Lila POV The air in my apartment was heavy with tension as I paced the floor, my mind racing with possibilities. Lucas King was nothing if not persistent. I knew he wouldn’t sit idly by after our encounter. By now, he was likely mobilizing his resources, setting traps, and deploying his network to track me down. But I wouldn’t make it easy for him. I grabbed my laptop from the table and set it down on the couch, the cool metal a comforting weight in my hands. Years of preparation had led me here, and I wasn’t about to falter. If Lucas wanted a game of cat and mouse, I’d ensure he found himself chasing shadows. --- I pulled up a map of the city on my screen, marking potential safehouses I could retreat to if things escalated. Each location was carefully chosen—places I’d vetted over the years for situations just like this. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I considered my next move. Lucas was smart, but his confidence was his Achilles’ heel. He believed his dominance w
Lila POV “You’re making a mistake,” my wolf growled, her voice curling through my mind like smoke.“Not now,” I snapped aloud, the sharpness in my tone bouncing off the bare walls of the safehouse. “I don’t have time for this.”She huffed, her unease gnawing at me. “He’s not what you think.”“I don’t need your voice in my head right now,” I muttered, clenching my fists. The bond with Lucas was a chain, one I refused to acknowledge. There was no place for weakness—not now.I collapsed onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. Lucas King. My mate. The thought turned my stomach. He and his brother had torn my life apart. There was no forgiveness for that.My wolf stirred, her instincts clawing at my resolve. She wanted to see something in him that I couldn’t, and I hated it. I wouldn’t be swayed. Not by him, not by anyone.The files I’d downloaded earlier were scattered across the coffee table, evidence of years of quiet preparation. Lucas and Jake King thought they were untouchable.
Lucas POV “You should have stopped her,” Jake’s voice cut through the quiet, sharp and unyielding. “I couldn’t,” I replied, my tone heavy with frustration. My fingers clenched the edge of the desk, the wood groaning under the strain. “She didn’t want to stay.” “She’s your mate, Lucas.” Jake’s voice softened, but the edge of judgment remained. “You’re just going to let her walk away?” I turned, fixing my brother with a glare. “Do you think I don’t know that? My wolf is tearing me apart for not chasing her, but what was I supposed to do? Drag her back here against her will?” Jake sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not saying that, but you can’t just sit here and brood. Do something.” ---“Do what, exactly?” I shot back, my voice rising. “She hates me, Jake. She looked at me like I was the last person she ever wanted to see, let alone be bound to.” Jake held my gaze, his usual confidence faltering. “Maybe give her space, but don’t give up on her. She’s your mate, Luc
Lucas POV I walked to the window, leaning against the glass. The cool surface did little to soothe the fire raging within me. “We’ll follow her anywhere,” my wolf said, his voice softer now, tinged with yearning. “I know,” I admitted aloud, the words a quiet surrender. “I’d go to the ends of the earth for her.” ---The realization settled over me, heavy and inescapable. This wasn’t just about claiming her as my mate. It was about needing her in every sense of the word—her strength, her fire, her very essence. I closed my eyes, letting the thought take root. Lila wasn’t just someone I wanted; she was someone I needed. ---But thinking wasn’t enough anymore. Reflection had its place, but it wouldn’t bring her back. I had to act. “Enough waiting,” my wolf urged, his tone sharp. “We need to find her.” He was right. The waiting, the doubting, the endless spirals of regret—it had to end. ---I turned from the window, a new determination taking hold. My steps were purposeful
Jake’s POV "You’ve got that look again, Jake," I muttered to myself, staring at the reflection in my laptop screen. My tired face stared back, eyes bloodshot from yet another sleepless night.The clock on the desk read 3:27 a.m., but I couldn’t stop. My wolf was unusually quiet, which only made the silence of the room feel heavier."Just one more search," I whispered, fingers flying across the keyboard.The screen blinked to life as I pulled up the latest report from the cyber team. Every file on Lila King—if that was even her real name—sat before me, meticulously compiled and still frustratingly incomplete.Her background was a carefully woven tapestry, and the more I pulled at the threads, the more apparent it became that none of it was real.I leaned back in my chair, running a hand over my face. My eyes roved over the details again, picking out the anomalies.Her school records were flawless, yet there were no group photos, no yearbooks that featured her name or face. Employment
"You’re really dragging me out here at dawn?" Jake grumbled, sliding into the passenger seat of Lucas’s car. "You do know normal people are still in bed, right?" Lucas glanced at him, his expression unreadable but his grip on the steering wheel firm. "Normal people don’t have their mate vanish into thin air." "Fair point," Jake muttered, rubbing his face. He leaned back in the seat, still groggy but unwilling to leave Lucas to face this alone. The early-morning mist clung to the ground as the car hummed down the highway. Silence settled between them, broken only by the steady rhythm of the tires on asphalt. ---"You think we’ll find anything at her pack?" Jake finally asked, turning to Lucas. "I don’t know," Lucas admitted. "But it’s the only lead we have. If she’s not there, maybe someone will know where she went." Jake raised an eyebrow. "You think her pack would help us? Especially if she doesn’t want to be found?" "If they don’t, we’ll figure out another way," Lucas
"Lawrence’s a ghost, I’m telling you," Jake said, leaning back in his seat and drumming his fingers on the armrest. "Whoever this guy is, he’s been playing the system for years. No one’s ever been able to pin him down." Lucas kept his eyes on the road, his jaw tight. "And you think Lila knows him?" "Think about it," Jake replied, his tone serious despite the casual posture. "She’s sharp, she’s secretive, and she’s clearly got her own agenda. If anyone could have ties to a guy like Lawrence, it’s her." Lucas didn’t respond right away. His thoughts were already tangled with questions about Lila—where she was, what she was hiding, and whether she’d ever willingly come back to him. Adding a rogue hacker into the mix only complicated things further. "It makes sense, doesn’t it?" Jake pressed. "I mean, how else could she stay off the radar like this? If Lawrence’s helping her, she’s got access to resources we can’t even imagine." "It doesn’t change anything," Lucas said finally, hi
Lucas POV "We’re going back," I said, my voice firm as I gripped the steering wheel. Jake raised an eyebrow, slouched in the passenger seat with his feet propped up on the dash. "To Moon Creek? You think the alpha's magically going to have a change of heart overnight?" "We didn’t ask the right questions last time," I replied, trying to mask the edge of desperation in my tone. "And we didn’t talk to the Alpha directly. That old woman barely knew anything." Jake sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know, you’re starting to sound obsessed. What makes you think they’ll even let us in after the way things ended?" "Because they’ll have to," I snapped, my voice harsher than I intended. "I need answers, Jake. We’re not leaving until I get them." "Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "But don’t go shifting and tearing up the place if they don’t tell you what you want to hear. We need to keep this civil." "I’m not making any promises," I muttered,
Lila’s words lingered in the air like a challenge.“Let’s make a new plan. Because something tells me Rikkard isn’t the only ghost who’ll be showing up.”Jake gave her a cautious look, sensing something unspoken underneath her defiance. “You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?”She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she walked back toward the small table near the window where her satchel lay. She reached inside slowly, fingers brushing past the notebook she’d been scribbling in since they arrived in Venut. But it wasn’t the notebook she was after.It was the small, battered silver device hidden beneath it—no bigger than a deck of cards. It hummed faintly in her palm, the casing warm to the touch.Jake’s brow furrowed the moment he saw it. “What is that?”Lila looked at him, then at Lucas, her eyes steady. “I wasn’t just sitting here waiting for you two to come back. While you were keeping Rikkard busy, I was busy too.”Jake crossed the room in two strides. “Lila—what
Jake didn’t move until the elevator doors slid closed behind Rikkard.Lucas let out a breath that was more of a growl. “He’s gone. For now.”Jake ran a hand down his face. “That was too close.”Lucas turned to him, voice sharp. “We need a plan, Jake. If he gets even a hint of the truth—about her—he won’t stop until he finds her.”“I know,” Jake muttered. “That’s why we’re going to give him something else to chase.”Lucas raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”“A misdirection,” Jake said, already walking toward the lounge bar where a bottle of aged scotch was quietly calling his name. “He’s desperate. He wants answers. We give him just enough to feel like he’s getting somewhere, but not enough to lead him to Lila.”Lucas followed him warily. “You want to lie to him.”Jake poured a finger of scotch and downed it. “Yes. I want to lie so well that he doesn’t think to look any closer.”Ten minutes later, they found Rikkard leaning against a column in the hotel lobby, like a man half-expect
“You’re joking, right? Please tell me this is some twisted prank,” Lucas muttered under his breath, his eyes never leaving the figure lounging by the fireplace.“I wish it were,” Jake replied quietly, jaw clenched. “But that’s him. That’s Rikkard.”Lucas swore under his breath. “Of all the days… why the hell would he show up in Venut?”“I don’t know,” Jake admitted, hands fisted in his jacket pockets. “But we need to play this smart. We can’t let him know about Lila.”Lucas inhaled sharply and nodded. “You sure he hasn’t seen her?”“Positive. He only saw us. Let’s keep it that way.”The plush lounge of the hotel was dimly lit, scented with expensive cologne, polished leather, and cigar smoke. Rikkard was seated casually on a velvet couch, legs crossed, swirling amber liquid in a crystal tumbler. His demeanor was relaxed, almost amused—but Jake could see it. The glint of calculated menace in his eyes.Jake took a breath and approached with Lucas, every step deliberate. They stopped jus
“Tell me you’re joking,” Lucas muttered, his voice low and edged with tension.“I wish I were,” Jake replied, running a hand through his damp hair. “But he’s here. In Venut. I saw his convoy near the North Quarter twenty minutes ago.”Lila blinked. “Wait, Rikkard? As in—the Rikkard?”Jake gave a grim nod. “The Mad Alpha himself.”Lucas straightened from where he sat beside Lila on the hotel bed, his entire body going rigid. “How the hell did he find out we were here?”“Doesn’t matter,” Jake said. “What matters is that he’s here. And if he’s sniffing around, it’s not just to catch up over drinks.”Lila’s face lost all color. “You told me he wasn’t a threat anymore.”“I told you what I needed to so you’d sleep,” Jake said quietly, shame flickering across his expression. “But clearly, I was wrong.”“Perfect,” Lucas growled. “Just what we need—another lunatic Alpha throwing his weight around.”“Not just another lunatic,” Jake said, voice clipped. “He’s the lunatic. The one who ripped out
“…She’s alive,” Lila repeated, quieter now. “I just don’t know where.”Lucas’s hand tightened briefly on her shoulder before he let go, stepping back to give her space even as his eyes lingered with worry. Jake returned to the window, gaze hard and focused.The silence that followed was the kind that spoke louder than words.Then—Knock. Knock. Knock.Not soft. Not tentative.The kind of knock that didn’t ask permission.Jake’s head snapped toward the door. Lucas was already moving—one hand reaching into the drawer beneath the minibar, where he’d hidden a blade and compact gun. Lila rose too, pulse leaping as the door handle turned despite the locks still being in place.Click.“Jake,” Lucas said, tone sharp.Jake strode toward the door and yanked it open an inch just as the locks disengaged, bypassed from the outside.The man who stepped in didn’t belong in any polished hotel suite. His mere presence dimmed the luxurious lighting, as if shadows followed him in.Rikkard.He was as unm
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Lucas murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face.“You didn’t,” Lila whispered back, her voice still drowsy. “I was already half-awake. I just didn’t want to move.”“You were sore,” he said gently, guilt flickering across his features. “I can feel it in your muscles.”“I’m fine,” she said, but he was already moving, sliding from the bed with careful grace.Jake’s voice floated in from the other room. “She’s not fine if she’s wincing in her sleep.”“I wasn’t wincing,” Lila muttered, rolling her eyes even as her cheeks flushed. She tried to sit up, only to wince slightly at the sting between her thighs. Damn it.Lucas was already wetting a towel from the tiny sink across the room. “Don’t lie to me, little wolf,” he said with an affectionate smile that didn’t quite mask his concern. “You’re strong, but you’re not indestructible.”Jake appeared in the doorway, arms crossed, his eyes scanning her with that piercing protectiveness that made her squirm mor
A Morning of Warmth and Wariness:“Lucas… your knot’s still in,” Lila mumbled, voice raspy with sleep.“I know,” he murmured against her shoulder, lips brushing her skin. “Didn’t want to wake you. You were peaceful.”“I’m not now,” she grumbled, stretching slightly and wincing at the soreness spreading through her hips.His arm tightened around her waist. “Sorry. I lost control.”“You didn’t.” She turned in his arms to face him. “I gave it willingly. Don’t take that away from me.”He searched her face, his eyes dark with concern. “You’re sore.”“I’m alive,” she said with a soft smile. “And I’m with you. That’s enough.”Lucas exhaled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Still… I should’ve been gentler.”“You’ll make up for it,” she teased, and for a moment, the heaviness in the room eased.The cabin bedroom was dim, the blinds half-drawn against the gray light of morning. Somewhere beyond the walls of this quiet space, the engines hummed low and steady. But here, wrapped in warm
“You’re safe now,” Lucas whispered, his knot still pulsing deep inside her.But safety was only one part of it.Lila trembled, her body molded against his, the fullness of his knot keeping her grounded and overwhelmed in equal measure. Her breath hitched, shallow and stuttered, as her inner muscles clenched around him again—an aftershock, or maybe the prelude to something more.Lucas didn’t move.Didn’t demand.He simply waited.And that, more than anything, unraveled her.“I can’t move,” she breathed, eyes clenched shut.“Yes, you can,” he murmured, brushing hair from her face. “You’re not broken, Lila. You’re not fragile. Not anymore.”Her fingers dug into the armrest, breath catching.Lucas leaned forward, his lips at her ear. “I want you to move. I want you to ride it. Take what you need from me.”Her heart stuttered.This wasn’t a command.It was a gift.Her legs ached. Her body throbbed. But still, she shifted—slowly, hesitantly—testing the taut pressure where their bodies remai
Lila’s breathing had slowed, her body molded to Lucas’s as though it belonged there—because it did. But the storm inside him hadn’t yet passed.Not even close.The feel of her, bare and vulnerable in his arms, only fueled his craving. His wolf still paced beneath his skin, restless and territorial, demanding more—demanding all of her. Every breath. Every sound. Every submissive gasp she hadn’t dared give anyone else.Lucas’s voice was low against her ear. “Up. On your knees.”She blinked in surprise.Still curled in his lap, wrapped in the thin barrier of his jacket, Lila hesitated.Lucas didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.His fingers skimmed under the fabric, trailing down her spine. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”Her heartbeat kicked harder, not out of fear—but recognition.She moved. Slowly. Carefully. She slid from his lap and turned, positioning herself between his legs, kneeling. The soft carpet beneath her knees contrasted with the burn in her chest. The jacket slipped