Page 87 of Cursed Beasts

That one admission broke the dam that was being held by tape. I cried even harder, hating that his acceptance of me being broken made me feel whole. My family always ensured that I remembered I was broken. Caston made it a point to remind me as often as possible that I was magic-less, and that I couldn’t even function properly as a woman.

“Kit Kat, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry more. I just want you to know that I accept you just the way you are, and I wouldn’t dream of telling you that you weren’t enough because to me, no one will ever come close to how perfect you are.”

I couldn’t stop crying and Lucien just held me as I cried out all my feelings. He whispered encouraging words until the clock chimed, making me cry harder.

“Don’t leave me, please,” I said, getting worried about being left alone.

“Katarina,” Lucien’s voice broke.

He cleared his throat, holding me tighter, almost too tight.

“I’ll be here the first chance I get, ok?” He pulled away, holding my face as a stray tear fell down his face. “I have to go because I don’t want to hurt you.”

He stood up with ease, like he wasn’t holding on to me. I tried to get my emotions in check, but it was like everything was overwhelming me.

Lucien sat me down on the bed and I reluctantly let my legs go. He cupped my face again.

“I know this is sudden. All of these hormones and emotions are running high. I think we might be feeling each other’s emotions, but we will get through this.” He rubbed his nose along mine.

I needed more. I leaned forward, bringing him in for a kiss that soon turned ravenous. He growled, pushing his hands under my shirt, and all I could think about was having him inside of me.

Lucien pulled away, his eyes shining with his wolf.

“Tomorrow, we will talk and if we have time, I’ll convince you why you’re mine with my mouth.” His voice was dark with a sinful promise. He walked out of the room, leaving me staring at the door, clenching my legs.

The howling outside of my door should have scared me, but I felt comforted even if I felt like my world was about to come crashing down. It wasn’t long until someone knocked at my door again and Mr. Potter walked in.

He gave me a sympathetic look.

“Aeon told me to bring you some food and this.” He held up a vial. “It will help you sleep when you need to.”

“Thank you, Mr. Potter,” I said, as he set a tray down for me. It had all my favorite things with a cup of coffee.

“Aeon told me what happened, and I know it’s not ideal, but I’m so happy.” He smiled at me.

“Mr. Potter, I’m afraid of what’s going to happen after the year is over and I don’t break the curse,” I tried not to cry.

“Let’s not think about that. We will find a way to break it.” He gave me a hug and I leaned into him. It wasn’t the contact I needed, but I would take whatever I could get.

“It still worries me,” I murmured, into his shoulder. “I’m also worried about my family and if they find out.”

“We will deal with that when we cross that road, but for now I think we have something to celebrate,” he said, giving me his best smile.

As much as I wanted to share in his joy, a small part of me felt like this might be even worse than getting stuck here with three beasts.

36

LUCIEN

Iknow it was not yet three, but spontaneously, I became conscious in my wolf’s body. I attempted to shift, and I almost did before I was thrown back into my wolf form. Oddly, as I tested the form again, the magic holding on to me felt weaker.

I tried to shift a few more times, longing to be with Katarina until finally I was able to push through the barrier holding me back, and completed the shift. Attempting to change so many times leaves me entirely exhausted. I awoke outside laying on the ground, trying to catch my breath while attempting to push myself to get up. The longing for my mate was so overwhelming that it nearly drove me crazy, like an unsatiable thirst that could only be sated with her sweet wetness.

Aeon said we would both feel this way initially, but he didn’t say for how long. I didn’t know how much more of this I could take because having to be away from her was too much pain to bear. The guilt of bonding with her, without her consent, was also eating me alive.

In that moment, my wolf took over so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything but watch as my body acted on his will. He made his decision and that was it. If he had his way, he would have marked Aeon as well. Being buried deep in her didn’t help, and all the sex in the air made it worse.

I needed to make this right for Katarina, and we really needed to find a way to break this curse because I wasn’t letting go of her.

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