Leah's POV "No, Lucas, please don't... Don't do it here..." I tried to push him away in vain. "What? You don't like it when your little boyfriend is around? Do you want to ask him to join us? Does that turn you on?" Lucas asked. I was still under the influence of last night's hangover. My head was so painful that I couldn't even concentrate on whatever Lucas was doing. I desperately shook my head and said in a low voice, "No... Make it stop..." "I will stop when I get what I want," Lucas said as he removed my clothes. Our lips met in an intense kiss, which I did my best to avoid. I couldn't believe it. After all these years and what he had done to me, I still couldn't resist his sexual appeal. He explored my mouth, and our bodies pressed together in an intimate embrace. I was sure that I wasn't coerced, yet everything about what we were doing felt so right and wrong at the same time. As Lucas' hands roamed over the curves of my body, I moaned softly in pleasure. That's what I'v
Leah's POV "Can you hear me, Leah?" I heard a voice in oblivion. I felt that my breast was pressed by a giant pair of hands. I wanted to inhale some air, but my mouth was sealed by something soft and tender. Someone was doing CPR on me?! Where am I? I used my effort to push the man away from me. "Leah, you're awake!" I opened my eyes and saw the blurry image of Darren. He was soaking wet. His hair, normally styled with precision, was now wild and tousled as if the winds and waves had taken it upon themselves to reshape it. The man's clothes clung to his body, soaked through with salt water, and he shivered despite the warmth of the morning sun. But I knew it was not the cold that had caused him to tremble - it was the adrenaline that coursed through his veins. "What happened? Where am I? Did you save me again?" I shoot out a string of questions before I coughed out the remaining salty fluid in my lungs. I felt that I was about to cough my entire lungs out. "We've been looki
Leah's POV As the sun rises over the rolling hills, a gentle breeze carries the sweet scent of blooming flowers and salty sea water through the air. The sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking filled the tranquil atmosphere of the small port village on the continental side of the bay, where life seemed to move at a slower pace. Darren parked his bike on the side of the road, and waved at a boy who was staring at us curiously at a distance. "Come here." Darren prompted him. The boy hesitated and shifted back a bit. "You can touch my bike if you want." Darren winked at him and smiled. The boy ran forward and stretched out his tiny hand, stroking the leather surface of the bike. "Can you keep an eye on my bike? I'll go to the island and come back later," Darren said. The boy stared at Darren with a frown. Then, he turned his head toward me, stretching out his arms. "Do you want a hug from me?" I melted. The boy tiptoed to stretch out his arms toward me even higher. I chuckle
Leah's POV "It's the jury's call," I said. "He has murdered more than 300 girls. I don't think they will ever exile him." "So... are they going to sentence him to death?" Uma asked. "There's a possibility," I said. "Do you know where her body is?" Uma asked. I shook my head and said, "Not really. He cremated the bodies. But we can still put him on trial because he kept a catalog of all the girls he had killed." "Catalog? You mean he killed my daughter and he kept her picture, so he can take it out and look at it anytime he likes, so he can kill her again in his fucking twisted mind?!" Uma raised her voice and smashed the teacup on the table. Finally, she let it out. "He's a sick old bastard, Uma. He will rot in hell." I held Uma's hands and said. "I don't know anything about the world after death, Miss Lewyn. The only thing I care about is this life." Uma said. Then, she suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "Miss Lewyn, you must have known someone. Can you pull some strings to
Leah's POV "Chief, he's from the Eagle Tail Pack. They are the most powerful pack in the South. We can't mess up with them. Alph Dire would be mad at us." A soldier pulled the sleeves of the head soldier and said in a quiet voice. The head soldier thought for a while, looking at Darren, and said, "You can keep your car, kid. But do not show up again on Mediland again." "Or what?" Darren tilted his head and asked. The head soldier was about to walk away, but he stopped and turned toward Darren. Just when I thought the head soldier was about to jump at Darren and start a fight, a deep, velvet voice appeared from outside - "Dylan! I haven't seen you for a really long time!" A tall, muscular young man walked into the room. His tanned skin gleamed with sweat and his muscles bulged with a powerful force to be reckoned with. He was wearing a rugged black T-shirt with the logo of a running dog. On the back of his shirt, I saw a line of printed words - "Grey Hound Delivery". "What's u
Leah's POV "Are you sure you want to go inside, officer? It's dead fish inside and it smells awful." It's Damian's voice. "Open the door, kid. Don't make me tear your car apart." The voice said. "Sure, right away, officer." Damian started unlocking the door. Just when the last bolt lock was unlocked, I heard a loud scream in the distance. "She's here! We've found the assassin! All units! Come here right now!" A voice shouted. All the soldiers started to run in the same direction. Damian jumped into the driver's seat. The van shot out like a spring, running over the barricades on the road. I had to pull the door back before all the baskets of oysters fell off the van. Darren peaked from the gap in the curtain and I could tell his pupils dilate. "What's going on?" I frowned and asked. "Nothing," Darren said. He quickly stood up and took out his bike from the corner of the van. "What are you doing?" I asked. I had a really bad feeling about what he was going to do. "Sorry, Lea
Leah's POV I opened my eyes and saw Finn walking away from me. Looking at his back, I felt that my heart was shuttered into thousands of pieces. I wanted to call him back, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I curled up and started to cough, gliding down to the floor. Jalin came in and found me curling on the floor. He rushed forward and held me up. "My Goddess, Leah. You're burning like a stove. What happened?" Jalin said. I didn't say anything but pressed my face against Jalin's chest, starting to cry out. "What the fuck are you looking at, Farrow?! Call Dr. Monk!" Jalin shouted. That was the last thing I heard when I passed out into oblivion. Jalin's POV "What happened to Leah?!" Lucian's voice was so loud that I didn't even have to put him on the speaker. "She's fine. She caught a bad cold and there was some remaining fluid in her chest. It triggered mild pneumonia..." I said. "Pneumonia?! Is she dying?!" Lucian shouted. I love Lycans. They're so adorable. T
Leah's POV "Leah, wake up." I heard a voice in oblivion. I lifted my arms to cover my eyes. "Leah..." The voice called my name again. "Finn..." I mumbled. I stretched out my arms toward the source of the voice. A pair of hands held my arms. They felt warm. No, they weren't Finn's hands, which were always cold. I opened my eyes and saw the blurry figure of Lucian sitting next to my bed. He placed his hand over my forehead and gently said, "Leah, I'm here. You don't have a temperature anymore. That's great." "Water..." I whispered. My throat was burning. A cup of water appeared in my sight. It was Jalin who was holding it. Lucian held my back and added a pillow behind my back, so I could sit upright. I turned my head away to avoid seeing Jalin. I heard Jalin's voice - "Leah, I know you're mad at me, but..." "Why didn't you hire Finn? Why did you ask him to work for Lucas?" I took a sip of water and said impatiently. Jalin cleared his voice and said, "There are some techn
Leah's POVThe supermarket fluorescents buzzed like angry hornets. I trailed Liam past pyramids of canned beans, his boots squeaking against linoleum. He moved like a feral cat—all coiled tension and sideways glances. The discount rack called to him like a siren."Jackpot," he muttered, scooping armfuls of spaghetti boxes into the cart. The packaging screamed ITALIANA AUTENTICA! in Comic Sans. I snorted. Authentic as his leather jacket's "genuine pleather" tag."Grandma's got expensive taste in hospice care, huh?" I nudged a box with my elbow. The noodles rattled like dried bones. "Why not buy her real food now that you're rolling in mobster cash?"He didn't look up. "Nonna'd skin me alive if I wasted good dollars on truffle oil when Barilla's ninety cents." The cart shuddered as he dumped another box. "Besides, spaghetti's her love language. Ate it every Thursday with Papa Enzo before the cirrhosis got him."I let my claws retract just enoug
Leah's POVLiam stared. "What the hell are you?"I wiped my hands on his jacket. "Hungry."He laughed then, wild and unhinged. "You're crazy.""Crazy enough to fix your problems. If you obey.""Obey?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's kinky."I stared at him. "You want to save your grandmother? Stop playing gangster. You're a joke."His smile died. "Yeah? And what's your deal? Some kinda runaway mob wife?""Like you can't even imagine." I released him.Silence.He rubbed his neck. "Fine. What's the plan, boss?"I glanced at the photo. The old woman's eyes glared back, unyielding. "First, we get some money.""From where?"-Vinny's nightclub reminded me of Sheridan Club. It was a cacophony of neon lights and pounding bass, the kind of place where secrets were buried under the weight of too much noise and too many bodies.I walked in with Liam trailing behind me, his face still bruised
Leah's POVThe first thing I remembered was the cold. Not winter's bite, but the slick, oily chill of concrete against bare skin. My knees were scraped raw. My breath came in ragged bursts, fogging the air like gun smoke. I pressed my palms flat against the alley wall, felt the grime cling to my fingertips.Naked. The word slithered through my skull, venomous. Not just my body - my pride flayed open, left to rot beside dumpsters reeking of stale beer and regret.What the hell has happened to me? I remembered stabbing Lucas in the chest and walking into the flames.Now here I am. Naked in some sort of back alley.Voices slithered from the street."Lookie here... fresh meat. Yummy..." a man slurred. Three shadows lurched into the alley, their laughter wet and jagged. One held a bottle by its neck; the glass caught the neon buzz of the bar sign above. Red Rabbit Tavern. The letters bled crimson down the brick.Is this... human world?
Lycidas' POVLucian shook his head, his eyes closing as if the effort of speaking was too much.Late afternoon light slashed through barred windows, gilding dust motes that swirled like trapped spirits above Lucian's bed. My brother's once-indomitable frame now sank into feather pillows as if the mattress conspired to swallow him whole. His labored breaths syncopated with the grandfather clock's metronome tick-tock, tick-tockfrom the western wall - a sound that had scored every pivotal moment of our cursed lineage. I counted them as one counts heartbeats before execution: thirty-seven ticks since he'd last spoken. Seventy-three since I'd entered this tomb disguised as a king's quarters.When Lucian finally stirred, his eyelids lifted like rusted portcullises. Sunlight caught the silver threads in his black beard - premature aging, or the Moon Goddess' fingerprints? "Lycidas," he exhaled, the name disintegrating into a wet cough. I watched his thro
Lucian's POVJalin seized my chin, wrenching my face back to the mirror. "Are you waiting for me to dress you, Your Majesty?" His hands slid down, slow and possessive, unbuttoning my shirt with deliberate malice. The fabric parted, exposing my sunken chest, and his gloved fingers lingered, tracing the jut of my ribs. I grabbed his wrists, my frail grip trembling. "I'm tired," I whispered, voice a broken thread. "I don't want to see anyone today."Jalin sneered and tore the shirt from my shoulders, seams splitting like skin. He shoved me from the wheelchair, and I crashed to the floor, legs limp, a puppet with slashed strings. "Your brother's coming," he hissed, looming over me. "If you greet him like this - pathetic, lifeless - he'll think I've neglected my duties." His eyes burned with that familiar madness, a sadistic gleam that promised torment.I shrank back, breath shallow, rasping, "Jalin, please don't…" But he didn't pause. His hand fisted my hair,
Lycidas' POVI looked down at him, my jaw tight. "If you want the thing between us to work," I said, my voice low and dangerous, "you need to know some ground rules. The first and most important one is that you stay the fuckout of my family business. Do you understand?"He met my gaze, his eyes calm, unflinching. "Yes, Your Highness, I understand. But the thing is, since you entered the Kingdom, all your actions have been under the control of the Court. They reported your arrival to His Majesty, who summoned me last night..." I grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against the mirror. The glass cracked under the force, shards raining down around us. His face was scratched, blood trickling down his cheek, but he didn't struggle."Did you go and see my brother last night?! Did he fuck you?!" I roared.He whispered, "Your Highness, Lucian is sick now. He didn't...""If you mention my brother's name again," I snarled, "I'
Lycidas' POVI woke to the sting of sunlight slicing through the heavy drapes, the kind of light that felt like a mockery after the night I’d had. My head throbbed, a dull ache that seemed to echo the chaos of my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the room around me. It was obscenely luxurious, every surface polished to a blinding sheen, every piece of furniture carved with ornate, gaudy details. I sat up, the silk sheets slipping off my bare skin, and let out a bitter laugh. Finn's bedroom?The place reeked of excess, of a desperate attempt to mask something hollow. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my feet sinking into the plush carpet. The air smelled faintly of cedar and something metallic—blood, maybe, or the ghost of it. I stood, stretching the stiffness from my limbs, and made my way to the bathroom. The shower was scalding, the water slamming into my skin like punishment. I leaned against the tiled wall, let
Finn's POVLycidas didn't buy it. His clawed hand seized my hair, wrenching my head back so hard my neck screamed, and I gasped, the pretense slipping as pain flared."Fucking slut, is that all they'd taught you?!" he spat, raking his claws down my spine, tearing skin, spilling blood. I whimpered - half act, half truth—and he sneered, pressing his heat against me, his cock a brutal threat between my thighs. "You're a fucking disgrace. A whimpering slut who'd spread for any cock that paid."I clenched my jaw, nodding like I hated it, but the words sank into me, heavy and hot. "Yes, Your Highness. But now, I am yours..." I choked out, still clinging to the lie of reluctance, but then he slammed me face-first into the hardwood floor, his hands pinning my neck, and the air left me. He thrust in, no warning, no mercy, and the pain - fuck, the familiar, thrilling pain - was a jagged blade splitting me open. I screamed, the sound raw and real, my mask shattering
Finn's POVThe air in Mediland was thick with the stench of desperation and decay, a familiar reek that clung to the walls of the slave market like a second skin. I stepped through the rusted gates, my boots crunching over gravel and broken glass. The place was still a cesspool of misery, still a monument to the cruelty of the worst of the worst. But this time, I didn't feel the usual weight of despair pressing down on my chest. No, this time, I felt… light. My plan was going on smoothly.Lycidas, the fucking Lycan Prince, was here. In my territory. In my office. The thought almost made me smile. He'd spent years parading around the human world, basking in the adoration of his fans, untouchable. But now, he was mine. The fire in Los Angeles had been a stroke of luck - or perhaps fate. The paparazzi had scattered, and for the first time in years, Lycidas was vulnerable. Cole met me at the entrance, his face grim. "His Highness Lycidas