The moment I stepped into the room, Arkan's intoxicating scent filled my lungs. Before I could go any farther, I clamped a hand over my nose, quickly backed away, and stepped out into the hallway.
"I can't stay here," I said. "This is your room."
Arkan studied me for several seconds. Then he straightened, puffing out his chest slightly, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You caught my scent, didn't you?"
Heat rushed to my face at those words. I lowered the hand covering my nose and clasped both hands behind my back.
"Yes, I did," I said. "But that's all. It's not like I want to sleep with you or anything."
A low growl rumbled from Arkan's throat.
"You should have known I wasn't going to stay in the same room as you."
"I can't stay away from you. Especially now that I know your heat is approaching. Never."
His entire body was tense as he spoke. His fingers curled into fists and relaxed again, while his shoulders trembled slightly.
"Especially with that sweet scent of yours..." He took a deep breath. "...it's going to attract other males to you."
As the last words left his mouth, his voice deepened further, turning into a growl.
"I'll kill them."
His breathing grew heavier. His skin looked taut, and his jaw tightened.
Was he going to shift?
"If Kayra doesn't want to stay here, then she won't," Kongar said as he stepped in front of me, blocking Arkan's view of me.
Arkan's growl echoed through the hallway, louder than any I had heard from him before. This time, I truly thought he was about to shift.
But strangely, instead of fear, that sound stirred an inexplicable desire inside me.
"Kongar..." I said.
My voice was barely above a whisper, yet he heard me. Kongar always heard me.
"Move out of my way, Kongar," Arkan said. "The only thing you'll accomplish by standing between us is hurting Kayra."
Kongar's shoulders tensed, but Arkan continued speaking.
"You can't stop everyone who tries to get close to her."
His growl deepened even further as the last words left his mouth.
Kongar finally looked away from me, turned his back to me, and faced Arkan once more. For a while, neither of them said a single word.
Then something happened that I hadn't expected.
Kongar slowly stepped aside.
"The only thing that matters is Kayra."
In response to those words, Arkan gave a slight nod.
"Yes," he said, fixing his glowing blue eyes on me.
That was not good.
Facing those eyes, filled with desire, only made everything harder.
"If I touch her, she breaks free from that feeling," Kongar said.
The moment he took hold of my arm, the overwhelming desire inside me weakened. It didn't disappear completely, but it faded.
Arkan growled at Kongar before stepping toward me and reaching out his hand.
"You can't stop her from being drawn to me," he said as he brushed his fingers against my cheek.
The instant he touched me, the desire flared back to life. A small sound escaped my lips, but I paid it no attention and instinctively leaned into his palm.
Kongar's hand was still wrapped around my arm, and his grip tightened at Arkan's words. That strange tingling sensation spread through my arm, yet I couldn't pull my head away from Arkan's touch.
When I took a step closer to Arkan, Kongar moved with me and placed his free hand over his heart.
"You're right," he said, releasing my arm.
Then he slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me back, putting distance between Arkan and me.
After that, he stepped in front of me once again.
"But Kayra should be the one to decide."
Those words made my heart beat faster. Kongar truly seemed to care about my choices.
Just as Arkan took a step toward Kongar, a voice from down the hallway stopped him.
When I turned around, I saw Soren approaching us.
He greeted Arkan first, then shifted his gaze to me.
"Luna."
After taking a few steps toward me, Soren suddenly stopped. His eyes widened, and he covered his nose before quickly stepping back.
"Your scent is getting stronger," he said. "I would advise you to stay in the same room as the Alpha."
"No—"
"I'm sorry, Luna, but this is for your own good," he said, cutting me off. After a brief pause, he continued, "And for ours as well."
As he spoke those last words, he seemed to shrink under Arkan's gaze. Arkan hadn't looked this threatening even toward Kongar. His teeth were slightly bared as he carefully tracked Soren's every movement.
Maybe he was right.
This whole fated-mate situation didn't seem like something that could be taken lightly.
Avoiding eye contact with Arkan, Soren gestured toward Kongar with a tilt of his head.
"If you let him stay between you, nothing unwanted will happen."
At those words, Arkan's teeth lengthened and dark fur began spreading across his skin.
"And besides, he won't be able to kill Kongar."
A savage growl rose from Arkan's throat, and this time, my body tensed.
The truth was, Soren's suggestion made sense.
And this scent problem looked like it was going to cause me serious trouble.
What if I reacted to other males the same way I reacted to Arkan?
What would I do then?
"Fine."
The moment the word left my mouth, relief washed over Soren's face. He thanked me and quickly hurried away.
When Arkan took a step as if he intended to go after him, I moved in front of him.
"Aren't you going to show me your room?" I asked, nodding toward the door.
Arkan's chest rose and fell with deep, growling breaths, but he didn't follow Soren. It looked as though every ounce of his concentration was focused on calming himself down.
I walked past him toward his room.
The moment I opened the door, Arkan's scent hit me full force. It was far stronger than anything I had been able to smell out in the hallway.
I immediately turned to Kongar.
"Hold my hand," I said, reaching mine out to him.
Arkan growled at my request and took a step toward us.
The moment Kongar wrapped his hand around mine, the tension inside my body eased. Arkan's scent was still filling my nose, but now I could endure it.
At least for the moment.
I didn't know how long this would keep working, but for now, I didn't seem to have any other choice.
As Kongar and I stepped into the room, the first thing that caught my attention was how much it resembled a royal bedchamber. The walls were decorated with paintings similar to the old, gold-framed ones I had noticed throughout the hallways. Most of them were portraits, but one painting hanging directly across from the bed immediately stood out from the rest.
The enormous painting stretched from floor to ceiling and depicted a creature standing completely upright, something between a human and a wolf. Its body looked more human than wolf. Jet-black fur covered every inch of it, while its brilliant blue eyes were as intimidating as they were captivating.
When I finally tore my gaze away from the painting, I found Arkan's blue eyes fixed on me. He was standing by the doorway, watching me.
I looked back at the painting.
"Is that you?" I asked, pointing at it.
Arkan walked past me with slow, deliberate steps and stopped in front of the painting. The wolf-like figure in the portrait appeared slightly larger than him, but their builds were strikingly similar.
"Yes," he said without taking his eyes off it. "I am the last Lycan."
A Lycan?
I had a vague idea of what they were from the books I had read, but those had all been fiction.
"I've never seen you transform into that."
At my words, Arkan finally looked away from the painting and turned his gaze toward me. Then he took a few steps forward until he was standing right in front of me.
"Would you like me to transform?"
As Arkan's deep voice reached my ears, I pressed my legs together and gripped Kongar's hand more tightly. His voice still affected me—especially when it carried that low, savage edge.
As he spoke, Arkan's gaze drifted to my hand wrapped around Kongar's.
"But I haven't been able to become him since my wolf took control."
"Why?"
Before answering, Arkan's gaze drifted toward the massive bed in the center of the room. I didn't think I had ever seen a bed that large in my life. Even the Lycan from the painting could have stretched out comfortably on it and still left room for several more people.
After sitting down on the edge of the bed, Arkan looked at me.
"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Maybe it's because my wolf is angry with me."
"Your wolf is angry with you?"
So they really could think independently from one another. That was far stranger than I had imagined.
"Why?"
Arkan fell silent for a moment before looking away from me.
"He didn't want me to marry Alara."
Marry Alara?
I should have felt relieved hearing that, but the emotion rising inside me wasn't relief at all. On the contrary, I felt a slow-burning anger growing in my chest. My breathing quickened, and I realized I had dug my nails into Kongar's hand.
I tried to pull away, but Kongar wouldn't let go. His fingers tightened slightly around mine, and when I looked at him, I found him staring at Arkan with a deep frown.
"That's why I can't work with him the way I used to," Arkan said, turning his gaze back to the Lycan painting. "He has to forgive me before I can transform into my Lycan form again."
Kongar and I walked over and sat beside him. Kongar remained standing at my side, still holding my hand.
Even though Arkan knew I was there, he kept his head lowered, staring at the hands clasped together in his lap.
"I was only thinking about the future of my people."
When I placed my free hand over his, he finally looked up at me.
"I know. I'm here."
The words had come out on their own.
Was I empathizing with him?
Arkan held my gaze for a long moment. He looked as though he wanted to believe what I had said but didn't know how.
"Kayra..."
As his gaze dropped to my lips, Kongar's grip on my hand tightened.