Chapter 2: The Scent of a Predator

Lucian couldn’t sleep.

He sat on the edge of his bed, fingers digging into his temples, jaw locked tight enough to crack bone. The room was dark, bathed only in the pale glow of the city outside. Nocturne never slept, but tonight, its restless pulse felt different.

Or maybe that was just him.

His skin still burned where Cassiel had stood too close, where his words had slithered beneath Lucian’s defenses and coiled around something deep in his gut. Something that refused to be ignored.

I want you.

Lucian growled under his breath, shoving the memory away. Cassiel Vale was an Enigma. A threat. Whatever twisted game he was playing, Lucian wanted no part of it.

And yet…

His body knew something his mind refused to accept.

That encounter should have ended with Cassiel on the ground, throat crushed under Lucian’s boot. But it hadn’t. Because Lucian hesitated.

Because for the first time in his life, someone had looked him in the eyes, smirked, and dared to whisper—mine.

He rose abruptly, muscles coiled with restless energy. He needed control. Order. The weight of steel in his hand, the sharp crack of fists meeting flesh. Something real.

A fight.

A hunt.

Anything to drown out the memory of golden eyes in the dark.

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The underground fight pit was loud, humid, and reeking of sweat and blood. It was exactly what Lucian needed.

He stripped off his jacket, rolling his shoulders as he stepped into the ring. The crowd roared—his name, his reputation, the scent of fresh violence thick in the air. Across from him, a Beta stood tense, fists raised, eyes filled with the kind of desperation that made men reckless.

Lucian barely heard the bell before he moved.

The fight was over in seconds.

A dodge. A strike. The sickening crunch of bone giving way beneath his fist. The Beta crumpled, unconscious before he hit the floor.

The crowd erupted, but Lucian barely heard them. His breathing was even, heartbeat steady. The rush he had been chasing never came.

Because something else was watching him.

He felt it before he saw him. That same cold pressure at the back of his mind, the whisper of a presence he should have ignored.

Slowly, Lucian lifted his gaze—

And found Cassiel Vale leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, watching him like a wolf watches a wounded stag.

Lucian’s blood turned to fire.

Cassiel wasn’t supposed to be here. He shouldn’t be here.

And yet there he was, dressed in black, golden eyes gleaming with something unreadable. He tilted his head, slow, like he was savoring a secret only he knew.

Lucian’s fists clenched. He should have looked away. Should have ignored him. But he didn’t.

He stared.

And Cassiel, the arrogant, infuriating bastard, only smirked.

Then, he turned—slowly, deliberately—and disappeared into the shadows.

Lucian moved before he could think.

Ignoring the voices around him, he shoved past the crowd, following the lingering scent that burned in his lungs like something wrong—something he refused to name.

He found Cassiel in the alley behind the pit, waiting.

Of course he was waiting.

Lucian didn’t slow. He slammed Cassiel against the brick wall, forearm pressing hard against his throat.

Cassiel didn’t flinch.

Didn’t resist.

He only smiled.

Lucian bared his teeth. “I told you to stay the hell away from me.”

Cassiel exhaled, slow and deliberate, and Lucian hated how his breath brushed against his lips. “And yet, here you are, chasing me into the dark.”

Lucian growled. His grip tightened. “You think this is a game?”

Cassiel hummed. “I think you haven’t stopped thinking about me since last night.”

Lucian snapped.

His hand moved before he could stop it, fingers wrapping around Cassiel’s throat. Not tight enough to choke—but close. Close enough to feel the steady pulse beneath his skin.

Cassiel’s lips parted. His eyes darkened. And Lucian felt the shift in the air, sharp and electric.

A challenge.

A taunt.

A silent dare: Do it.

Lucian’s breath came hard, chest rising and falling in ragged pulls. His instincts warred—violence or surrender. He had never known anything in between.

Cassiel licked his lips. “Go on, Alpha.”

Lucian shoved away from him like he had been burned. “Stay out of my sight.”

Cassiel only laughed, soft and knowing. “But we both know you’ll come looking for me again.”

Lucian didn’t respond.

Because Cassiel was right.

And that was the most dangerous thing of all.

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