Ludovic's magnetism pulled Cora in like a warm fire on a bitterly cold night. It wasn't hard to imagine why so many allowed him to take the throne as alpha.

The things she wanted from Ludovic...it made her blush when he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. It wasn't clear what lycans did to initiate romance, but Mina had mentioned that they do kiss, although will sometimes forgo it in favor of their lycan instincts.

Cora enjoyed that he engaged in kissing, inhaling when his lips moved with hers, his face taking up the space in front of her, breathing in the scent that escaped his lungs that made it entirely his.

Having his mark on her neck eased her trepidation for wanting him. It seemed expected, now, elevating her excitement and need, as who else was she to do something like this with?

Cora wanted to feel powerful. To feel like an Omni. Wouldn't lying with an alpha give her that?

As Ludovic's hand touched her shoulder and slid up to the back of her neck, the kissing grew more fluid, the heat of his tongue just at the edge of her lips, the strength of his lycan grip more than she had ever experienced...she became aware of how unorthodox this was for someone who grew up in a merchant's village.

Her human trepidation crept in, even if she tried to push it away.

She suspected she was more inexperienced than other lycans her age. Suffering the curse of changing eye colors meant Cora had to sneak her time with men in the dead of night on a new moon, leading to her only going very far with a man only on one occasion, and even then, it didn't last long.

When there was a small break in the kiss, she confessed, "I'm not sure what I'm doing." Gazing into those pale, silver eyes of his, she added, "But I want to keep going. I just, you know, don't want to disappoint."

Many things filtered through his gaze, including hesitation. Which only made her fret.

A few inches separated their noses, which now felt like too much space as she worried he would pull away. "I know what I want," she said, looking over the smallest details of his face.

"So do I," he hummed back.

"Which is?"

"I don't deny there's a primal part of me that enjoys being the male to bed an Omni," he said, looking over her face. "But you're still so human. Is it even right to take that here?"

Despite not truly knowing him, it felt rather easy to be open with him. Perhaps it was the way he led, or the way his bite mark mixed with her enamored feelings. Or how safe she felt in his grasp, mixing with the warmth of the fire, and the quiet of their room.

It felt important to admit, "There's this part of me that says I am being too eager. That it would be more romantic to do this elsewhere. Or is that not something lycans worry about?"

He seemed to consider that, but didn't back away from her, one of his fingers gently moving through her hair. "Doing this, right here, after something tried to claim you, is exactly what a female lycan would want me to do."

Her heart raced, an undeniable desire breaking through that had never raised its head before. Was it wrong that she only really wanted to dive in if others would do it, too? Or was it simply the permission she needed to enjoy the suggestion? Quietly, she muttered, "Sorry, if I lack experience."

He kissed her again, the strength of his hand holding her in place as his lips moved against hers. She gently moaned, her eyes swiftly closing as she leaned in, one of her hands reaching up to touch his arm. His kissing ceased, and they looked each other in the eye. "You might lack experience in every way, in relation to our people," he said, his gaze falling to her lips. "But one day, you won't. Do not worry about that."

Well, how quickly those concerns waned. She mindlessly gripped the pendant around her neck with her other hand.

He asked, "What goes through your kind?"

Quietly, and with some embarrassment that this might be too forward, she said, "I want to feel all of you, and I hate that I don't know how to get there."

That seemed to cross something his gaze, the hesitation disappearing. A warmth mixed between her heart and navel, having not expected how wonderful it would be to have someone like him look at her quite like that.

She kept talking, gently moving her fingers on his skin, "I don't care if it hurts. It only does the first time. I want to be beyond that pain."

The woman that spoke through her was a foreign identity, and yet her lips moved with ease as she said those things.

A prideful gleam filled his gaze, and before he kissed her again, he said, "Then I will take the lead."

Her enthusiasm in their kissing only spurred on his excitement. His warm, soft lips—such a contradiction for everything else about him—moved deeper into hers, the heat of his mouth mixing with her own.

Breathing him in, she wore never smelled such things before. There was such a musk, and something sweet yet not sugary, mixing with the scent of stone and smoke from the hearth. Could it be the serum she drank, opening up her body to their world of scents? She let go of the pendant and placed that hand on his muscular neck, the size of him slowly filling in the space around her. Being on the floor didn't seem to matter.

The rough strength of his grip, gentled so as not to hurt her, spread a liquid heat through her that made her slick. Especially when his hand wrapped around the back of her hip, pulling her closer. The human side of her, the one she was already willing to lock away for forever, whispered that if she moved any further, how could any other male ever make her feel like this? Wouldn't it be worth ensuring he did mate her before allowing this to move further?

Or was that just an obsolete way that humans saw the world?

All Cora knew was that she wanted to kill that side of her, and fast. Why was it being so loud in that moment?

He gently parted, his rapacious gaze looking her over. "You are hesitant."

No, she didn't want him to stop. She didn't want him to back away. That commanding gaze of his made her spill the truth, "I am fine, really. I just, for a moment, thought that if this doesn't work, then I'm giving this part of myself to you. But I don't think that matters...at least not to me. I don't know."

He didn't create more space, curiosity in his eyes. "Is it important for a human?"

"Is it not for a lycan?"

"Lycans can often see their first time as using the other to open up that part of their world. It's more of a privilege for the one on the other end. And seeing as you are an Omni, it is even more of my privilege."

She looked down, happy that he was still close, to feel his heat as she thought this over. What an interesting argument, one humans would never accept or understand. "Certainly, it's not as fun that I don't have as much experience?"

He frowned, the gentle firelight around softly reflecting in his gaze. "Do you want the appropriate answer, or the one I have?"

A small curl of her lips preceded her saying, "The one you have."

"I've had more than one female with her first time, and came to learn that they are more fun later," he said, but leaned his head in to kiss her neck as she now could see the cavern that was turned into a room, looking down to see the skin of his shoulder and a few of his dreads. His lips lingered right where he bit her. The flesh was tender, but she enjoyed the way he went to it, a cautious smile on her lips. His rumbling voice moved to her ear, her breath hitching. "A very innate part of me thrives at the idea of being the only male to fill my scent in an Omni like you. A desire that I won't hesitate to satisfy."

Warm shivers created goosebumps, mixing with her trepidation. Bracing herself to hear a potentially uncomfortable truth, she breathed out, "Is it just because I'm an Omni?"

He slightly moved his head, so his nose was on her cheekbone, his voice rough in sound but gentle in the way he spoke. "You are an Omni. It will be your identity, forever. Hardly any male wouldn't find being with you from the beginning of such an awakening to be irresistible." He moved back to look her in the eyes. "But I chose you because of who you are. Who you have so far shown me to be." His gaze darkened with something that loosened the tension in her muscles as he admitted, "Your scent, while has an effect on me, also begs for me to fill it with my own."

She didn't know how to be thorough. Did she need to wait? Make him prove himself more? Or did humans only do that because human men's eyes wandered so carelessly?

Waiting seemed like the last thing she honestly wanted. Cora wanted him now.

This new person was emerging inside of her, one that had gotten her in trouble in the past. One that pushed boundaries and got her burned, except now, the alpha himself egged it on. She liked that about these creatures.

It was her that closed the space and kissed him, letting everything melt. If this was a mistake, then so be it. He kissed her, and moved his hand between her legs, on the inside of her thigh. The sensation was overwhelming, and she moaned into his mouth. His rough, strong hands so close to something so delicate.

He asked into her lips, "Have you ever done anything?"

"I've touched there many times, myself. One man did once, too."

Something aggressive came to life in his eyes and her first reaction was to enjoy it. With a smile, she said, "You said many lycans were experienced."

The corner of his lips rose, but that dominance remained in his gaze. "Doesn't mean we aren't competitive."

He pulled away and she grew slightly anxious. Was he deciding not to engage with her?

"Come to the bed," he said. "And take off your dress."

Never could she have imagined, that when she first came to Reiger, she'd be willing to strip so easily at an alpha's commands, or so eager at such a simple order.

But the thought that he wanted her to strip, and he wanted to enjoy her body...she rose from where she sat, looking at the bed, then at Ludovic's back as he also neared it. Her heart raced and everything warm hollowed her out, leaving only thoughts for him.

She eyed the back of his long dreads, then the clean shaven side of his head. It was such a foreign design to humanity, and this was the male that left a mark on her neck.

Nearing the bed and leaving the heat of the fire, she watched him take off his tunic, revealing valleys of thick muscle, littered with scars.

A larger sense of self-worth rose in her chest, reminded that he was a formidable creature among his own kind. Humans could have cared less about her—even hated her—but here that was different. She was just as precious as he was.

He looked back at her after tossing his shirt.

She coyly smiled, still not sure how to strip for him, even if she wanted to. She didn't want to make a fool of herself, or feel awkward by standing there in the nude. Quietly, she said, "Sorry for staring. You have a lot of scars."

"Do they bother you?"

"No."

"I understand most humans do not wear scars with pride."

"Well, that's their issue." She suppressed a smile when he snickered, and she looked him in the eyes as she added, "They just make me feel sorry for you. I mean, sorry for what you've endured. That's a lot of pain."

He motioned with his hand for her to come to him, her body moving without question. When she was within arm's reach, he looked over her body. "Not many are ask scarred as I am. It's all been for a purpose."

She didn't want to possibly offend him, and quietly offered, "I don't mind them. I just, thought it was interesting, how different humans are."

He reached down at the bottom of her dress, and slid his hand up the outside of her thigh as he lifted her dress, his gaze boring right into her. "And I greatly enjoy watching you embrace our world. It suits you."

"Oh, does it now?" she asked with a large grin.

He gave the smallest smile, an intensity fighting his kinder words, his voice gruff. "Yes. The red in your eyes is more beautiful when you're unfiltered."

Her eyes betrayed any attempt to have control in this conversation, an unguarded gaze meeting his own, her heart filling with genuine affection.

Sparks of excitement lit up her heart and navel, every graze of his skin on hers like a forbidden enjoyment. Except who was to forbid her now? She stared down at his bare chest, amazed at how much muscle was just in his gut. She helped him get out of her dress, standing bare before him. Before the man that called her red eyes beautiful.

The way he raked his gaze over her made something indomitable dart through his eyes. "Lay down," he said, his voice husky.

For the first time that night, she didn't question anything he said. She went to the soft bed with fur blankets, moving to her back so she was bare for him. Breathing deeply, her desire made her willing to toss away any humanity and never look back.

Ludovic still wore his leather pants when he lowered his body over her, some of his dreads hanging over his shoulder as kissed up her stomach towards her breasts, inhaling against her skin. She moaned, the softness of his lips so inviting.

He reclaimed her lips swiftly, leaning on one arm so only one was free as it slid up her body, filling his hand with her breast, and then cupping her jaw to steady her face as a tongue raked over her lips. Opening her mouth, tasting his warmth, she moaned again. He groaned in return, the sound of sharp breathing filing the silent cavern. Every time she made a sound, he'd kiss her harder and return it with some kind of low grumble.

The hand on her neck at some point trailed down her to stomach, while her own explored his chest, next, and shoulder.

He kissed her again, and then that rough, war-weathered hand slid past her belly button, with Cora nearly holding her breath in anticipation. She stiffened when he slid his hand through her sensitive, vulnerable folds, then melted once she wanted more of it. He gently rubbed her most delicate spot to elicit a true moan of hers into his mouth. His breathing grew ragged, the edges catching as if almost turning into a growl. His body moved closer to hers, his touching becoming intense.

Into the kiss, he mumbled, "Relax."

His hand slid further down, sliding with ease, as one of his finger's slid inside. Of course, she tightened, but he continued to kiss her hard and it just made her want him more. He moved the finger in and out, and there was something alluring about the thought of him being in there. Her eyes were closed, but they rolled into her head none the less at the way those sensations overcame her.

Should she touch him? That part of him? Reaching down, she managed to feel the erection through his leather pants. A second finger tightly slid in, Cora gasping at the welcomed intrusion. As her mouth opened, Ludovic's tongue entered and pressed hard into hers, her body rolling with pleasure as she groaned into his breathy heat once more.

His excitement at her touch only made her own grow, a slickness forming that she was not used to sharing with another. The last time she had done this, it was in a haystack in the middle of the night on a new moon—she could hardly see anything. And it never amounted to anything more than what her and Ludovic were currently doing.

Now, every time she opened her eyes, she saw that thick, scarred arm reach down between her legs.

He then parted and kissed her neck and collarbone, down her body and her breasts. Her neck lightly throbbed, reminding her of his commitment. She wanted to make this worth it for him, too.

Ludovic stood at the edge of the bed, grabbing her hips and pulling her closer to him. She laughed and had no idea what was happening, but was down for anything.

There was a high on being with such a powerful male, on giving this part of herself to him; one that she knew no other male would be able to fill after him, especially if she developed deep feelings for him.

Which she already felt forming.

Perhaps it was a lack of learned cynicism that prevented her from being cautious, but tonight she'd enjoy him without reservation.

How badly she wanted something like this for her life.

He untied his pants, and out from it sprang a full, thick erection. She didn't even care how it would fit. She wanted that in her.

Removing his pants, he got on his knees, and kissed her hips.

She knew what this was.

Cora had chatted with a traveling prostitute more than once in her village, as the woman took to women who seemed out of place and uncertain. The woman of the night began speaking of everything filthy, and Cora never stopped her. It was too interesting to hear. And Cora always figured if she was to impress an alpha one day, then she had to learn a few tricks from somewhere.

With a bated breath, she waited until his lips and tongue were in her core before releasing a pent up moan from her.

She gasped from the pure pleasure, her brows folding downward as sounds of ecstasy escaped her. It was everything soft, wet, and so much stimulation. She looked down to see the large male between her legs, forgoing all sense of blushing at having such a private area completely overwhelmed in stimulus. It made her ravenous, panting heavier as she rolled her eyes, moaning and whimpering whenever he'd focus on one spot in particular.

He growled right into her flesh, rumbling, "I like when you are loud. Let the other wolves know who pleasures you."

As if her body worked for him in that moment, she moaned loudly, the sound echoing against the stone.

A finger slipped into her with ease, although her muscle contracted as the pleasure demanded it to. His warm tongue eased in its movements when another finger was in. She touched his head and rough dreads, rolling her eyes at the way it felt to have herself full of him, and also his mouth on her.

A third finger of his was harder to not notice, although the way he licked...it was inside, all three gently moving as he returned his focus right back on her most sensitive nub.

She moaned again as he moved faster. "Ludovic," she whined.

He growled, and when the sensation rose too greatly, the sensation of fullness and wetness mixed until a rising pleasure threatened to undo her. She looked down at him, and his eyes were hard on her.

Without much warning, that pleasure washed over her, her head hitting the bed as if the wave were real. He greatly slowed, her body shaking. The removal of his fingers was an interesting sensation, especially when she felt particularly empty.

It made her want what else was left.

But when she looked down, he darkly smiled. "We can wait for more."

She sat up. "But..."

He touched the inside of her thigh, kissing it. "We have time," he said, although she felt that energy still in him, especially when his teeth grazed her skin. "You are mine, and I won't rush you. Even if I want to."

She didn't like leaving him unattended to and blurted out, "Can I pleasure you, at least?"

It was fascinating that her body was already winding down, and yet she was still quite hungry for more. She wanted to make him feel the same thing, and to see him unravel at her touch, like how she had done for him. "I want to," she added, looking him over.

Cora spent many nights trying to sleep while anxiety kept her awake, wondering how she'd ever learn to please an alpha. Which meant this concept was the least foreign part of the night to her.

But here, she wanted to please him.

He languidly moved his gaze to look at her, his eyes full of an intensity that only made her excited, his body still between her legs. He quickly kissed her inner thigh again, humming with a deep sound of pleasure, and stood. "I have an idea."

He stood, the phallic nature of Ludovic fitting for an alpha, the erection large and curiously inviting to her. It felt like an extension of him, representing the primal way in which he could dominate another. Dominate her. She stared right at it, and that seemed to only excite him, as he smiled. But then he came over her, the erection moving with his actions, and her core became slick again just at the thought of everything about him having her.

She had seen men, in a part of her village that travelers rested, having sex with women—perhaps whores—inside of a barn that she once visited with a traveling young man. Replaying those thoughts, imagining him doing all of that to her, made her eager.

He brought his whole body weight over her, his warm erection resting on her belly as she shifted to the side, simultaneously kissing her hard. She opened her mouth and his tongue greeted her own, allowing Cora to taste and smell herself, making her feel territorial over him. She liked this concept of him wearing her scent.

Into the kiss, he mumbled, "You are eager, but don't rush yourself." Ludovic kissed her jaw, and moved to her ear. "What would please me now is to fill you with my scent in another way."

With a breathy exhale, she asked, "What does that entail?"

"Taking what I have to give," he said, running a hand down her navel, stopping on the flesh just before her folds began, "spilling out onto here, and then," he said, sliding a finger inside of her, "mix your scent with mine."

Cora realized, for her entire life, she either never got to explore an entire side of her, or something about these lycan hormones really opened her up. The idea empowered her, in an odd way. Like she wanted to be inundated in this alpha's scent, to wear something important to these creatures. "Yes." She then thought to ask, "Is that scent important?"

"It's a very strong claim," he said, that dark, sexual energy of his gaze boring into her. "Along with the mark on your neck."

"I want that," she breathed.

They fell into a rhythm of him kissing her once more in a careless exchange of wet heat as he rubbed himself, just over her center. She found it erotic to glimpse at how he handled himself, mentally taking notes on what he seemed to like. She moaned, resulting in a reactionary breathy groan from Ludovic. He adjusted, pointedly keeping his body still as a liquid warmth spread onto her and dripped down through her. His tongue unabashedly rubbed hers as he slid his fingers down through the mess he created, all the way back inside of her.

She whimpered with pleasure into his mouth, enjoying that she would be filled with a scent of his that hardly anyone could mistake. And something was intimate about mixing their two scents of sex.

He parted from the kiss, hovering his face less than an inch from hers as he pushed two fingers in, watching her reaction.

"I want you in me," she said, gasping when pushed as far as he would go.

"Soon," he hummed. "If it means something for humans, then it's best not to do that here."

Her hand roamed his neck as she made it a point to kiss him, feelings of attraction and actual emotion filling her heart. "That is kind, although waiting sounds miserable," she said with a smile.

He slid his fingers out, a look of pure contentment filling his face, like he enjoyed knowing she'd smell of him in that way. "Then maybe it will make you even more zealous, which I will never complain about."

She grinned at him as Ludovic slowly rose off of the bed walked around the room, stark naked while Cora lie on the fur blankets, feeling like a mess between her legs.

"So I can push and tempt you until then?" she asked, wanting to hear him say it.

He gave her a dark, amused glare. "Be careful what you ask for. Too much temptation and the lycan side of me will take it."

Well, her humanity was definitely gone, as she accepted that challenge.

He told that she can use a rag if she'd like, telling her some females liked the keep the scent unadulterated.

"Won't it leave a mess?"

He snickered, bringing her a cup of water that made the warmth for him spread further in her chest. He took care of her, and in that a trust was developing.

He said, "That's the point. Then the bed smells of it."

Cora ended up leaving it, figuring why bother with her human inclinations? If they were like this, then she'd be like that, too.

As she climbed under the blanket, cotton bedding underneath her, Ludovic blew out the candles of the room as the fireplace slowly dwindled away. The bed took the weight of him, and somehow it felt almost more intimate than what they had just done. No hormones could cloud her mind, and she was very much aware that she shared a bed with a lycan.

She quickly, and quietly, asked, "Do lycans sleep close to each other."

"Yes, if you'd like. We are physical. Sometimes too much, and skip the gentler aspects that humans seem to value."

"How do you know what humans value?" She asked with a smile as they lie on their sides, her body pressed into his warmth.

"I've had Mina fill me in."

Cora grinned with her back to him, shocked that she actually had more than a crush on him. She liked him. He was good to her so far, and an attachment to him rooted quicker and deeper than she expected.

There was true affection for him.

Ludovic took the side of the bed that faced the balcony, and so as she lay there, full of the alpha's scent, she stared at the wall, thinking of the shadow, and how he put himself between her and that possibility.

But once the blackened figure and red eyes entered her mind, something felt unsettled, or unfinished.

In her nightmares that night, the shadow with red eyes visited her again, but this time...it bit her neck where Ludovic had, erasing the mark he gave her.

Also, follow me on TikTok for videos I'm making of my stories!!! Or Insta. I eventually post them there, too.

A/N: Okay, soooo.....I took a gamble with this smut scene lol I was gonna go vanilla and just have her please him orally, but this just felt very 'lycan'. I don't see him going all the way with her in this chapter, but I see him wanting to enjoy her and give her pleasure, as sort of like courting for her. But he's also an alpha and wants his scent with her lol I hope it worked.

QUESTION: So, this book is breeching 100k words. In the world of publishing, it's getting to a decent size. I initially intended to end this book in 2-3 chapters, with a pretty good cliffhanger (not one where Cora gets stabbed and we all have to wait lmao) but one where it really opened up the plot, etc. Because I planned to write a whole second book.

But I am just not sure how big the second book will be?

Would you prefer to just have me keep updating this story as I work on it, versus ending it? I might 'end' it with "end of arc 1" then edit it heavily like I did with Ryder, and then just keep posting to this book.

QUESTION 2: I am wanting to make this present tense in the edits. Is that something that would throw too many people off? I've just learned for character driven stories, it adds so much to the suspense and momentum of the characters. It would remain in third.

I really enjoyed this chapter. As some honest talk, I think I always worry this book is too slow or too inundated in the fantasy world to do anything when I want to publish it. But everyone loves it! Lol. And trust me, a big part of me does too. I just struggle with doing what I love and what will also help me do well as I move to publishing. (so if you're ever wondering why I don't update this one as frequently) I also take my time with this one because it's one of those stories I can wrong really easily if I rush it. I really do want to add more to the book series, with the other Omni POVs (two of the titles are The Skin Shifter/The Crystal Wolf...and might do more, but those are two I am really looking forward to) So I am trying to make sure everything aligns before I throw them all together haha