Lucas
I cannot believe what the fuck I’m looking at.
The same dumbass who bumped into Aria earlier is now standing in front of her, holding out a flower like he’s in some fucking dating show.
My wolf is already losing his shit, growling in my head, begging me to rip this bastard apart.
And honestly? Same.
Anger burns through me so fast I don’t even realize I’m moving until I’m already there, marching right up to them.
Without a second thought, I snatch the flower out of his hand and slam it to the floor.
“Are you fucking crazy? What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I bark.
And this motherfucker, this absolute clown has the audacity to smirk and shake his head.
I swear to the goddess, I almost lose it right there.
I want to slam his skull into the wall, but I hold back. He’s probably a weak-ass human, and if I throw one punch, he’ll go flying across the damn room like a ragdoll.
Aria immediately steps up beside me, placing a hand on my arm. “Lucas, please calm down.”
Yeah. Not happening.
I gesture to the stupid-ass bouquets on the table. “What the fuck is all this? Did you bring all this shit for my girl?”
I let out a dry laugh before shoving the flowers off the desk.
“Let me make this crystal fucking clear…I don’t wanna see you near my girlfriend. I don’t wanna hear you talk to her. Hell, I don’t even want you breathing in her direction. Because if you so much as blink at her wrong, I swear, I’ll break your fucking dick.”
He snorts, like this is some kind of joke.
“Calm down, man. I didn’t know you two were together. I just saw a beautiful girl and appreciated her. Chill, I’ll back off.” He raises his hands in surrender.
Aria tugs at my arm again. “Please, Lucas, let’s not make a scene.”
I stare at her. Baby, this is a scene. A whole-ass episode.
But fine.
I glare at the bastard one last time, mentally making a hit list, then grab Aria’s hand and pull her out of the classroom. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
As we step into the hallway, I don’t slow down. “Are you done for the day?”
“Well… we have a class discussion. Just amongst the students.”
“Forget it.” I don’t even let her finish. She’s done for the day. Because I said so.
Once we’re outside, I pull her into a quiet corner and finally let go of her hand.
I rake a frustrated hand through my hair. “Okay. What the fuck was that?”
Aria sighs, rubbing her temples. “I don’t know, okay? He just sat next to me, said his name was Mark, wanted to be my friend-whatever the hell that means. Then, after class, those guys started bringing me flowers, and at first, I thought you sent them. But then, he pulls out a fucking rose and asks to be my friend again.”
I huff and shake my head. “The fuck? Do I need to break his legs or something?”
Aria sighs dramatically. “Lucas, please. Have you forgotten we’re living among humans?”
I cross my arms. “How can I forget when that bastard was all over you? All over my woman?”
She smiles, shaking her head.
I narrow my eyes. “What’s funny?”
Her grin widens. “You’re so fucking jealous. It’s kinda hot.”
“This isn’t funny, Aria.”
“I know. But you’re so cute when you’re mad.”
I grab her by the waist and crash my lips against hers, kissing her slow and deep until she melts into me. When I finally pull away, she’s breathless, her cheeks flushed.
I smirk. “Still think I’m cute, baby?”
She swallows hard. “M-maybe.”
I chuckle, brushing my fingers along her jaw. “I have to go now. Still got one more lecture.”
She groans, dropping her head against my chest. “Why? I’m so fucking exhausted. Let’s just go home.”
I press a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay, baby. You go ahead. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”
She pouts but nods. “Alright then.”
I lean in again, brushing my lips against hers.
“Listen to me, Aria. I don’t ever wanna see that bastard near you. I don’t wanna see you talk to him. I don’t even want you looking at him.”
She glares at me. “Lucas…”
I grip her chin, tilting her face up. “I mean it, Aria.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I don’t give a shit about Mark.”
Mark? That’s his name?
I shake my head, scowling. “I don’t even wanna hear you say his name.”
Aria rolls her eyes. “See you later.”
She presses a quick kiss to my lips before heading toward Mia and Lily, who are waiting for her.
I watch her go, still fuming over that bastard.
That’s when Damon strolls up beside me, Theo right behind him. “So… who was that guy?”
“Just an irrelevant nobody.” I wave it off. “But I swear, if I see him near my mate again, acting all friendly and shit, I’ll kill him.”
Theo sighs. “Lucas, we’re living among humans. You really wanna expose us by going full psycho?”
“Fuck that.” I scoff.
Damon crosses his arms. “So… are we doing this or what?”
“Yeah. You guys ready?”
“Yeah, but why didn’t you just ask Mia or Lily to help? We’re dudes, man. How the fuck are we supposed to know about dresses?” Damon whines.
“Because I want Aria to be genuinely surprised.” I glare at him. “If I went with Mia and Lily, she’d find out. And don’t bitch about it…just follow me.”
They both groan, but they follow anyway.
See, I had to lie to Aria about going to lectures so I could pull this off. I even made Damon lie to Mia so she wouldn’t snitch.
Once we take Theo’s car and pull up to some high-end boutique downtown, we step inside, and immediately, this woman comes over, giving us a flirtatious smile.
“What can I help you with today?”
I don’t even hesitate. “I need a perfect, elegant evening dress for a luxurious date.”
Her smile widens as she motions for us to follow.
She leads us to a section of the boutique filled with gorgeous dresses.
Theo grabs one off the rack. “This one is so nice.”
I glance at it, then check the price tag.
My mouth fucking drops.
“$10, 000?! What the fuck?!” I grunt.
Damon rolls his eyes. “Lucas, you do remember you’re a billionaire heir, right?”
“Yeah, man,” Theo adds. “What are you doing screaming over a $10, 000 dress like some broke college student? You take public transportation, eat cafeteria food, and act like you’re budgeting your last five dollars. The fuck?”
Damon nods. “And don’t even try to say your dad froze your account. He unfroze it months ago.”
I sneer, looking at the dress again. “I don’t need his money.”
Damon folds his arms. “Okay… so what’s the plan, then? You’re a broke billionaire now? How exactly do you intend to buy this?”
I smirk. “You two are gonna contribute.”
Theo groans. “Oh, come on…”
“Nope. You are doing it. It’s an order. As your Alpha.”
Damon snorts. “Yeah, okay. Says the guy who doesn’t even wanna go back to the pack.”
“And when I go back, I’m starting by punishing your disobedient asses if you don’t bring out some damn money right now.”
Theo groans dramatically. “You’re such a fucking bully.”
I grin. “And you love it.”
After a long-ass hour, we finally get the dress, and I head back to the apartment alone.
As soon as we reach the building, I step out of the cab, and my heart starts pounding. My stomach fucking fluttering.
Why the hell am I nervous? I mean, I literally fucked the shit out of Aria a few hours ago, and now I’m acting like a shy high schooler because I wanna surprise her with some flowers and some gifts?
Shaking it off, I clutch the bouquet in one hand and the tote bag in the other, then head inside. I take the elevator up, reach my apartment, and knock on the door.
The lock clicks instantly, and there she is-standing in front of me, smiling.
“I don’t need to ask who’s at the door…I already know by your scent…” She trails off, then her eyes widen at the flowers in my hands.
“What are those?”
I smirk, handing her the flowers and the bag. “They’re for you, baby. There’s a surprise in there for you.”
Her face lights up, and I can’t help but smile.
I can’t wait for her to see everything.