5. Fated Meeting

                                    

                                          
I was too scared to be embarrassed about how I reacted to the door opening. It was all pure instinct. 
                          
A yelp escaped my throat. I scurried into the corner behind the couch and pushed myself against the floor. There, I hid and held still. 
                          
Obviously, I knew it was pointless. The Alpha heard my erratic heart beat in my chest, the same way I could hear his steady, slow pulse. He knew I was there, hiding behind the couch. Yet, he didn't speak to me.
                          
Slow footsteps approached. I held my breath to avoid Luan's scent. Bare feet entered my vision, then knees as Luan crouched down in front of the couch.
                          
My eyes met his steel-blue ones for a millisecond, and a jolt so strong it knocked the wind out of my lungs shot through my body. I lowered my eyes with the speed of light and fled my hiding spot. 
                          
In the scramble, I bumped my head into the couch and knocked over a lamp. It came crashing down with a loud thud while I made a desperate dash on all fours towards the East wing doors. 
                          
"Wait!" Luan broke the silence. 

                          
I froze, knees and feet nailed to the ground. Luan's voice was deep and pleasant. My skin tingled. I couldn't help but listen; one did not ignore a command issued by an Alpha.
                          
I kept my gaze firmly averted while I awaited Luan's next move with a stuttering heart. He came closer. I couldn't hold my breath any longer, and Luan's scent filled my nose, my mind, and made me shudder. 
                          
He kept approaching me until he was standing a mere two feet away. All my muscles flexed so hard my legs cramped when Luan, again, crouched.
                          
"Don't be afraid," he said. His voice was quieter now. Softer, as if he was trying his damn hardest not to frighten me. "Please, stand."
                          
My shoulders drew up. Luan phrased it as a... request? It confused me. Warrior Alphas were ruthless and forbidding. All the ones I'd met were. Even the ones that weren't completely awful.
                          
They commanded, not asked. 
                          
Luan didn't command me, but I obeyed anyway. I forced my jello legs to straighten. I pushed myself up, wobbling slightly from the dizziness the Alpha's scent caused. I was burning up, sweating buckets underneath my shirt.
                          
My head was in chaos. My wolf clawed at my insides. He wanted out. He wanted to meet Luan and take in his scent. My bones ached to shift. Simultaneously, I still wanted to run. Run as far away as possible from this Alpha because I couldn't deal with the turmoil of emotions, fear and excitement, he stirred up in me. 
                          
Luan's first request had been difficult. His next one was worse. 
                          
"Look at me," he said.
                          
He couldn't be serious. I couldn't do that. Our differences were too great. It would be an insult for our eyes to meet like we were equals. 
                          
Yet, Luan's request was clear. I couldn't ignore even a request made by a warrior Alpha.
                          
Gingerly, I raised my eyes up to meet Luan's. His eyes were steel blue. The wind got knocked out of my lungs all over again.
                          
Except... except it wasn't unpleasant. It was a punch that somehow sent waves of heat rushing through my body instead of pain. I felt like I was high or drunk or both, taking in Luan's gorgeous face. While the claw marks were only partially healed, I easily looked past all of it. I drank in the sight of his slanted eyebrows, the contrast between his dark hair and light eyes, the curves of his lips and his sharp jawline. 
                          
Luan seemed to do the same to me. His eyes travelled down my body and up to my face, taking in everything he saw closely. Only now I noticed his pulse had sped up, mirroring mine.