease from the storm or a weird type of anticipation.

Either way, I knew something was coming. Whether that was bad or good, only time would tell.

I pulled the curtain back, peering into the darkness beyond. The hazy weather made seeing my parent’s cottage off in the distance nothing but a memory .

I tried to distract myself, busying myself by folding the newly dried laundry, tidying the small space repeatedly, and finally making tea I barely drank.

I sat in front of the mantel with a book in hand but with my thoughts drifting.

To him.

Lennox.

I could feel the heat of his gaze from earlier, the way it sank beneath my skin, burned in places I didn’t want to admit.

I could smell the phantom warmth of him pressed close to me. Gods, why did he have to look at me like that? Like he was confused, angry, and hungry all at once.

Is that how I looked at him?

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm the flutter of my heart and the heat pooling low in my belly. It was wrong to want the prince. Wrong to think about him this way. He was royalty, the heir of the Scottish Lycan clan.

I was… just me.

But that didn’t stop the desire.

I was lost in my book when I heard it. A sharp knock at the door that shattered my thoughts. And then another, the sound echoing in the small cottage.

My breath caught, the unease flaring back to life. I felt my inner animal rise, my Lycan not overpowering but fierce in her own right.

I moved to the door, ready to let my wolf out to protect myself.

“Aisling.” His voice. Rough. Deep.

Lennox. He was alone, that much I sensed.

I exhaled and opened the door.

He stood there, rain dripping from his dark hair and broad shoulders. He looked so big and powerful, his scars making him appear even more fierce, more primal.

His body heat was immense, the cold steaming off him in the moonlit glow spilling from treetops.

But it was his eyes that had me transfixed. They were dark, restless, and searching mine like he needed to see that I was whole, that I was safe.

“Lennox, w?—”

“Are ye alright?” he demanded, stepping inside, his massive body pushing me back, his presence consuming the small space even more when he shut the door.

He scanned the room, eyes sharp, nostrils flaring as if he were scenting for enemies.

I stayed back as I watched him, my heart beating too fast. “I’m fine. I?—”

He turned to face me. I’d heard the rumors about his absent wolf, but right now as he stared at me, I swore I felt his animal. He looked positively primal.

“Ye shouldn’t be out here alone,” he snapped, the storm of emotions on his face making my breath catch. “ They’re too close, Aisling. ”

Hearing him say my name—for the first time even—was like a punch to my gut. But then his words settled in deep. My brows furrowed, and I whispered, “Who?”

He hesitated as if afraid to tell me. Or maybe he shouldn’t have because it was too dangerous. But then he exhaled, ran a hand over his face, and I knew he’d tell me the truth.

“Therabus,” he bit out, his jaw tightening. “Or something worse. We’re sweeping the woods, but I needed tae make sure...” He stopped, dragging a hand over his scarred face again, his chest heaving.

Something inside me cracked seeing him like this. So big, so strong, but worried. For me.

“Lennox,” I whispered, stepping closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body and to see the rain droplets moving down his temples.

His gaze snapped to mine, something raw and unguarded in his eyes. “Ye need tae come back tae the estate. Where it’s safe.”

I shook my head, my throat tightening. “I donna understand.” Not just this but… everything. I knew if he was worried then I should be terrified. But the words we re already spilling out from between my lips. “This is my home.”

He growled, frustrated, stepping even closer until there was barely any space between us. I sucked in air, breathing him in.

The confusion. The need.

“I’ve ne’er seen ye afraid?” I whispered.

His nostrils flared, and he shook his head once, sharply. “No’ afraid,” he said hoarsely. “Terrified for ye.”

The admission stole my breath, and I lifted my hand before I could stop myself, brushing a strand of wet hair from his forehead. His jaw clenched and this low, gruff sound rumbled up from his chest.

“I donna want anything tae happen tae ye,” he said, so softly I barely heard it.

The air between us grew heavy, charged. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and I felt the heat flare, my breath catching.

“Lennox…” I breathed his name like a prayer to the gods.

But then he moved. He cupped the back of my neck, his palm rough and warm as he pulled me closer. We stared at each other and I held my breath, wondering if he’d kiss me.

And when he did, I felt the world split wide open and swallow me whole .

The kiss was soft at first, almost hesitant like he was testing, waiting to see if I would pull away.

I didn’t. I wouldn’t. In fact, I pressed my body closer and slid my hands up his chest, fisting them in his soaked shirt as I kissed him back.

The world fell away until there was nothing but the taste, the heat, and the overall perfection of being in Lennox’s arms.

And then he deepened the kiss, a growl rumbling low in his chest as his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his massive body.

His mouth moved over mine, claiming, devouring me. And I let him. Let myself fall into everything that this Lycan male was giving me.

I became intoxicated by the desire that had been building for far too long.

There was no gentleness in the way Lennox kissed. It was all hunger and punishment and unspoken need. His tongue swept past my lips with a growl caught in his throat, licking deep, claiming every inch like he was fucking my mouth with his.

My back arched, chest crushed to his, heat curling between my thighs as my pussy flooded. His tongue moved with the same filthy rhythm his hips would have if we were naked and desperate.

I moaned into him, drowning in the slick slide of our mouths, lost in the way his teeth grazed my bottom lip before he bit down just enough to make me gasp.

Each movement, each stroke, was a promise—this wasn’t just a kiss. It was sex in every way.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathing hard, our foreheads resting together, the storm raging outside was nothing compared to the storm raging inside me.

“I donna kno’ what this is,” he rasped, his thumb brushing over my lower lip, swollen from his kiss.

“Neither do I,” I whispered back, my eyes meeting his, seeing the confusion there but also the want.

“I have a lot of fooking issues, lass, and shouldn’t even be thinking of… whatever this is between us.” He exhaled. “But I donna want it tae stop,” he growled, his eyes flashing with a heat that made me shiver.

“I donna want it tae stop, either,” I whispered, and at that moment, I didn’t care about anything else.

Not the danger that terrified this proud, strong, and fearsome Lycan prince.

Not even fear.

I only wanted to focus on him.

On this and us.