The Alpha Who Wouldn't Let Me Run

ArianaThe glass doors of L’Aurore closed shut behind me, and the humid Magma City air was replaced with the scent of expensive truffle oil and even more expensive desperation. I froze. My heels dug into the plush carpet as I locked eyes with the table in the corner.A sneer tugged at the corner of my mouth.I should have known. When Lily, an "old friend" who hadn’t breathed a word to me in two years, suddenly begged to reconnect, I’d wanted to believe in a genuine olive branch. But as I stared at the group gathered there, the truth felt like a slap. This wasn’t a reunion. It was an ambush.And there, sitting right in the centre like a wilted daisy, was Selene Voss. My cousin.The bitch who had crawled into my fiancé’s bed while I was busy working double shifts to build our future.I took a breath, smoothing the front of my crimson suit. I’d come from a production meeting, and thank God I had. My hair was slicked back, my makeup was lethal, and I looked like I was ready to buy the

His last words were so heavy it felt physical, like a weight pressing against my chest. That was clearly a threat! One that sent a cold, biting shiver slithering down my spine.Beside me, the man I’d effectively hijacked didn't move anymore. He didn't blink. He just sat there with his dark eyes boring into the side of my head as if he were memorizing my bone structure for a future autopsy or something.I forced a polite, shaky smile, keeping my gaze fixed on the back of the driver's head. I couldn't look at him. If I looked at him, I’d lose the tiny bit of composure I was desperately struggling to hold on to."Thank you so much for helping me," I whispered, my voice cracking slightly. I sounded like a child playing dress-up in this red suit. "You can drop me right there at the junction. I can walk from there."The air in the car suddenly dropped ten degrees. I didn't need to turn my head to know his eyes had darkened. I was so fucking done with this game. I was done with this crazy

The door to the conference room hadn't even finished clicking shut before I felt the air grow thin. Lucien didn't move from the head of the table. He didn't have to. The glowing image on the projector screen was enough to pin me to my chair."Miss Vale," he said, the syllables of my name sounding like a judgment. "Or should I call you 'Handsome's' little hitchhiker?""I... I can explain, Sir," I stammered, my voice sounding thin and pathetic even to my own ears. "It was a mistake. A moment of... temporary insanity. I had no idea who you were.""Clearly." He stood up, his tall frame casting a long, jagged shadow across the mahogany table. "Because no one with an ounce of sanity uses a Blackthorne as a prop for a breakup."His gleaming, cold grey eyes made me tremble, and each word was a deliberate low growl, "My mother has already informed the entire board that I’ve found my future wife. Do you have any idea what that does to my merger schedule?"I couldn't speak and braced myself for

LUCIEN I didn't sleep. Well, not really. How could I, when the very air in this cramped box of an apartment was saturated with her? Ariana was a chaotic heat source pressed against my chest. Her heartbeat was a frantic yet rhythmic drum that seemed to sync with my own pulse against my will. My arm was locked around her waist, anchoring her to me as if she might evaporate the moment I let go. The humiliating truth? I... needed it. The relentless energy that had been shredding my insides since that first kiss finally went quiet the moment our skin made contact. It was like being a dying man finally finding a lung-full of oxygen. I was a pure-blood Alpha who didn't bow to the moon, yet here I was, playing the role of a human heater for a girl who had prayed for my indigestion. When her eyes finally fluttered open, I felt the change instantly. Her scent sharpened. The vanilla and ozone were immediately replaced by the sour tang of realization. She froze. I watched the back of

Ariana ​“Be careful for the love of God!” I barked, grabbing the door handle as the SUV lurched around a corner with a reckless speed. ​I turned to scold him, my heart drumming against my ribs, but the words died in my throat. The moment our eyes met, the lethal tension in the car seemed to settle into something thicker...something heavier. He looked… better when I was looking at him. It was the weirdest thing. The more I glared, the more the shadows in his expression seemed to drift. ​“When we get to your place, pack up,” he said, his voice dropping into that low, vibratory growl that always made my toes curl. “You’re moving in with me.” ​My eyes widened. I stared at him, my hands trembling as I tried to process the sheer audacity of his tone. “Live with you? What does that even mean?” ​“Exactly that,” he replied, his eyes fixed on the road. ​“Why? Why on earth do I have to?” ​“Should I let you go unsupervised? Or would you prefer to repeat last night?” ​“Why do I need to b