Best friend or an enemy.

Seth avoided Luciano, a task that seemed like a mission impossible for as long as she had to stay around him. Especially since she had to move in with the Alpha.

The Council's offer was way too good to reject, so she had no other choice but to do what they told. Only a fool could say no to what those men offered and Seth wasn’t one to reject an opportunity as such. She would bleed their pockets dry if the Council gave her a chance.

Thankfully, it seemed like Luciano also did his best to stay away from her. Avoidance at its best.

Even though she did get what she wanted, Seth kept wondering what happened with Luciano. What was the reason for the sudden change in his behavior around her? Just a few days ago, Luciano was ready to do anything to make her his, but today, he did everything to stay away.

At this point, Seth wasn't sure if this was the thing she truly wanted. Had she gone completely mad by missing his touch and presence? Missing everything she had hated?

She decided to settle in his living room; that was the easiest way to control and look over the people that might visit Luciano. If the Council wanted her to play a babysitter, that’s exactly what she was planning to do.

For two days, they left the house and returned together - Seth managed to deal with her primary responsibilities and still overlook his activities. Luciano was busy throughout the day, following the games, slowly moving up the charts.

Seth threw her body on the sofa, watching how Luciano headed upstairs again. He did everything to annoy her, or at least that was what she thought.

There had to be a reason for him to avoid acknowledging her existence while he walked around with only a towel covering his body. It seemed like the Alpha lived under the shower, not in a bedroom, since every time Seth noticed him around - droplets of water covered his body.

“Would you mind?” Seth finally growled out in annoyance.

“What?” Her words made Luciano stop mid-way again, same as the day when he brought her home.

“Could you put on some clothes, at least while I'm here?” Seth couldn't believe that the words left her lips.

Under any other circumstances, she would drool over his body, but at this point, the behavior was annoying. She didn't want to want Luciano as much as she did. She didn’t want to drool over his body the same those thirsty women did, the same women she had to keep away from him.

A part of Seth wondered how many women had visited Luciano while he had been trying to chase Seth. A ping of hurt to her heart felt odd. Did she have the right to feel jealous over his one night stands? It wasn’t like Seth was a saint herself.

“Oh, am I making you feel uncomfortable? Can't do, sweetheart, my house, my rules,” for the first time since Seth has been around the Alpha, he laughed.

For the first time, she felt as though the house became alive as his laughter echoed against the walls.

Seth crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed, biting onto her lower lip to avoid starting an argument. If anything, she did understand that she lived under Luciano's roof, and she had to be somewhat respectful of his privacy.

If only keeping her eyes off of his body would be as easy as the thought of it might. She gave up, stole a glance at the male, and grabbed her phone from the coffee table.

Only when Luciano disappeared from her view did she dial the number and sighed before placing the phone next to her ear.

“Well, well, well, look who decided to give her old man a call. Funny, here I was, thinking that I had to leave the territory or spread the word about my missing daughter,” the cocky tone of voice was none other than Seth had known it as far.

Sometimes, she caught herself hoping that the man might change, at least a little, just to meet another disappointment soon after. It wasn't as he ever promised Seth to become a better person; the biggest problem was her useless dreams of him, finally appreciating his daughter.

Seth rolled her eyes, happy that he couldn't see her now. If he caught Seth doing such a thing - on a good day, he might lecture her; on a bad one, he would throw her in the cells. As funny as it sounded, the Alpha's daughter had spent more time in the cells than an actual criminal from the pack.

“Not that you deserve to call me your daughter or anything. As a matter of fact, not that you ever cared that you had a goddamn daughter in the first place. It doesn't matter; it never did. Why were you looking for me? Decided that this is the right time to talk about marrying me off to some stranger, didn't you, asshole?” Each word leaving her lips dripped with venom.

Seth avoided calling her father for a couple of days, but the pressure from the Council member was too much for her to take.

“Since you brought up the topic yourself and I don't need to pretend that I care - yes, I did. You're getting married to a lion pride leader; he offered a good chunk of his land, an offer I can't refuse. Get your good to nothing ass back home so we can get done with this as soon as possible.”

Her father was about to add something, but Seth ended the call before he could. She couldn't listen to his words anymore; hearing his voice made her feel sick. Seth didn't notice how tears filled her eyes until they fell down her cheeks freely.

The only thing she could do was try to have a conversation with the Council member the next day. Perhaps he might have an idea of how she could avoid the damned idea her father had. This wasn't marrying her off to a stranger; the man literally sold her for a piece of land.

Thankfully, Seth didn't have enough time to think about the conversation or pity herself.
Someone knocked on the main door, so she stood up, wiped her cheeks, and approached it. She took a deep breath and opened the door to come face to face with a man.

His eyes shamelessly took her in while Seth felt how her cheeks burned deep red. For some reason, Seth wanted to hide away from his gaze; no other man had managed to make her feel as uncomfortable before.

“Fucking finally. It took him a while to understand how a real woman is supposed to look and feel, didn't it? I like your tits. I mean, I'm Ricco, nice to meet you,” the male extended his hand, offering Seth a handshake.

Even though her instincts screamed no, Seth had to be as polite as she could, so she moved her hand towards his.

Right before their hands met, a loud growl from behind startled both. “If you want to keep your fucking hand, I would suggest to keep it away from her.” Luciano appeared next to Seth, sneaking his arm around her waist and pulling her in.

At this point, she was way too confused to push him away or register what was happening. The man, facing them, grinned like a Cheshire cat, his eyes occasionally traveling down to Seth's breasts.

“This is a good one, I approve. Sadly, it seems as if you are not willing to share. Such a pity, we would have so much fun together, oh well.” The man brushed past them and headed towards the kitchen.

Luciano leaned in, his lips nearly touching Seth's ear, and whispered: “Now, pretend that we're together. Trust me; some friends might be enemies, depending on what they get out of the side they choose. Ricco is my childhood friend, not the best memories or adventures, I'll explain later. For now, for your own safety, act as if I claimed you, alright?”

Even though his words seemed somewhat suspicious, Seth nodded her head. She couldn't speak; a knot formed in her throat as soon as Luciano appeared next to her and held her in such a protective manner.

“Get upstairs, second door on the left. Take a hoodie from my closet and wear it; I need you to smell like me now. Can you do it?” Luciano threw a look over his shoulder, checking if his friend didn't try to creep on them. “Before you do, as much as you won't like it - lean closer and peck my cheek, act as if you're my girlfriend, okay? For as long as he's around, please don't go anywhere unless I say it's safe. Don't sit near him - if possible, sit on my lap. One evening, trust me, this is for your safety only, not my dirty fantasies.”

Seth glanced over her shoulder, noticing how the male was leaving the kitchen. Quickly, she leaned closer to Luciano and pecked his lips instead of the cheek. She nodded her head and ran upstairs, hoping that Ricco would leave before the night came.

Truthfully, Luciano wouldn't need to explain anything later on; since Seth opened the door, she had a feeling that the male couldn’t be trusted. He carried a suspicious aura, making her cat instincts kick in and scream danger.

Seth ran to Luciano's room and grabbed the first hoodie that caught her attention. She enjoyed wearing it - the piece of clothing was warm and smelt of him, giving her an odd feeling of safety.

“Come on, you can do it; just go downstairs. Stay around Luciano, at least you know him a little. That Ricco dude could try to pull a trick on you anytime. Don't stay away from Luciano for too long.” Seth reminded the words to herself as if it was a mantra - quickly walking back to the living room.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings; most of her belongings weren't around anymore, so she instantly assumed that Luciano took care of them.

Ricco sat on the sofa while Luciano sat on the large lounge chair right in front of him. Without hesitation, Seth approached the Alpha and sat on his lap, avoiding any possibility of sitting next to the creep.

“Would you look at that - whatever is happening between you two, it must be serious. Dude, this is the first woman I've seen wearing this hoodie. Wasn't it off-limits?” Ricco seemed to insist that the piece of fabric Seth wore was the only one she shouldn't have chosen.

Seth felt how her cheeks started burning bright red once again, struggling to reply. While she hesitated, Luciano wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

The Alpha chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Some things are supposed to be off-limits until the right person appears and changes that. Only those worthy can take what is mine and make theirs; it took a while to find one as such. We know that it's pretty difficult to find a once in a lifetime woman.” His words sounded full of pride and happiness, at this point, confusing Seth.

How did this man manage to act as if she wasn't there for days and now acted as if she was the one for him? And worst of all, how did Luciano manage to sound like he meant every single word? Perhaps Seth might ask Luciano for some acting classes since he was that good.

“True that, brother. Anyway, aside from finding a new toy, what's new?” And again, Ricco tried to find the words to kill any resistance in Seth. A man who addressed women as toys wasn't worth her time, but it didn't mean that the words didn't hurt her.

Before Luciano could speak, Seth did it: “Darling, I don't think that I want to be around someone who has no respect towards others, especially women. I understand - he is your friend, but your friend has to leave if he can't shut his mouth. Mister, everyone is capable of talking shit or implying on certain false accusations; that is not a talent. However, keeping your mouth shut and acting like a decent person is a talent. So, the choice is yours. You can stay and be a decent goddamn person, or get your asshole self the fuck out of here.” Seth tilted her head and smiled at the male.

Luciano took his chance and leaned to her neck, inhaling her scent. His lips lightly brushed over her skin, sending a wave of shivers down Seth's spine.

Whatever Ricco had to say - as fast as his lips parted to speak, as fast Luciano shut him. “Leave. Now,” the Alpha growled, his lips still pressed against the delicate skin of Seth's neck.

Her arms snuck around his neck, pulling him closer. Seth started to understand how much she had missed Luciano while her focus had been on avoiding him at any cost.

“Come on; you can't throw me out like this. We are best friends,” Ricco whined, still sitting on the sofa. He was sure that Luciano joked around, seemingly showing the woman that she had some sort of power over him.

“Are you my best friend or an enemy? It's up to you, not me. But right now, I suggest you get the fuck out unless you want to lose a limb or watch me doing my woman. If anyone, you should know how dangerous it is to stand between a man and a woman he had claimed as his. Should I add the Alpha part? I probably should, just a fair warning - Demon is not happy about you being near her.” Luciano's voice rose higher, somehow sounding deeper than before.

Whoever was the Demon person Luciano mentioned, it was enough for Ricco to get off the sofa and rush towards the main door. He yelled out that he would come over some other day and left the house.

As soon as he was out of the view, Seth sighed in relief, her body nearly collapsing in Luciano's arms. She had no idea how tense she was up until now, and once again - she was grateful for Luciano holding her so tightly.

It took her a couple of minutes to get back to her senses and attempt to get out of his hold. The more Seth tried to stand up and struggle against him, the tighter Luciano held her. It seemed that the Alpha had no intention of letting her go.

“Luciano, you asshole, let go of me. You're hurting me, damn it,” Seth hissed, exaggerating a little. Despite the tight hold, she wasn't in pain - the only problem was the inability to escape him.

“Luciano's not here, kitten; watch your mouth before I do that for you,” even though the arms around her body were human, that voice wasn't.

It was way too deep; the words reminded her of painful snarls and growls more than actual words. Seth tried to wiggle her body out of his hold, but to no avail - the grip tightened this time, making her feel the strength the man actually possessed.

“I'm not letting go of you.” It wasn't a promise - it was a warning, spoken out loud to challenge Seth.

He wanted her to fight and run; he wanted her to play his game and chase her around like a frightened animal.

Seth managed to turn around and meet his gaze. Luciano's beautiful eyes were entirely black, a spark of mischief dancing in them. Seth's eyes traveled down to his lips; she gasped, noticing his canine teeth poking over the lower lip. “Who the fuck are you?”