Lucas' POV"Alpha, we've got a situation here..."Jorah's voice was intentionally suppressed when he greeted me. He only talked to me in that voice when he messed up something.I fell to the chair, all deflated and worn out, loosening my tie a bit.I need to change for a new tie. Probably a new Beta. I thought to myself, looking at the obviously panicked young man standing in front of me. Jorah was qualified for his job in every way, but there was just something about this guy. He was driving me mad in a very subtle way and I wasn't even sure what the heck was wrong with this guy.I guessed it had something to do with his standing posture. He always looked painfully miserable when he was around me as if he was suffering from a chronic ulcer in his stomach. Neither he nor I could do anything about it to end his misery because we both knew I was that damn chronic ulcer.If only Basil was still alive! When Basil was my Beta, I led the army and conquered the whole north. Together, we built
Lucas' POVAs I stepped into the living room, tensions were running high.The air was thick with anger and everyone was on edge.My father, a stern and imposing man, glared at me with unconcealed fury, disappointment, and disgust.I ruined his pack, his company, and his life.And my father used to kill someone because a bar attender ruined his whiskey cocktail."Do you have any explanations for your ex-mate sending the divorce papers directly to me, bypassing you entirely?! I'm going to be very frank with you, son. I take this as a personal affront and it only adds to my already simmering anger." My father approached me and said with his hands strangling an invisible neck in the air."I have no explanation. I never expected Leah would do something like this..." I said.My mother cut me short by screaming at the top of his lungs, "That bitch! That horrible, shameless, filthy bitch! She's doing this to humiliate us! She's doing this intentionally to sabotage our family tie! She's a manip
Lucas' POV"Who... Are... You...?" I asked.I could barely recognize my voice. My vocal cord must have been torn.The little white wolf took a glance at me as if it was checking if I was alright, but it didn't answer my question.Instead, it lowered its head to get closer to my father while stomping on his spine again, triggering waves of my father's scream again. It seemed that this tiny little thing was determined to torture my father before killing him."Don't hurt my husband!" My mother pleaded in tears. She wanted to protect my father, but she also wanted to hold me in her arms. I could tell she was torn.The little white wolf heard my mother's voice and raised its head abruptly, staring at me.At that time, I recognized its olive-green eyes."Leah...?! Is that you...?" I asked.Leah's POVLucas' voice brought me back to sanity.I looked down at the giant grey wolf twitching under my claws."You damn old fool!" I snarled in anger. "Are you crazy?! Why did you try to kill your own
Leah's POV"And you're also a loud, loud person, Jorah," Lucas said in a low voice.I lifted my head and saw Lucas looking down at me with a half-smirk on his face.For a person whose throat almost got slashed by his own father, he looked way too happy. And I knew he was happy because he was holding me in his arms.I immediately stood up, shaking my fur and trying to walk away, but he caught me."Where do you think you are going?" He taunted me, holding me in his giant hands while sitting up."Urrrgh!" I turned my head, trying to bite him. Wolves don't like being caught. It was almost a reflex.But on that day, I ended up holding his hand in my mouth, scratching my teeth against his long, slender fingers.He tasted so good. I thought to myself. If I was in human form, I would definitely be blushing."Alpha! You're still alive! Oh, my Goddess! I haven't killed you! Great!" Jorah clapped and jumped up while clapping his hands."And praise the Moon Goddess for me not being killed by my Be
Leah's POVLucas pulled my wolf closer and tilted his head."Are you sniffing me before eating me alive, little she-wolf?" Lucas' voice was enchanting, tilting his head to sniff me back.My wolf didn't answer but licked his face."Ahh. It's so tickling." Lucas grinned, but he didn't flinch a bit.My wolf started at him with her giant eyes wide open for a brief second and licked him again.Lucas didn't move. He just sat there and let my wolf lick him.When she eventually decided to stop, Lucas held her up with both of his hands in the air and gave her a twirl."Are you done sniffing me?" Lucas asked.My wolf nodded with great satisfaction."So, it's my turn!" Lucas smirked and buried his face in my wolf's soft, fluffy fur.The tip of his nose triggered a wave of shivering all over my body. If I was in human form, I would be giggling and tittering.But at that time, my wolf suddenly took over and she sounded very grumpy, "You know what? You always take Leah for granted. For example, Leah
Leah's POV"Lucas, I..." I whispered, lowering my head."Leah, please don't go away. Please come back to me. I will give you everything you want. I will make it right this time. Lucian is a Lycan prince. Do you know what kind of danger you're going to go through to be in the company of a Lycan prince? I'll give you a hint. He rejected his last Luna and killed her by himself..." Lucas said.I immediately got cross because my elder brother's good name was insulted."Stop saying things like that! It's just a rumor. You know nothing about Lucian..."Lucas interrupted me and said, "Neither do you. Actually, nobody knows anything about that guy.""If you don't know anything about someone, then don't rush to your judgment," I said in a cold voice. "Lucian is a great person and he takes care of me..."Lucas got irritated even when I mentioned Lucian's name. He had that jealous look on his face again and stared at me.I turned my head away from him, but he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to
Leah's POV"Lucas, what have I ever done to you to make you treat me like this?" I whispered after he got off my body.Lucas didn't answer me. I wondered if he had heard my voice after all.He was still furious, panting and roaring like an agitated beast. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed me in the next second.Obviously, the rough sex we had just had didn't calm him down.Whatever he wanted to get, he didn't get from me.His fluid was still all over my body, and so did the bruises and cuts. It was a mess.I could wipe myself clean and heal the bruises and cuts, but the excruciating pain in my heart never went away.I thought Lucas would have walked away and left me alone as he did in the past, but he didn't.Instead, he shifted his hands into giant wolf claws and approached me.I looked at him with horror.Was he going to rip my heart out with those claws?!But he didn't.Instead, he used his razor-sharp claws to cut the tie to cut loose from the bed.Having regained the freedom of
Jalin's POV"Why are you here?" Jorah looked surprised to see me, twisting his hands together.Nothing good happens when he twists his hands like this, especially when there's blood on his hands."Where's Leah?" I frowned."She's upstairs with Alpha. Why?" Jorah looked even more puzzled."You leave them alone upstairs?" I clenched my fists."Yeah..."My heart sank and immediately walked upstairs.Jorah stopped me by blocking my way."Hey, Jalin! What's going on?!""Someone is in danger, you idiot. That's what's going on. Now stay out of my way." I tried so hard not to punch his stupid face."Let's not blow this whole thing out of proportion, OK? Lucas misses Leah and he just needs to have some quality time with his wife. I don't see anything wrong with it. He wouldn't hurt his own wife." Jorah shrugged. He still stood in my way, acting like there was not that big a deal for my precious Leah being left alone with a fucking asshole."Leah isn't the one who's getting hurt!" I pushed Jorah
Leah's POVI stared at the dress thrown on my bed.It spread out like a blossom of weaving lies.I'd been counting the crystals on the chandelier in the ceiling when Lucas appeared - thirty-seven of them shaped like teardrops. He filled the doorway without touching its frame, that cursed crimson fabric draped over his forearm like a skinned serpent. Sunlight caught the black embroidery. I wondered how many slaves had bled to stitch those constellations."Wear this." He tossed it onto 800 thread Egyptian cotton quilt. The silk slithered against my bare knees, colder than the iron collar I'd worn in the slave market.I waited, bathrobe clutched tight. Three heartbeats. Four. The clock above the bed - still smelling of his cologne - ticked like a dying thing. When I turned, Lucas hadn't moved. He'd claimed the wingback chair, legs spread in that infuriating mimicry of relaxation. Sunlight through the French window caught the flawless profile of his fa
Gean's POVThe coffee burned my palm, bitter and unnecessary. Leo's absence hit me before I crossed the threshold - no clatter of vials, no muttered curses at malfunctioning equipment. Just cold sheets twisted into knots, still damp with the metallic tang of his sweat. I let the mug steam on the nightstand. Sentimentality wasted caffeine.The lab's vault door hissed open beneath my fingerprints. Banks of monitors flickered, their screens vomiting equations Leo had scribbled in manic spirals last night. The centrifuge whirred, empty. A single glove floated in a petri dish, skin cells dissolving like sugar in tea. My reflection warped in the machine's chrome surface: a businessman's haircut, a butcher's eyes.The secret door behind the cryo-chamber yielded to pressure. Dank air rushed up the tunnel, carrying the sweetness of rotting meat. My polished shoes crushed syringes, their contents smeared across stone like neon graffiti. Halfway down, a severed hand clutch
Leah's POVWhere am I? A hotel?I woke to the weight of my own bones. I was like lead was being poured into a silk bathrobe.Sunlight stabbed through bulletproof glass. My skull pulsed with the rhythm of last night's beer bottles shattering against pavement. Memory came in shards: sticky bar stools, Lucas' laugh cutting through smoke, my own laughter curdling into retching. No blood. No teeth. Just the sour aftertaste of survival.The bathroom door hissed open.He moved like spilled ink - Alpha Lucas with his tailored cruelty, holding a glass where effervescent tablets hissed like trapped wasps. I clutched the quilt to my collarbones. His smirk was a blade drawn slowly across leather."Decency's really unnecessary in front of me, since I've already seen everything," he grinned. The glass clinked on marble. "Drink."I tasted ozone. My fingers trembled against Egyptian cotton. "Did you...?""Touch you?" He leaned into the bed's g
Lucas' POVThe Green Point bar stank of sweat and spilled whiskey. I watched the girl's throat work as she gulped the beer, amber liquid dripping down her chin like stolen honey. Her knuckles whitened around the glass. Thirsty little thing. Starving in ways I couldn't name."Did you...enjoy the beer?" I asked."It tastes like piss, but I'm thirsty," she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand."And did you enjoy today?" The question tasted rusty. Leah's ghost perched on the barstool between us, her hollow socket accusing me.The girl's shoulders hitched first. Silent sobs shook her frame, tears plinking into her empty glass. My chest tightened - that old reflex, that ancient guilt."What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" I held her hand and asked."It's just..." Her voice cracked like autumn leaves underboot. "Feels like the first real day. Like I've been sleepwalking till now. I've never been out for a proper date like this wi
Finn's POVThe studio gates loomed like iron teeth. I stepped through, the scent of fake blood and sweat slapping me harder than the California heat. Outside, the Hills smoldered, ash staining the sky. Inside, they’d built a pantomime of apocalypse - extras in matted fur howling at a green screen, their plastic fangs glinting under klieg lights.A director barked into a headset. "Action!"A truck flipped, screeching on cables. A blonde actress spilled out, naked and screaming. From the rafters, a man in denim descended, Gatling gun roaring blanks. Extras dropped, melodramatic, as he scooped her up. Their kiss was all teeth, a parody of passion."Cut!" The director rubbed his temples.Complaints about the heat erupted - especially from the actress, who snatched a robe and cursed the air conditioner's death."Lycidas, could you try to use your tounge this time?" the director shouted.The cowboy - Lycidas - flashed a grin, all wolf
Lucas' POVThe girl looked nervous as I hauled her into the Mediland's golden throat. The mall's fluorescence carved the girl into something spectral. She hovered between racks of silk and chiffon, fingers brushing fabric like she expected it to bite. The salesgirls' laughter hung sharp in the air - hyenas circling a limping doe.To my surprise, my hearing was back. I could clearly hear what they were mumbling behind the racks. "Look at her. Poor little rat. How could someone like her end up with Alpha Lucas?" a girl whispered."Gold digger. Social climber. Boot licker...""And cock sucker!"They giggled.I silently sighed and ignored them.I looked at the girl. She looked overwhelmed. I knew she must have heard what they'd said. She lowered her head and stood there, looking lost.I walked to her."Pick something," I said."I don't need anything..." the girl looked horrified at the price tags. "Could
Lucas' POVThe girl's boots dragged against the restaurant's marble steps, scuffing gloss into dust. Her coat hung loose, threadbare at the elbows—a thrift-store relic in a kingdom of gold trim and crystal. I didn't blame the hostess for curling her lip.This is the human quarter of Mediland. A high-end steakhouse in the human world is supposed to be stunk of judgment."No reservations?"The hostess flicked her gaze over the girl's messy cropped hair, the grease and blood clots crusted on her hem. Her voice was polished ice. "We're full. Try the soup kitchen down the block."The girl didn't flinch. Just stared at the chandelier, jaw working like she was chewing the light itself. I leaned against the podium, leather gloves creaking. "Tell Danny I'm here.""The manager?" A laugh, sharp as broken stemware. "I'm sorry, Sir. You look like a decent gentleman, but he doesn't entertain strays."Then the doors swung open, and the scent hit me -
Leah's POVThe moment I crossed Alpha Finn’s threshold, his pets slithered in behind me. Annet and Donna - branded vipers with just enough leash to sink fangs into weaker girls.The door clicked like a trapspring. I kept scrubbing, gouging filth from floorboards until my knuckles split. Soapwater turned pink. They circled, lacquered claws glinting. Donna’s stiletto cracked across my hand."Lookit this guttermouse playing vixen," Annet crooned. "Sneaking into Alpha Lucas' chambers all night - think we're blind?" "Maybe she's graduated to bootlicker," Donna trilled. Her heel ground deeper. "C'mon, whore. Demonstrate your special talents." Blood bloomed beneath her stiletto. I bit through my lip - iron tang kept the scream caged. "Cat got your tongue?" Annet's slap snapped my head sideways. "You yowled plenty for Lucas. Think Finn’ll enjoy hearing how you serviced his brother?" "Alpha Lucas wasn't—" "Liar!" The backhand left my ears ringing. I spat crimson, kept scouring wo
Lucas' POVThe girl's hands danced. Apron strings became a lover's knot at her waist. Eggs cracked one-handed, yolks bobbing like liquid suns. I watched, transfected, as she transformed slaughter into sacrament—French toast glazed in maple, coffee dark as a sinner's heart."How did you do it?" I gestured at the golden crust.She flipped a pancake. "Alpha Finn liked his girls versatile."The first bite dissolved on my tongue—cinnamon, nutmeg, vengeance."Why do you rub your neck like that?" the girl asked."I don't know. I slept on the couch and woke up like this..."Before I finished, she circled behind me, palms hovering above my neck."May I?""Well..." I mumbled.Her touch was wildfire. Knuckles pressed the base of my skull, thumbs working knots from muscle. I groaned."Quiet," she chided, but her fingers lingered. "You're worse than dogs."I lifted up my head and howled to the ceiling