The Alpha King I Bought

Ten minutes later, my attention was completely fixed on the giant ‘gift’ wrapped in a dark red velvet ribbon in front of me.

The auction house staff knew exactly what they were doing. They had changed Lucian into a new outfit.

An unbuttoned black silk shirt hung from his broad shoulders, exposing his abs. His hands were bound behind his back with soft leather cuffs as he knelt on the carpet, looking up at me.

His face was too perfect.

Sharp cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a nose like it had been carved from stone. His most striking feature was those eyes. Those dark gold pupils hid a wild side as they watched me quietly in this moment.

This man was checking off every single one of my aesthetic preferences.

I walked closer, and the scent of cold cedar instantly enveloped me.

"What body wash do you use?" I leaned close to his neck and took a deep breath. "Tell me the brand. I'll buy out the production line."

Lucian's throat bobbed. "It's my natural scent."

"Natural?" I raised an eyebrow, lifting his chin with my fingertip. "What's your full name?"

"Lucian Frost."

"Lucian Frost..." I savored the name and laughed softly. "Remember this. My name is Vivian Sterling."

"Vivian." He repeated it.

"What, you won't call me master?" I teased, sliding my fingertip from his chin to his throat and pressing lightly. "Didn't the auction house teach you the rules?"

Lucian narrowed his eyes. I was making him, an Alpha King who ruled tens of thousands of wolves, call a human woman ‘master’?

In the past, I would already be dead. However, now…

"Master..."

He said it earnestly, the final syllable rising with a husky rasp.

It did not sound like submission. It sounded like pillow talk.

My ears tingled, and half my body went weak. This wolf was too skilled.

I avoided his burning gaze and removed the bite-prevention muzzle from his neck.

There was a click, and the black leather mask fell to the floor, revealing his sharp jawline and pale lips.

With my movements, his silk shirt slipped halfway down.

My gaze froze.

His perfect muscles were covered in countless scars. Some had healed, while some were still bleeding.

I remembered the shock batons at the auction house. It had to have been those animals. They had beaten him nearly to death trying to break him.

"They beat you?" I touched his bleeding wounds with distress, my fingers trembling.

Lucian froze. Those were superficial injuries he had deliberately inflicted when pretending to be captured. The wounds would have healed already if she had asked any later.

However, seeing the obvious distress and misunderstanding in her eyes, his mind turned.

"Mm... It hurts a lot..." He frowned slightly, his dark gold eyes misting over like a wronged puppy’s. "It'll only get better if you blow on it, Master."

Dear god. A cold, fierce wolf acting cute was absolutely lethal.

"Okay, okay... I'll blow on it for you." I clutched my racing heart and clumsily grabbed the first aid kit, kneeling in front of him.

"Don't move. It might hurt a bit."

I dipped a cotton swab in antiseptic and carefully cleaned his wounds. After each application, I lowered my head and blew gently.

Warm breath brushed across his skin, raising waves of shivers.

I focused on treating the wounds, completely oblivious to how the gaze above my head was growing hotter.

Lucian felt no pain at all. He only felt tingling currents rushing through his entire body wherever I touched it. He stared at me greedily.

He stared at my trembling lashes as I applied the medicine, at my red lips pouting in concentration, and at my pale neck left completely unguarded.

That look showcased his desire to devour me whole.

"Lift your arm," I commanded, completely unaware of the danger.

Lucian obediently lifted his arm. To reach his back, I had to lean forward until I was practically pressed against his chest.

"Don't move, the gauze is tangled," I muttered, trying impatiently to untangle it.

At that moment, Lucian's knee shifted ‘accidentally’. I lost my balance and fell forward.

"Mmph!"

I crashed headfirst into his hard, burning-hot chest. The next second, my waist tightened.

The world spun.

The man who was supposedly 'pinned down’ by me gripped my waist with one hand and flipped us over smoothly, pressing me firmly into the soft carpet.