Chapter 2 : THE BIG BAD LYCAN

EMBER'S POV

The words hung between us, and I couldn't believe I had just said them to a total stranger.

But there was no denying the feral intensity of my desire for this man, a wild, reckless need cutting straight through the centre of my heartbreak.

Sapphire was pacing inside my mind, practically purring at his proximity. We didn't even know him, yet my wolf was ready to submit.

He raised a dark eyebrow, danger and amusement warring on his face.

"Is that really what you want?" His voice dropped lower, rough and gravelly and far too close.

I nodded. My pulse was a frantic drumbeat in my ears. I knew it was madness, but I couldn't stop.

I needed to feel wanted instead of worthless. I needed to erase the image of Gale on his knees, to drown out the cruel laughter.

But just as the fire between us threatened to consume all the oxygen in the tiny space, he took a step back. His expression cooled into a mask of cold indifference.

"As tempting as it is, I'm afraid I have other business to attend to."

What? Was he rejecting me? Something hot and humiliating flooded through my chest.

Of course. Of course, even a stranger didn't want me.

Gale had been right - I was desperate, pathetic, not worth-

No.

Screw that.

A wild, defiant instinct snapped inside me.

Before I could second-guess myself, before propriety or fear could lock me back inside the cage of my ruined marriage, I grabbed his arm as he turned.

I yanked him back toward me, rose on my toes, and pressed my mouth to his.

For a split second, he was perfectly still. Panic clawed at my throat. Oh Goddess, he really doesn't want me-

Then, he growled.

It was a purely animalistic sound that vibrated straight through to my bones.

His hands slammed against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. He kissed me back with bruising intensity, all heat and dominance, a hunger that turned my knees to water.

My fingers tangled in his dark hair as I clung to him, desperate to lose myself in the overwhelming sensation of being claimed.

His hands slid to my waist, his grip firm and possessive, and every point of contact buzzed.

Nothing had ever felt like this. Gale's touch had always been clinical, rushed. This man kissed me like he wanted to devour me.

He backed me against the tiny counter, his body pressing flush against mine. The heat radiating off him was intoxicating.

He trailed open-mouthed kisses down my jaw, his breath hot against my neck, before his teeth scraped over my pulse point.

A breathless sound escaped my lips.

"Such pretty sounds," he murmured against my skin. "I wonder what else I can make you do."

My whole body was trembling. I was burning up, completely at the mercy of a man whose name I didn't even know.

His hand slid up my thigh, his touch scorching through the fabric of my dress. My breath hitched, my eyes fluttering shut as I leaned into his warmth.

"I want to hear you say it," he whispered, his thumb grazing my hip bone. "Tell me exactly what you want."

"I want you," I gasped, the confession tearing out of me. "Please. I just want to forget... "

He chuckled darkly, the vibration settling deep in my chest. He pulled back just enough to look at me, his thumbs stroking my jawline.

"I never thought I'd see the day you'd be this reckless, Ember."

I froze.

The desire snapped, and cold clarity rushed in.

I stared up at the gorgeous stranger, my heart stopping.

"W-what?" My voice shook. "How do you know my name?"

The smirk that crossed his face held no warmth.

The amusement vanished from his eyes, replaced by a calculating authority that had my wolf dropping her head before I could stop her.

It hit me then. The dark hair. The unearthly blue eyes. The terrifying aura of absolute power.

"Don't tell me you don't recognise your Lycan King, Ember darling," he said smoothly, the title dropping like a bomb in the tiny space. "I certainly know about the beautiful, dutiful mate of Alpha Gale Crawford."

No.

Oh Goddess, no.

King Knox Volkov.

I had just thrown myself at the most dangerous man in our world. I had just kissed the Lycan King in an aeroplane bathroom.

My husband's boss.

As the Lycan King, Knox ruled with an iron fist. He was the supreme authority over every pack in North America, a billionaire CEO who operated above the law of men and wolves alike.

He was ruthless, unforgiving, and legendary for his cruelty.

There were stories of Alphas who crossed him and simply vanished. Packs that challenged his authority were wiped off the map.

And I had just thrown myself at him.

Mortification crashed over me.

Do you know how ruined my life would be if word got out? Alpha Gale's wife, acting like a desperate fool with the King himself? The scandal would destroy what little reputation I had left.

"Please," I stammered, frantically pushing against his chest. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. I have to go. This was a mistake-"

Instead of letting me go, Knox stepped closer, pinning me effortlessly with nothing but his imposing size. His eyes flashed gold- his Lycan rising to the surface, demanding obedience.

"It's too late for regrets," Knox murmured, his voice a dangerous rumble that made me shiver. "You asked me to make you forget him, Ember. And as your King, I intend to oblige."

He leaned in, his lips hovering a millimetre from mine, the tension so thick it was suffocating.

I was paralysed, trapped between terror and a completely inappropriate, overwhelming wave of need.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

I jumped out of my skin as someone pounded furiously on the bathroom door.

"This is the flight attendant! This is urgent. You need to exit the lavatory immediately!"