Blood-red orbs, full of hatred and hurt.

“Please don't close that door; I'm not here for whatever reasons you might think.” The male slid his foot between the door and the frame, trying to keep it open.

There was no saying on how she might react - knowing her, Seth could easily slam the door closed in front of his face. If she did, it wouldn't be an actual obstacle - he would break it down with ease, but not a single part of him wanted to go down that road.

If anything, he hoped that they could talk everything out without confrontations or arguments between them. Up to now, they had never spoken from the bottom of their heart.

Sometimes two people, even those who were destined for each other, couldn't get along because they didn't talk out their problems. Lack of communication wouldn't be the reason why their chances would flop - he was determined to avoid it at all costs.

“Sure, just like any other time, you're not here to have sex with me, right? Because frankly, whenever you decide to appear out of fucking nowhere, it's always about sex. And not just you - it's all of you, God damn it. Am I your little toy? The one you could grab, chew a little, throw away and run to get it back as soon as you feel slightly bored? I left the territory for a reason; I spoke about leaving before my puma decided to shift in front of everyone - please, it's about time you respect my decision: you and the rest of Alphas. So, here I am, respectfully asking you to leave. Being stubborn and staying around won't give you anything - I'll grow more irritated than ever, and that is when you will lose any chance to have a minute of privacy with me.” Seth refused to open the door wider, fearing that the male could force his way into her apartment.

She had no reason to think so, but things as such had happened before; no man was truly predictable. Deep down, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but the fear didn't disappear, no matter what.

Perhaps he would leave if she spoke louder, explained her words clearer, or simply shut the door in front of his face? Her eyes traveled down to his foot, silently wondering if there was anything she could do to trick him.

Technically, stomping on his foot with enough force - she might force him to back up and quickly shut the door, then take it for a run. Doubt overtook her mind, was she fast enough to escape him?

“No, please trust me, I'm not here for sex. Seth, kitten, I'm here to talk. I understand, I fucked up - big time, but please give me the chance to explain myself. All this time, there hasn't been anything but sex; I want to prove that I am interested in you. The person inside of that body, rather than the body alone. I am a man, and if we are talking about bodies, you do have a perfect one, but that is beyond the point. Listen, you know how long the drive here is, but I didn't even fucking drive - there was no way I would waste so many hours, so I ran. I stink like a damn animal,” a low chuckle escaped his parted lips.

He never intended to speak about him running around, sweating, and looking like a mess. Men like him didn't run around like puppies, chasing their favorite girls around the backyard. Their favorite girls threw themselves onto those men instead of wasting time and playing chase.

Seth, however, never showed off the qualities of wolf shifter women, and perhaps that was the bit that excited him the most.

“You are an animal, Luciano,” Seth laughed in his face, pointing out the obvious.

As human as he was, there would always be a little more of a best in him than a regular mortal. Driven by lust, passion, and desire, Luciano was one of the few that wouldn't fail even one task in his way.

Humans, however, tended to make many mistakes - it was in their nature. Maybe being more of a beast was even betted, aiming for nothing but perfection, crawling up the stairs of success without taking a look back.

“You're right,” Luciano laughed along with Seth, feeling a little too excited about his ability to bring a smile to her face. “What I am trying to say is that I did put a lot of effort into finding you, just to talk - nothing more. I won't force myself onto you, and if anything is bound to happen, that depends on you. Feel free to check my pockets - no condoms, pretty sure that indicates that I didn't hope to get that far. Not a goddamn second. The only thing on my mind is to make this right - you, me, damn it, even the rest of those fuckers. Give me a chance to ask questions, ask some yourself, and let's just talk this out. By the end of the day, if you feel like this wouldn't work, at least you gave me a chance to listen and talk. If we really don't work, we can go our separate ways any minute of the day or night, but I won't give up without a fight. This is my attempt to fight, kitten, don't push me away before you have heard me out. Who knows, you might regret sending me off without giving me a chance to explain everything.”

Luciano hoped that his words would move something into her. Seth was as stubborn as his mother used to be, and at times when he needed something, only the partial guilt-tripping would help him.

She didn't have to feel sorry for him or feel the pain behind his words, all Seth had to do was open the door and let him inside her home.

She groaned, rolled her eyes, and opened the door for him, adding: “You have twenty minutes. I would give five, but that doesn't seem enough since you have a lot of shit to explain.”

Luciano gladly ignored the mockery in her voice, happy for the chance she was giving him.

“Thank you. May I come in?” He raised an eyebrow, fighting the urge to run inside the apartment.

If he wanted to make things right, he had to be patient and wait for the moment when Seth invited him inside rather than take her agreement of holding a conversation as an invitation to invade her personal space.

“I guess. By the way, how did you find me? I didn't write down my actual address when I filled in the paperwork for the Council. Suspicious…” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Seth stepped aside, waiting for him to get inside.

As soon as the large man entered her apartment, she closed the door without locking it. If something went wrong, at least she could bolt out of the apartment without trying to unlock the door.

No matter what, Seth had to keep a plan of escape at the back of her mind.

“I knew that you lived in this town, and that was enough for the time being. Then, as odd as it sounds, I followed your scent and stopped when it felt right. It's hard to explain. let's say I followed my heart,” Luciano shrugged his shoulders, carefully observing the place Seth called home.

The apartment fit Seth perfectly - the warm tones and a few out of proportion handmade decorations perfectly balanced the calm and chaos in her.

Oddly enough, the place seemed nearly identical to one Luciano once imagined as her home. Perhaps he knew a little more than he thought, especially about Seth. Then again, for the most part, he observed her, trying to memorize things she did or liked.

Seth spent a lot of her time wandering around the halls of the Council house, always taking a little more time around the enormous decorations. That was the moment when Luciano understood her love for simple yet ridiculous art pieces.

Just like that art, Seth was unique - one of a kind.

“A little funny, but if it fits, I guess,” Seth didn't have any idea how she was supposed to react to such a statement.

Instead of questioning him even more, she decided to disregard his words. Perhaps for the better.

“Pretty sure you could imagine how I felt while knocking on your door. Not going to lie, I was kind of worried that a middle-aged man could open this door and call me an asshole for interrupting his sleep. I got lucky,” Luciano tried to get rid of the uncomfortable tension between them by joking.

Again, knowing how Seth was, he wasn't sure if the attempt would succeed or fail, but trying was better than acting as if their conversation was as he imagined for it to be.

Everything he wanted was for her to feel comfortable talking their problems out rather than hide her feelings and live as if nothing had happened. Maybe she could, but Luciano couldn't forget the moments they shared in privacy.

“Sure, sure. Coffee, tea, beer, or maybe water? That's all I have,” Seth turned around and headed towards the kitchen, hoping that her raging hormones would calm down as soon as they managed to get some distance between their bodies.

It wasn't just her hormones; it was her nerves and puma, eagerly encouraging her to jump on top of the massive male and show him who was running the show.

“Kitten, are you offering me a refreshment?” Luciano nearly choked on air, surprised by the kindness Seth still kept showing him.

Any other woman, especially in her position, wouldn't be as nice to give him time, let alone offer a drink. Maybe she would offer poison? But not a variety of drinks.

“Just because you're an idiot doesn't mean that I would let you die of thirst. You have been running for quite a while, isn't that what you said? Besides, you are my guest, uninvited or not, still a guest. So, do you want anything?” Seth smiled at him sarcastically.

Little did she know that her mocking approach and a sarcastic smile lit a flame within Luciano. If there was one thing Luciano admired, it was her need to fight, resist, and take the upper hand over everyone.

Seth didn't notice how often she forced her dominance on others. Luciano's eyes scanned the living room, looking for a proper place to sit down. If she didn't drop her attitude, he would stand in front of her with a hard-on, fighting himself to stay calm.

Seth kept challenging him, no matter what or how she did.

“I'll take whatever you will, thank you.” After the words left his lips, Luciano coughed awkwardly, switching his weight from one leg to another.

Even his beast mocked him, the mighty and powerful Alpha werewolf, the King, was nothing but a hormone-raging teenager in front of the right woman.

“Beer it is. Sit down, just don't make yourself too comfortable; you are not at home.” Seth pointed at the sofa, laughing as she did.

She then grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge, opened them, and lazily strode back to the living room. Sitting right in front of him, she handed Luciano a bottle and spoke up: “So, your time starts now, don't waste it.”

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” Of course, he had to say something absolutely off-topic.

Even though his compliment made Seth blush, she knew that the man wasn't at her apartment to discuss her looks. Once again, Seth rolled her eyes in irritation: “No, thank you, but you're wasting your own time.”

“Yeah, right, sorry. Anyway, let's start with the easiest way, is there any question you would like me to answer?” Luciano had way too many things on his mind to explain all of them at once.

His opinion, stuff he went through while she wasn't around, and even the most minor details would mess up, making him sound like a lunatic.

He couldn't possibly explain things that happened a month ago, then jump too far in the past, and again to this day. Seth couldn't follow his story even if he tried to avoid some details. He needed more time, one way or another.

“Why was I drugged?” Seth leaned forward, showing him how interested in his answer she was.

Deep down, she hoped that he wouldn't lie or come up with a nonsense scenario, yet feared that the truth might hurt. How was that possible? She wanted nothing but truth yet couldn't bear the possibility of feeling betrayed or hurt.

“Because you wouldn't come to me yourself even if I begged you. Been there, done that, never worked. I wanted my Queen to be where she belongs, by my side,” a sad smile appeared on Luciano's lips as fast as it soon faded.

He didn't want to show her any emotions, her decision had to be hers, not something she had to do to make him feel better. Seth would say that she didn't care, but she did, deeply.

She would do many things to make him feel better, even follow him back to the palace. But would that make her happy? Luciano doubted that. She was stuck between four Alphas, too confused to choose one.

If anything, he tried to explain his intentions to be clear whenever she was ready to make her choice.

“Yeah, because I told you that I need some time. You're pretty possessive and intimidating, you know.” Seth shifted in her seat, averting her gaze.

Luciano was well aware of his own qualities, but hearing those from others might anger him. Seth wouldn't risk turning their friendly conversation into a violent conflict.

“I know, I know. Listen, I'm sure I could take the separation period differently if not for the information about you and other men. I just lost it, and I know that it's not an excuse, but there is no other way to explain what happened.” Defending himself was the easiest exit, as well as the most honest answer the male could give.

Luciano was sure that if she was alone, the whole waiting thing would be easier on him. The fact that she was with two men who desired the taste of her body didn't make him sleep better.

“We're not exclusive, Luciano. We never spoke about any kind of relationship, it had always been sex, and that's where we drew the line. Do you understand that? You and I had a great time together, but both of us, at some point, decided to taste something different. I am a free woman; I can decide who shares the bed with me for the night and who won't, the same goes for you. Listen, I like you a lot, but I don't think that this will work out at all. I appreciate my freedom more than anything,” Seth let out a deep breath, feeling as if the words lifted a huge weight off her chest.

An unknowing smile spread on her lips, that was the proudness she felt for herself, finally sticking up to an Alpha.

Seth knew the risks, losing Luciano was the last thing she wanted, but she had to accept the consequences if there was no other way left.

The silence between them made her question if she had chosen the right moment to explain herself and her point of view. Slowly, she tilted her head to look up, meeting Luciano's eyes.

Blood-red orbs, full of hatred and hurt, stared right back at her.