Page 5 of Cosmic Power

Without a word, Luther walked outside, knowing full well his Elites would fall into line behind him. This wasn’t the first time other supernaturals had come close to his borders; though it was the first time he had ever felt excited about it before.

They arrived before the shifters in a whoosh, the wind whistling on their approach as all six of them appeared as if out of thin air. Luther mentally assessed the intruders in his territory. Six shifters—three in human form and three in shifted form—surrounded the silver-haired woman with anger and lust in their eyes.

He ran his eyes briefly over them before focusing solely on the woman.

She stared back with unflinching courage, a slight frown on her full lips as she tracked her eyes up and down his body. If he wasn’t entirely positive his cold, dead heart had stopped beating the day he became a vampire, he could have sworn he felt it thump when he locked eyes with her, a zing of excitement running through him when those sparkling blue eyes calculated him just as much as he calculated her.

She was…beautiful. Light skin, thick silver hair that flowed down her back, high cheekbones, a tall, athletic, powerful body. And that scent? It was unlike anything he had ever come across.

Delectable. That was the first word that came to mind. That sweet, bergamot scent mixed with a hint of lavender filled his nostrils and he had to work hard not to roll his eyes into the back of his head. A desperate need to taste her blood soared through him, making him clench his fists to refrain from pouncing on her.

A strange unknown sensation flourished inside him as her eyes flashed silver instead of the deep gold that was accustomed to most shifters, a trait he had only seen one other time in his long life.

Now, he was even more intrigued by her.

Luther straightened his spine and let his power flow, a warning to the creature she shared her body with that he was not to be trifled with. He sensed its own power and was definitely fascinated by the sheer volume of it.

She had to be an Alpha, there was no doubt in his mind about it. That much power radiating from her made it very clear.

He had been roaming this earth for over 2,000 years and during all that time he had never met a female werewolf before, let alone an Alpha one.

“Zamorra,” the big brute at the front of the pack growled, “get over here. Now.”

The silver-haired woman—Zamorra—bristled and her growl in return made his body pulse with desire and heat curl down his spine. She had no intention of listening to his command, as much as the male expected her to.

“Listen to your packmate, Little Alpha,” Luther rumbled, eyeing her with curiosity.

She boldly returned his stare, not an ounce of fear on her face and his lust increased tenfold. Luther almost smiled at her bravery. Almost.

“He’s not my packmate. If given the chance, I’d love nothing more than to rip open his stomach and let my werewolf eat his insides.” Despite the sweetness in her voice, her words were filled with hate and savagery.

Luther arched an eyebrow in surprise, having not expected such a violent statement from such a pretty little thing. It excited him even more.

“Zamorra! This game of yours is over. Those vampires will gut you. Come here, now.” The lead male commanded again and the werewolves at his back growled in agreement, digging their claws deep into the earth as if preparing to pounce.

The warning was accurate. The tension building between the shifters and the vampires was getting thicker and thicker with each passing second, almost stifling the air between them.

Luther knew his Elites were itching to kill them all, to tear their hearts from their chests and drain them dry. Had the silver-haired woman not been there to pique his interest, he would have commanded their heads on the iron spikes surrounding his property the moment they stepped onto his territory.

She turned to face him full on, standing tall despite the predators behind her and the threat they posed. Turning your back on a group of shifters in such a way was a massive insult. It showed that they weren’t feared, but she obviously didn’t care about offending them.

“I request asylum in exchange for servitude,” she spoke firmly, her voice confident and strong, determination sparkling in her eyes.

Surprise flitted across the field, his Elite Guards staring with wide eyes and mouths hanging open at her words.

A pledge of servitude? From ashifter?Surely he had not heard that correctly? To have a shifter in his ranks—especially now, with what was going on in his city—would be extremely beneficial, not to mention completely unheard of. It would definitely give him an edge over his enemies. And there was much he could learn about shifter customs.

He stared hard into her blue eyes, slightly mesmerised by the silver that swirled deep within them.

Ophelia stepped up to his side, a look of disgust on her face. “Luther, my maker,” she purred in a sultry voice, “you can’t possibly be considering this.”

Anger pulsed through him at her words, but he didn’t let it show, remaining perfectly still. Her insolence would be punished later.

“She belongs to my Alpha,” the leader of the pack sneered, his brown eyes flashing gold, the presence of his werewolf revealing itself to the group.

“Does the brute speak the truth?” Luther asked, keeping his dark eyes on her.

Zamorra clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, but maintained her position and kept her focus entirely on him. “I belong to no one. I’m a rogue shifter. Have been all my life. Six months ago, when I refused to join his Alpha’s pack, he tried to take me by force. I’ve been running from the bastard ever since.”

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