My Rare

AELIA REVA

The sunlight spills in through the curtains, soft and gold, warming the wooden floors of my bedroom. Victoria's sitting on the edge of my bed, legs crossed, flipping through the hangers I've laid out beside her like she's choosing weapons for battle.

"Okay," she says, holding up a sleek black body hugging dress with an approving nod. "This is hot."

I glance at it, tilting my head. "It's a little too... 'I want you to rip this off me in the first five minutes.'"

She smirks. "Isn't that the point?"

I shoot her a look, one brow raised, and she shrugs like she's innocent.

"You said not too showy, not too casual," she says, tossing it aside for a silk burgundy blouse. One of my favorites. "This one. Tight but not screaming for attention. Clean lines. It hugs the right places without being a walking innuendo."

I reach for it, fingers brushing the soft fabric. "Alright. That's fair."

She nods like a stylist confirming her own brilliance, then flops back on the bed, hands behind her head.

"So… tell me how it's going. You and the big, broody Alpha. And don't say 'fine.' You've got that post-ultra-intense-eye-contact glow about you."

I laugh softly and sit beside her, the dress still in my lap. "It's… something. I don't really know how to explain it."

"You like him," she says bluntly. "You trust him but you're scared."

My smile fades just a little.

"It's not him that scares me," I say quietly. "It's what happens after. What if all this goes wrong and I end up…" I trail off, fingers tightening around the dress.

"Alone again?" she finishes gently.

I nod, once.

She sits up, her voice softer now. "Aelia, I know you've been through hell. I know people have left you, hurt you, made you feel like you had to fight to exist. But Ulric isn't those people."

"You don't know that," I whisper. "People always say they're different. Until they aren't."

She watches me for a beat, then shifts forward and grips my hand.

"But he hasn't left, has he?" she says."and I've seen the way he looks at you, like the universe tilted the moment you walked in."

I still remember the way he held me this morning, like he didn't care what pieces I came with, like he'd hold all of them anyway.

I exhale slowly and nod. "I just… don't know how to let someone in without feeling like they'll eventually find a reason to walk away."

"Then let him be the first who proves you wrong," she says.

I stand, stepping over to the mirror with the dress in hand.

"Alright," I say, glancing at her through the reflection. "Let's get ready for this date. And pray he doesn't drag me into a forest or something insane."

She grins. "Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him. That man gives 'mysterious mountain hike with hidden agenda' energy."

I laugh, shaking my head.

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.

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I can hear the sound of Victoria's laughter echo from downstairs just as I finish slipping into my boots. The black mini skirt hugs my hips perfectly, and the burgundy blouse, silky, low at the back, and tied loosely at the waist, makes me feel...confident.

I hear the soft click of the door opening as I reach the top step. His voice murmurs something low, and Victoria laughs again.

"Make yourself at home, Alpha," she says, and I can almost hear the grin in her voice. "She'll be down in a second."

"Oh damn." Vernon and Vincent saying at the same time.

The living room is full. Vincent and Vernon gaping at Ulric as if he's from another universe while hector seems to be doing his usual brooding. Tyler is sitting opposite to the twins with his hands resting on his knees. Victoria stands near the door, arms crossed, eyebrow arched as she watches Ulric step inside.

Ulric's gaze sweeps the room once, slow and deliberate, and all the casual noise dies like smoke. Then his gaze falls on to me.

Vincent turns to look in my direction and clutches his chest dramatically. " You're gonna kill someone looking like that Lia!"

"She's definitely killing the Alpha," Vernon adds quietly, leaning back on the couch. "Look at his face." I roll my eyes at these two but end up smiling.

Ulric hasn't said a word. He's just watching me. Steady. Intense. His jaw tightens the slightest bit, but not in annoyance, in control.

Tyler stands slowly from the far end of the couch."You look beautiful, darling," he says

Ulric moves before I can reply. He steps forward, reaching my side just as I hit the final step, his arm sliding around my waist with quiet finality. His hand rests just a little too firmly to be casual.

"She looks perfect," he says, eyes never leaving mine. Then his voice drops, low, calm, and edged with steel. "And she's with me."

The twins exchange a look but wisely keep their mouths shut this time. Tyler shifts his weight like he wants to say something else, but Victoria,smart girl, cuts in.

"Don't keep her waiting too long," she says, ever the peacekeeper. Then her smile slides toward me, sly and teasing. "Go have fun!"

Ulric guides me toward the door, hand still at my waist. The tension is still humming in the room, but I don't look back.

Because the only thing I care about is the way his thumb brushes along my hip before the door closes behind us.

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I'm not entirely sure why I let him blindfold me. Well, okay, maybe I do. I trust him. And the way he looked at me before tying the soft fabric over my eyes made it impossible to say no.

Also, he's carrying me in his arms and I happen to enjoy this a lot more than I imagined to.

"Are we there yet?" I ask, smirking slightly.

Ulric lets out a quiet laugh near my ear. "Getting impatient, Luna?"

I tilt my head toward the sound of his voice, even though I still can't see a thing. "Maybe."

"We're close," he murmurs, and I can hear the grin in his voice. "If you keep squirming like that, I might start thinking you're doing it on purpose."

I go completely still at that, and I feel the deep rumble of his satisfied growl in his chest.

Then finally, his footsteps stop.

He lowers me gently until my boots touch something wooden. Smooth. Slightly warm from the sun. My fingers curl slightly around his arm as I stand.

He doesn't step back. Instead, he slides his arms tighter around my waist, his chest against my back, head lowering toward the curve of my shoulder.

"Surprise," he whispers, brushing his lips against my neck. The blindfold slips away, and light pours back into the world.

I blink once, then twice.

We're standing on a wooden platform that stretches out into a slow-moving river, wide and calm under the afternoon sky. The water glints with golden sunlight. Pines edge the far side of the bank. It's quiet, just the soft rustle of trees and the ripple of water below.

The view is magnificent. No words could describe it.

"Ulric…" I whisper, stunned by how beautiful it is. How peaceful it feels.

His hands roam from my waist down to my hips, slow and deliberate, then back again. Possessive. His lips return to my neck. "You look…" he growls, "so fucking breathtaking."

I feel my breath hitch.

"It's getting too fucking hard not to mark you." His voice is rougher now, full of heat and something heavier.

I lean back into him before I even realize I'm doing it. My body answers his without asking my permission. I melt into him, needing the contact, the pressure, the weight of him wrapped around me. Something pulses under my skin. I feel it blooming, like something finally waking up.

He kisses the side of my throat again. Then lower. Then he sucks gently at the skin just under my jaw. Teeth brushing, biting down just enough to make my stomach twist.

"I'll mark you right here," he growls again, the sound sending a fresh wave of heat through me. "Can't fucking wait to sink my teeth into you. Feel you fall apart under me."

I barely breathe. My chest is rising and falling too fast.

"you can do it," I whisper, breathless.

He freezes.

"You're not ready for it, Luna," he says, voice rough. Strained. "Not yet."

"I am," I whisper, my words coming out with such desperation but they are sure. "Please."

The word breaks something in him.

I feel it.

His grip tightens, arms locking around me like iron, body flush to mine. A growl rumbles from his chest, deep and savage. His head dips again, nose brushing the place where his mouth just marked me.

"Mine," he snarls.

And then I feel the sharp press of his sharp canine as they sink into my skin.

It hurts. But only for a heartbeat. Then the pain is swept up in something hotter, heavier like a current dragging me into him. A string being pulled taut between us, finally knotted.

A cry slips from my lips as the mark takes hold. My entire body jolts from the inside out. He licks the wound, sealing it.

"You're mine now," he whispers, kissing the mark. "Forever, Aelia."

I don't think I can stand anymore. He lifts me easily, setting me down at the edge of the dock, my legs dangling above the river.

"I'll grab a few things from the car," he says gently. "Picnic basket and a towel for you."

I blink up at him, still dazed, breathless. "You prepared a picnic?"

His grin sharpens, and he leans down, kissing me rougher this time, lips brushing mine like a promise.

"Wait here. Enjoy the view. I'll be back before you know it."He turns, strides toward the car.

I sit there, legs swinging lazily over the dock, sunlight brushing my skin, and my heart still galloping from everything that just happened. I press my fingers gently to the mark on my neck. Still warm. Still tingling. My lips curl into a smile. I can't help but feel giddy.

"Aelia!"

I sit up straighter, glancing around at my name being called. Does Ulric need me to help him carry something? But I don't hear or see him. Must be in my head.

"Caught you."

My body goes still as a rock. The voice comes right in front of me, I slowly turn my head around, towards the river in front of me and freeze.

A black mass rises from the water, dripping and shifting like shadow, eyes slitted and face grotesque, twisted into something that shouldn't exist. It smiles, wide and cruel.

"ULRIC!!!" I scream as the creature lunges at me.

❦︎ To Be Continued ❦︎