Page 42 of Fated Obsessions

I exhaled, once again frustrated with myself because I cared about any of that, when in the grand scheme of things, I should just be happy I had a loving family and centuries to look forward to.

But I do care. I care, because every male in my family looks at me as if I’ll break.I’m coddled and protected. Hell, I’m surprised I was able to come to the mating ceremony at all, seeing as they think I’m some delicate freaking flower.

Once again, I scanned the room. Vampires, Lycans, demons, and even a few other creatures from the supernatural world had traveled far and wide to witness the mating ceremony. All of these creatures were either friends or allies with Ren and or the Lycans. And it was surreal to see. Because the males in my family were so protective, the only creatures of my world I’d seen were the wolves and vampires.

So this was exciting as much as it was a little terrifying.

My mother gestured me over and gave me a smile, her twin tiny fangs coming into view for a second before she curled her arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close. Her long black hair was pulled into a stylish chignon, her deep sapphire-colored gown complementing her pale flesh and light-blue eyes.

“Ah, there’s my wee lass. Come here, darling daughter.” My father, a massive Lycan with broad shoulders and a mammoth frame, towered over many of the guests at the mating ceremony. But then again, not many creatures were as big and fearsome as a Lycan, or a king for that matter. And my father was both.

I smiled up at him, and he leaned down to kiss me on top of the head. Never mind that I was twenty years old—an adult in human standards—because in Lycan standards, my father still saw me as his little girl, so very young when you looked at the lifespan of a paranormal creature.

“Yer mother and I will be leaving this time tomorrow night.”

My father had bought a private jet for my mother for obvious reasons: sunlight was a no-go for vampires, as was commercial airlines being far too dangerous. Then there was also the fact that he just liked to dote on her, giving her presents, buying her things because he liked to see the smile on her face, but he also loved—probably more so—the goodhearted annoyance of her telling him to quit buying her things.

“Mayhap we’ll stop up north on the way home, let ye see the Northern Lights?” He grinned broadly, knowing I loved seeing those beautiful lights, and even though I could tolerate some sunlight, I preferred to keep the same hours as my mother and father—which was being pretty much nocturnal.

“They’ll bitch,” I grumbled as I tipped my chin in the direction of my three brothers. The triplets were as rowdy as you’d come to expect Lycan males to be, but then again, they fit right in with the clan. I was more the oddball out.

“Ach, those little shites are all too ready tae make their baby sister happy.”

I shook my head but smiled. Yeah, they were the best, even if I gave them a hard time for being so damn overbearing and protective.

My father started speaking with another clan member, and I scanned the room. Crystal glasses with blood were filled for the vampires. Dark-colored whiskey or bourbon for the other guests. There was a massive banquet table with every kind of food imaginable.

I reached out and grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, smiled, and said thank you, then brought the glass to my mouth to take a sip of the sweet, bubbly liquid. Although it wasn’t as sweet as blood and didn’t give me the euphoric high the life-giving liquid did, it would still do the job well enough.

I finished nearly the whole glass—feeling the effects of the alcohol move through me pleasurably—when I felt this shift in the massive hall. The air seemed to get colder, and as if in unison, everyone turned and faced the wide entrance of the great hall.

They were looking at someone.

I was small, not just for a female, but also for a supernatural creature, so there was no way I could see over the towering males or the svelte, tall females.

I inhaled deeply, sifting through all the scents in the room and trying to focus on whatever was at that entrance. It took work; the scents were many and thick, perfumes and foods, but then I locked on it.

I felt this jolt move through me at the scent. And once it filled my nose and head, I could smell nothing else.

A Lycan male was who everyone was looking at, yet I still couldn’t see him. I shivered, not understanding why I suddenly felt so hot and cold.

“Is that Luca Lupineov?” my mother whispered to my father, sidling closer to him. He wrapped one arm around my mother’s waist, and as if he wanted to keep the females close, he did the same to me, bringing me protectively to his side.

I noticed my brothers pushed their way toward us, their looks dark, dangerous. They scanned their eyes over my mother and me, protective of us just as our father was. Then again, this was how all supernatural males were when it concerned females they cared about.

I glanced around the room, taking note males did the same with their mates and daughters, brothers seeming to instinctively want to protect their sisters and mothers.

“Aye,” my father answered, and I felt his hand tighten on my shoulder. “A Lycan gone mad is one of the most dangerous creatures alive.”

And then bodies started to part as the male was clearly moving into the great hall. I still couldn’t see him and tried to rise on my toes to get a better look. I saw a flash of dark, short hair, a set of wide, powerful shoulders. The male straightened, and I gasped at how big and tall he was, towering over even my father, who by all accounts was one of the biggest males in this room.

Lord, that male had to be easily six-foot eight. And the power in his body, the stacks of muscles, was staggering. But there was something else, something about him that had my skin tightening and this strange feeling moving within me. I felt my father stiffen and glanced up at him. He was looking at me with his brows drawn.

“Lass, are ye okay?”

I cleared my throat and tried to calm my heart—which of course only made things worse. “I’m fine.” I hoped my smile was convincing. But my father still watched me for long seconds until movement up ahead drew his attention.

I exhaled and heard low murmurs.