Meet the Demon.

“Take a wild guess,” even though the lips that moved were part of Luciano, for some reason, Seth knew that it wasn't him talking.

It wasn't just the deep voice that would belong underground among corpses; it was a slight change in his appearance and attitude.

The male's bone structure became sharper; it merged into something Seth had never seen. It was funny how she was a shifter herself yet hadn't seen a half-shift ever before.

“I would guess that a demon possessed Luciano, but I'm pretty sure that the answer might be wrong,” a wave of cold shivers ran down her spine.

Seth couldn't focus her gaze elsewhere, glaring at the extended canine teeth. She had heard tales about how deadly wolves were, especially in their beast forms, but she had never met one with such terrifying teeth.

At one point, she wanted to laugh at herself, thinking how silly it was to feel fear after noticing one's teeth, but the thought didn't seem as funny as she recalled some things Anton had told her.

Her best friend used to hang around wolves a lot; he dated many of the possessive creatures and had seen as many things. Once Anton ran back home, covered in blood, crying his eyes out for the whole night. It took hours for him to calm down, and when he finally did - Seth got to know what had happened.

Anton was dating a wolf shifter back then; their relationship was a secret for both families, so men met up in the park during nights. That night was like any other, besides the fact that they weren't alone.

A drunk man walked by and smacked Anton's ass - it was enough to push the wolf over the edge. The man didn't bother to shift; he ripped the passerby's throat out with his teeth alone, grinning as if he had won a battle with a mortal enemy. Worst of all - werewolf didn't feel guilt, or remorse, he shrugged his shoulders and reminded Anton that no one was to touch what was his.

This experience wasn't hers, but Seth found another reason to avoid wolves after listening to what had happened to her best friend.

“Well, my name is Demon, but I wouldn't quite call myself a creature of hell. In some cultures, though, humans believed that we possessed people, took control over their bodies, and led them down the road to hell. It's funny how a part of one can be deemed to be evil without reason. I am not evil, nor plan to be, unless you want me to.” As he spoke, Seth managed to glance at his eyes, which kept changing the color between black and green.

Only then did she understand that it must be Luciano's inner wolf that forced his control over the body. The constant change between color in his eyes meant that Luciano attempted to regain control while the beast kept refusing it.

“You're the wolf. Cool. Listen, I'm not on the best terms with dogs, cat things, and all that. Be a sweetheart and let your human back on the surface, okay?” Seth tried to wiggle out of his hold but stopped after she felt something hard poking against her ass cheek.

*“Great, the beast must be as perverted as his Goddamn owner.”* She muttered.

“Do you want to know what has always annoyed me the most about Ricco?” His hand snuck under Seth's shirt, traveling up her spine. The beast didn't wait for an answer since the woman in his arms froze on the spot. “The motherfucker walks around as if he owns everything his eyes land upon. The same shit happened today, as soon as he noticed you - he was sure that Luciano would share in the name of their old friendship. Let me tell you a little secret - I am not Luciano, and I do not share.” He lowered his head to her neck, inhaling her scent.

His lips brushed against her skin, this time sending a wave of pleasurable shivers down her spine. Seth couldn't understand what was happening to her body - burning in need for more at one moment, then suddenly freezing in fear.

The closer Demon got, the more demanding her cat grew. Seth tilted her head, giving the beast more access to her neck, blindly hoping that he wouldn't do anything drastic.

“You're purring,” he chuckled, bringing Seth out of the trance.

She attempted to push him away but stopped as soon as she noticed that the canines were missing and his eye color changed back to green. Finally, Luciano was the one to hold her, eyeing Seth with pure adoration.

“I wasn't purring! Either you hit your head when I didn't notice such a thing, either the Demon dude messed you up,” she snarled, hiding the slight blush creeping on her cheeks.

Her response made Luciano chuckle again, but he didn't try to argue. He stood up, with Seth still in his arms, and walked upstairs. She kept questioning what he intended to do, but he didn't utter a word.

He carried her to his bedroom, heading straight to the bathroom and starting the shower while Seth was still trapped in his hold.

“I need you to take a shower. Since you wore my clothes you smell the same as I do. If you have any knowledge about the possessive side of werewolves - you should know that keeping my hands away from you is a lot more difficult if you reek of me. I won't join. But don't worry, there is nothing I haven't seen.” His voice was low, a little threatening, yet for some reason, Luciano sounded rather bored.

Again, the sudden change in attitude made her confused beyond limits.

“Yeah, sure,” Seth snarled, rolling her eyes. Perhaps Luciano acted as if he held no interest in her, but she knew that he faked it all. He was still obsessed, despite how much he tried to hide the fact.

“Trust me; there is nothing you could offer to catch my interest, pussy cat. I got what I wanted, we messed around a little, and that's enough. Leave my hoodie here after you're done.” Luciano didn't look at her, turned around, and opened the bathroom door.

He stopped in the door frame and sighed, shaking his head as if he was disappointed in her for some reason. “Next time, if Ricco arrives while you're still around - wear anything but that. That hoodie is off-limits; know your place. I won't forgive such a mistake twice.” As soon as the words left his lips, Luciano left the room, leaving Seth alone.

She stood in the middle of his bathroom, trying to process the raging thoughts. She did consider acting like a teenage rebel, perhaps dropping his hoodie on the floor and storming downstairs. However, the common sense in her couldn't refuse the opportunity to have a hot shower.

Seth wanted to get rid of his scent - it aroused her, and she would rather die than admit that the man did affect her.

Even though technically, she listened to his commands and had a shower, Seth decided that some things would happen by the rules she set. Her bag was downstairs; of course, the Alpha didn't think of bringing her clean clothes.

Seth got out of the shower, dried herself a little using his towel, and dropped it next to the hoodie. She gathered her clothes in a pile and held it, taking a deep breath. If he wanted hell - hell was precisely what she would give.

Seth opened the door and peeked if the Alpha was inside his bedroom, feeling instant relief about his absence. She walked out of his room completely nude as if the house was hers, not Luciano's.

If anyone saw her now, the person wouldn't notice even a bit of shame in her. Seth strode downstairs, holding her head high, taking her precious time. Each of her actions was intentional - the sway of her hips, the hand combing through her wet hair.

Her eyes quickly scanned the first floor, noticing Luciano sitting on the large sofa and watching some sports show. She cleared her throat and spoke up before he managed to turn around: “Where did you put my bag?”

“I can't walk around in my birth suit forever; some of us need clothes," Seth grinned, stopping mid-way on the staircase.

When Luciano finally turned around, his eyes widened in surprise.

If it were possible, she would swear that his jaw hung barely as low as the floor. His eyes scanned her body, greedily taking in her naked form. Perhaps her eyes played tricks on her, but for a moment, it looked as if Luciano drooled like a real dog.

“Stop staring and answer the damn question. There isn't anything that you haven't seen or a thing that could hold your interest. Live up to your words and avert your pervert eyes.” Seth felt truly empowered, throwing Luciano’s words at him, watching how the facial expressions changed.

She had thought that nothing in his behavior would surprise her again. Seth expected that he would roll his eyes and tell her where the bag was, but he didn't seem interested in helping her out.

Luciano sat completely speechless, his eyes glued on her. Seth stood under his gaze for a while, unaffected by the staring, until she felt a shiver traveling over her body.

She felt as if she was about to freeze if she didn't throw anything on her. So, instead of wasting more time and waiting for a reply - she walked down the stairs, about to look where her clothes might be.

Seth could feel his gaze following her, the intense stare burning holes in her skin. She recalled that one of the chairs had a secret stack box in it, deciding that it was the first place she should check.

Luciano needed to hide her stuff away quickly; it didn't matter where, so he might have used the hidden slot. Seth approached the closest chair and bent down - her hands, however, didn't reach it.

Luciano stood behind her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her arms behind her back. He pulled her towards himself, so she was forced to straighten her body.

“Do you really think that playing games with a hungry animal could be a wise thing to do, pussy cat? You are right; there is nothing I haven't seen, nor a thing that might catch my attention now. However, if you drop a piece of steak in front of a wolf - he will devour it. And I will do the same fucking thing if you keep running around naked. Beware, every man has his limits, and mine are easy to cross. You can attempt to do many things, but the consequences will be on you. I won't run after your ass anymore; I won't be the fucking gentle and understanding idiot that did everything he could to make you like him. Run around naked once again, and I will fuck you raw.” Luciano let go of her and stormed away, muttering some curse words under his breath.

He yelled out where her bag was and closed his bedroom door with enough strength to shake the windows. Seth found her clothes and quickly got dressed, forcing herself to keep quiet. She sat on the sofa and stared outside, feeling like a prisoner in the Alpha's house.

The only thing that brought her a little bit of joy was the thought of leaving his home after a couple of hours. Seth had to stay around for two more hours; that's when her weekly responsibility would end.

Luciano would have permission to leave the territory, but nobody could enter it on his behalf. If there was one thing Seth could thank the arrogant Alpha for, it was his silence.

He didn't tell the Council that he knew about her cover as a man, so she could run around as herself for as long as they were alone, no need to dress up as a man.

She kept checking her phone every five minutes, hoping that the time would magically pass faster. She was so into her thoughts that she overlooked Luciano, sitting on the top of the staircase, watching her.

The Alpha left his room minutes after storming inside - he couldn't get rid of the feeling of guilt. Luciano had mistreated Seth, and as much as he wanted to apologize, he couldn't. She was supposed to think that he didn't want her anymore - either she would do anything to get back into his bed, or both of them could try to move on.

Luciano knew that she developed some feelings for him, but her stubborn nature wouldn't allow the woman to accept it.

He let out a deep breath, watching how she picked up her phone for God knows which time, counting the minutes. Both of them were, more or less.

While Seth wanted to get out of there, Luciano dreaded the moment when she would walk out the door. Despite her being so annoying and daring - her presence around was like a blessing.

Her phone rang; he furrowed his brows, noticing how Seth’s body tensed on the spot. Slowly, she tapped on the screen and brought the phone next to her ear.

As soon as Luciano noticed how her hand shook while holding the little device, he couldn't help himself but feel worried. It wasn't like her at all. Luciano had a chance to get to know her - he knew that Seth was a strong and independent woman; she wasn't a coward.

“No, stop calling me. I won't do that; I won't follow your stupid traditions. You lost the title as soon as you let my mother die, well aware of what was about to happen. Marry your beloved son's off, not me!” Luciano couldn't put his mind onto what he had heard.

Sadly, he didn't catch every detail since Seth whispered for most part of the conversation. She grew irritated and angry only when the caller raised the tone of his voice.

Luciano mentally promised himself to find out more about the situation and things happening in her life. Luciano might act as if he held no interest in her, but he wouldn't let anyone else get her. In his eyes - Seth was his.

Luciano stood up and walked downstairs, dropping his body next to hers. Alpha opened his mouth to start questioning her, but Seth's sudden laughter cut him off. She stared at her phone and jumped on her feet, genuinely happy.

“See you next week, Alpha,” she bowed, grabbed her bag, and headed for the main door.

“Wait, I will take you home,” Luciano stood up, taking a glance at his watch.

Defeat washed over him - Seth had been around for a week, and nothing changed, besides some unneeded arguments. She was happy to leave him. If Alpha wanted to spend a little more time around her, he had to insist on taking her back to the cabin.

Seth stopped by the door and smiled at him, bowing as servants used to do. “No, thank you, Alpha. It's officially the weekend - I have no interest in your free time, and I'd love it if you could return the favor. Enjoy your weekend.” Seth quickly sneaked out of his house, leaving Luciano behind.

*“Well, I guess the idea about ignoring her existence is a massive failure. My turn to act next week goes by my rules - let's test her limits.”* Demon suggested, barely holding himself back from running after Seth and dragging her back.