Karizma: Reborn

Chapter 18: Lukas

Despite Lukas' desire to see his mate's nude form, he had shifted into his wolf away from Ryleigh to allow her privacy. He craved to shift in front of her, for her eyes to admire him as they did earlier tonight, but his forced celibacy denied him that craving. If we are going to see each other nude, it will be when all of our cravings can be satiated, he thought.

Ryleigh's wolf had immediately taken off running in bliss, and, while Lukas did not want the moment of happiness to end, he quickly followed her and began nipping at her heels. He agreed with her interest for her training as a lycan; with each day that passed, it was one day closer to this war. The war itself was like a ticking time-bomb; no one knew when it was going to go off, just that it would. And, whenever it does, we need to be ready, Lukas thought.

Lukas was currently crouched behind a shrub as he waited to be hunted. He had hunted Ryleigh first, but now it was her turn. He did not fully try to fight her when he caught her, which he knew agitated both her and her wolf; her catching him would change that. She wanted to fight as a wolf, not just paw at each other. Lukas rolled his head gently as he pressed his stomach into the dirt beneath him. His ears twitched as he listened for his mate's footsteps. His snout twitched, desperate to sniff her out, but he snorted and shoved his snout into the dirt. This was her hunt, not his.

Lukas heard twigs snap behind him. He whirled around but was greeted with nothingness. He gently pressed himself off the ground as his eyes searched the clearing. He heard leaves crunch to his left, but still could not see the source of the sound. The urge to sniff the air for her again tried to push through, and he shoved it away; he knew that if he smelled her, he would be able to track her, but that was not the point. She needed to track him, and he needed to let her. Lukas heard a brush shudder as something brushed past it, but, still, there was nothing. He took a slow step forward and was plowed into by an invisible force.

Lukas snarled as he fell on to his side, an invisible weight pinning his body to the ground. He attempted to thrash out with his claws, but the weight pinned him down tighter. He felt the invisible force scrape against his fur as it pulled its way down the length of his body. Lukas' nose overrode his mind, and his eyes widened; the invisible force was Ryleigh.

Instantly, Ryleigh appeared on top of him, a large grin stretched across her wolf's lips. The scraping that he had felt were Ryleigh's claws, which now rested on his thigh. She was invisible, he thought. Her magic and her wolf were bonding beautifully. She brought her face down to his and nipped her canines in front of his snout playfully. Lukas attempted to stand, but her claws pierced into his thigh and forced him back into the ground. He growled lowly, a warning; not for the pain, but for the reaction that the pain had caused. Ryleigh's grin stretched further as her eyes flickered to the excitement between his legs, and she dug her claws deeper into his thigh.

Lukas snarled and ripped himself from her grasp. Blood trickled down his thigh as he pounced on Ryleigh and pinned her beneath him. He buried his snout into the fur at the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. He breathed in her scent greedily and rubbed his excitement against her. Ryleigh growled deeply and kicked her back legs into him. Lukas smirked and removed himself from her. She rose to her feet and shook out her fur, then shot him a glare. Lukas circled around her as her glare followed his movement. He growled lightly as his nose told him that she was excited, too. His wolf stopped directly behind Ryleigh and cocked his head at her. He was so close to losing control and finally claiming his mate right here in the woods. Ryleigh must have seen something in his eyes because she took off in a sprint, toward the direction of where they had shed their clothes.

Lukas followed and found his way behind the tree where his clothes lay. He shifted back into his human form and quickly slipped back into his shorts. He sighed and leaned his back against the tree. He rubbed his face harshly. This celibacy is a bitch, he thought bitterly. Had she been any other lycan in his pack, he would have emptied himself into her numerous times over the last few weeks and would not be as blue balled as he is now, but this was Ryleigh. She was different; she was not born like this, she was made, and, for that, he would be as patient with her as he needed to be. Until she was ready, he thought.

"That wasn't fair, you know," Ryleigh said as she stopped beside his tree. "Using dick is not an approved training method," she added.

Lukas smirked and exited from behind the tree to greet her. "I thought it fit quite nicely with your invisibility tactic."

"Hey, mine was logical. Magical lycan, remember? Yours was not."

"Oh, I beg to differ. My sexy mate pinning me while making me bleed? I feel like I reacted appropriately," Lukas said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"How would I know that fighting would turn you on?" Ryleigh asked sarcastically. "Maybe, next time, I'll just tickle you instead."

"Love, anything that you could possibly think to do to me will turn me on," Lukas' deep voice promised.

"I could just be invisible for the rest of our lives," Ryleigh teased.

"Don't you dare," Lukas growled lightly. "Now, that would be painful. Although, I must admit, seeing your magic and your wolf harmonize like that was magnificent."

"Threatening, not magnificient," Ryleigh smiled. "A lycan that can go invisible is very useful in a war." Lukas' jaw ticked suddenly. She was right, but the thought worried him. He may be able to feel her emotions, but he was not able to sense her when she was invisible. Her magic not only hid her physical state, but her emotional and mental state as well.

Ryleigh approached Lukas and touched his chest. "Where are you?" she asked gently.

"Your magic hid you, rather well. I just worry about if you are injured in this war," Lukas answered softly. "If something happens to you, and I can't find you..."

"I will be fine, I promise," Ryleigh smiled. "I was hard to kill when I was just a Karizma. I'm damn near invincible now."

"Just..." Lukas sighed in defeat as he gazed down into her emerald eyes. He would always worry about her, but he knew that she was right. His mate was the strongest entity on the planet, next to her ancestor that wanted to use her as a battery. The more he expressed his concern for her, the more it would begin to annoy her, and he knew it. "Make sure you come back to me," he said finally.

Ryleigh simply smiled and nodded. Lukas' eyes lingered on hers, then shifted to the sky. Sunlight began to lighten the dark sky, the moonlight retreating in its presence. "To...other business," Lukas said and shifted his gaze back to hers. Ryleigh looked at him curiously, and he continued. "We agreed that I was going to announce you after training. With the sun rising, I think that this is a good time to call a break."

"I can train for longer," Ryleigh protested.

"And we will, my love, but this is important. I've known for weeks that you were my mate, and only my Beta knows that truth. Once mates are found, it should be announced immediately, especially when an Alpha finds his Luna, but I didn't do that with you," Lukas sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "You weren't born into this, you were made into it, so I'm being patient with you, and my people will know that; but, the longer that we do not tell them, the angrier my people will become with me. With you."

"Why with me?" Ryleigh asked.

"Because they will begin to doubt the authenticity of you," Lukas said. "The longer that I wait to announce you, the more my people will doubt that you are truly my mate, or that you are worthy of becoming their Luna. Not to mention, we are bringing my people into a war with you, for you, and they have no idea that their Luna will be fighting with them."

Ryleigh nodded slowly. "That's not common, is it?"

"Traditionally, no," Lukas said softly. "The Alpha fights, while the Luna rules their people in his stead." He cupped her face suddenly, his eyes hard as he stared into hers. "Our people will already die for me, but they will die even faster for you."

"They don't know me," she whispered.

"But they know me, and that my Luna will mean more to me than my own life. A Luna can rule without an Alpha, but it is damn near impossible for an Alpha to rule without his Luna." His thumbs stroked her cheeks as he continued. "I ruled this long without a Luna because I didn't think I'd have a true Luna, and, now that I do, I can't do this without her. But I know that you can do this without me."

Ryleigh inhaled sharply. Lukas lowered his face to hers and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He pressed his forehead against hers and continued to stroke his thumbs against her soft skin. "It's time for our people to meet their Luna and realize what they will be fighting for."