Chapter 6 Claimed

• LUCIEN
• She was horrified. I could tell because I could see the fear in her eyes. But she was also stubborn. She attempted to fight off this emotion with a cold resolve but it was useless anyway, I could see right through it.
• "You're insane," she hissed, and I cracked a smile, amused.
• "Oh, darling. You have no idea," I said, and she clenched her jaw, the emotion in her eyes shifting from fear to rage.
• I found it interesting—much more interesting than I would've loved to admit.
• "I was stupid. I shouldn't have gotten myself involved with you," she said, her voice quivering slightly.
• "It doesn't matter now, you see? You're stuck with me," I said, and she paled.
• "There's no wedding yet. I don't want this. I'm not going to let you use me," she stated.
• At this point, I was starting to get irritated.
• "Really? What are you going to do about your ex-fiance then? Do you have a genius plan for that?" I demanded.
• Her eyes darkened with malice, and suddenly, they started to glow a bright red rimmed with gold.
• They reminded me of the colour of my eyes when my wolf was in control.
• I'd never seen anyone like her before.
• Was she aware of it?
• I stared at her, unsure of what was going on.
• As I stood there, my mind clouded by confusion, I felt a powerful tug at my consciousness. My wolf, which was usually simmering beneath the surface, growled deep within me, surging forward with a force that nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs. It wasn't a voluntary shift-something was pulling him out, something I couldn't identify or control. My vision blurred, and the room spun around me as I fought to stay upright.
• 'Ours,’ he growled, and I turned away from Amelia even though it physically hurt to do so.
• I could hear her speaking to me, but I couldn't understand.
• My ears were buzzing, and my vision had gone blurry. I hadn't felt like this before. Therefore, I didn't know how to deal with it.
• I didn't realize that Amelia had grown closer to me until I felt the warmth of a hand on my bare back.
• In that split second, my discomfort vanished, and I could finally breathe again.
• When I straightened, my gaze met with hers. Her eyes had reverted to their normal state, and she had a frown on her face. More like she was concerned.
• "What the hell just happened?" She said, and I swallowed hard, letting. out an exhale.
• "That was me trying to distract you," I lied, and her frown deepened.
• "Really? And here I was thinking you were suffering from some kind of medical crisis..." She said, and I cut her off.
• "Were you concerned about me?" | teased, and she looked away from me, her cheeks heating up.
• "I wasn't."
• "You're so gullible," I said, and her expression darkened.
• "Fuck you, Lucien Gray,” she spat and stormed away from me.
• "With pleasure, Amelia Gray!" | yelled after her, and she quickened her pace, refusing to spare me another glance.
• I was tempted to go after her, but I knew I'd riled her up enough.
• As I stared at her retreating figure, a realization hit me.
• I didn't want her to hate me.
• Perhaps, it was because she was once my childhood friend.
• Even so, I had a feeling it was more than that. I wanted her. It was the kind of want that was quickly consuming me. This wasn't good.
• I wondered what she would do now that she knew what my motive was.
• I had a feeling that she would try to fight back.
• And I was soon proven right.
• …
• I was alerted by a knock in my office two nights later.
• "Come in," I said, sensing the presence of my beta.
• He walked in and shut the door behind him.
• "What is it?" I asked, my gaze fixed on the PC I was working on.
• He cleared his throat, and 1 looked up at him, puzzled.
• "I just thought you should know your wife's whereabouts," he said, moving towards me with his iPad.
• He handed it over to me, and I narrowed my eyes at the sight of Amelia dancing in a club.
• "Damnit," I breathed, shooting to my feet.
• "What are you going to do?" Enzo asked as I grabbed my coat.
• "Cancel the rest of my meetings," I said, shrugging on my coat.
• …
• The music in the club was annoyingly loud. It was even more bothersome pushing my way through the mass of bodies dancing like they had no worries.
• With my senses all activated, I was becoming crankier by the second
• "Where the hell is she?" l muttered, dialling Amelia's number.
• The moment I brought my phone to my ear, I was alerted by a sudden loud cheering.
• Instantly, I sought after the source of this new commotion, and to my chagrin, I was greeted by the sight of a dark-haired woman dancing on a table, dressed in a skimpy black dress.
• It was Amelia.
• She seemed to be having way too much fun.
• Letting out a sigh, I moved closer to the gathering crowd.
• When I was close enough, I froze. I could finally see her so clearly. Her flushed face. Her smudged red lipstick. The dimple on her chin.
• For a moment, I was enthralled by the giant smile on her face and the way her wavy hair bounced.
• She was clearly drunk out of her mind. But she was fucking glamorous.
• I'd never been so dazed. Every annoyance I'd felt towards her melted away like it never existed, and all I could do was stare in awe.
• However, this experience ended the moment one of the onlookers tried to touch her.
• All I could think of in that instant, was how to snap his hand in half without anyone else noticing.
• But before I could do what I desired, Amelia's gaze met mine, and the smile fell off her face. From the look on her face, she was planning to run.
• I'd be damned if I let her.
• Pushing the groper away from the table, I grabbed Amelia by her legs and brought a hand to her waist. Then I lifted her off the table and placed her over my shoulder.
• "Put me down!" She screamed, and I quietly moved away from the gathering. No one tried to stop me. They clearly knew better.
• Once I was out of the building, I gently set her down on her feet.
• "What? Are you ashamed of your wife?" She commented, her voice tinged with mockery.
• "On the contrary, no. I quite enjoyed the show. However, I don't enjoy seeing others touch what belongs to me," I said, and she smirked.
• "I...belong to you?" She drawled, reducing the distance between us. I raised a brow as she trailed a finger down my chest, a sultry look in her eyes.
• "You heard me," I said, and she smirked. Then she leaned up on her tiptoes. With her lips mere inches from mine, she went still.
• Our gazes locked, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
• Slowly, she pulled away from me.
• ”I’m not your property," she stated, and I flexed my jaw, amused.
• She was such a feisty little kitten.
• "You shouldn't be here, Amelia. It's dangerous to go to a club all on your own," I said, grabbing her hand.
• "You can't tell me what to do," she retorted.
• Without a word, I steered her away from the exit of the building.
• "Let go of me," she snapped, but I ignored her and continued to head towards my car.
• "Are you deaf?! I'm not going anywhere with you!" She screamed at me, and I halted, turning to look at her with my eyes narrowed.
• She swallowed hard, and I released my grip on her hand.
• "Is this your act of rebellion towards me? It's pathetic," I hissed, and she blinked at me, a blank look on her face.
• "You could've avoided this. If you'd simply dissolved the contract, I wouldn't have to do any of this," she said.
• "Do you really hate being married to me? It's only been two days," I demanded, and she pursed her lips, her stare fixed on me.
• "Like hell will I let you use me against my father," she shot back at me.
• I chuckled, and her eyes widened, confusion stirring up in those beautiful blue eyes of hers.
• Bringing a hand to her chin, I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me.
• "We are fated mates, have you forgotten?" I drawled, and she exhaled sharply through her nostrils, her brows furrowed.
• "What does that have to do with this? I might as well reject you and get this over with…"
• She'd barely finished her statement when I pressed a finger against her plump limps. Her eyes bulged in their sockets, mirroring her surprise in the process.
• I'd given her so many chances to walk away, and now, she was trapped with me for as long as she lived.
• "I, Lucien Evander Gray, accept you, Amelia Dawn Hayes, as my fated mate," I said, taking my finger off her lips.
• "N...no.." she croaked, tears filling her eyes.
• In that instant, I noticed a discreet figure heading towards us with a gun in his hand. It happened in a blink of an eye. The sound of a gunshot went off.