“You’re telling me you found her?” Lucas’s voice was a mix of disbelief and hope, cutting through the quiet hum of the car engine.I nodded, keeping my eyes fixed on the road. “The cyber team tracked her last call. It wasn’t easy, but they managed to bypass her blockers for a brief moment before she disappeared again.”Lucas leaned forward, his hands gripping the dashboard. “Where?”I hesitated, knowing how much was riding on this information. “A small cabin on the outskirts of the city. But it’s not just about the location—it’s the fact that she slipped. She’s usually more careful than this.”“That means she’s distracted,” Loren chimed in from the backseat. Her tone was analytical, her fingers flying across her laptop. “It could be the bond messing with her focus. If she’s anything like Lucas was after he left, she’s barely holding it together.”Lucas shot her a sharp look but didn’t argue. “What’s the plan when we get there?”My grip on the wheel tightened. “We observe first. We don
Lucas reached for the next door , his knuckles rapping against it for the third time, the sound echoing in the stillness of the cabin. Jake watched from his position across the room, his eyes darting between the door and the window, scanning for any movement. The tension had been building for what felt like hours, a slow burn that threatened to consume them. Every inch of the house seemed to hold its breath, like a predator waiting to strike.“Nothing,” Lucas muttered, stepping back from the door with a frustrated sigh. “She’s not in there.”Jake’s gaze flicked over to Loren, who had been systematically checking the other rooms. She gave him a quick shake of the head, signaling that nothing had changed. The cabin remained eerily silent, the thick scent of dust and abandonment lingering in the air. It was as if time had stopped here, frozen in some moment long past.“Should we check the basement?” Loren asked, her voice calm but taut with the same underlying anxiety that Jake was feeli
Lila POV Lila (Flashback Perspective)The moment the call disconnected, I knew I had to move—fast. Time was against me, and I had a sinking feeling that it was already too late. I quickly shoved a few essentials into a bag—clothes, cash, ID—but I didn’t dare look at anything that might tie me to this place any longer. It wasn’t safe. Not anymore. They were coming. I could feel it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and my heart raced as I looked around the room. The place that had been mine—where I thought I was safe—now felt like a trap. “Think, Lila. Think,” I muttered to myself, trying to push the panic back down. I grabbed my backup drive, checking it one last time to make sure my data was secured. “Okay, that’s done. Now get out.”I could feel the weight of the world pressing down on me. Every second mattered. But the thought of leaving this place behind, of leaving everything behind, stung. I didn’t want to go, but I had no choice. I had to keep moving. I couldn’t le
Lila POV (The Flashback)I could feel the pull of my wolf inside me, thrashing against the cage of my control, as if it could sense the gravity of what was happening. I clenched my fists, trying to silence the guilt gnawing at my insides. If the bomb detonated now, Lucas would be injured. Maybe worse.The thought of him in pain—the kind of pain I knew I could prevent—sent a sharp pang through my chest. I hated it. I hated the weakness, the way my wolf’s instincts made me feel so vulnerable, so exposed. I cursed under my breath and fought to push the emotions aside. I couldn’t let myself be distracted by them. Not now.I glanced back toward the house, my mind racing. The plan had been to destroy everything—everything that could link me to the brothers, everything that could expose me. The bomb was my last resort. If it went off, it would wipe everything clean.But there was Lucas.Every instinct in my body screamed at me to stop him from getting too close. To keep him out of the house.
“What do you mean?” Loren coughed as he stepped over a broken piece of wood, his clothes coated in dust and ash. Jake ignored him, his gut twisting. Something wasn’t adding up. The explosion—it had been too precise. Too controlled. If this was just a desperate escape attempt by Lila, then why did it feel like they had walked straight into a setup? “She’s not stupid,” Jake said, running a hand through his hair, his mind racing. “She wouldn’t have let this happen by accident. Which means…” He trailed off, his stomach sinking. “Which means what?” Loren pressed, wiping soot from his face. Jake turned toward Lucas, who lay unconscious in the car, his breathing shallow but steady. He was hurt, but he was alive. That was all that mattered for now. But something about this entire situation gnawed at him. “What if this wasn’t just her running?” Jake finally said, voice tight. “What if someone else is pulling the strings?” Loren stiffened. “You think she’s working with someone?” J
“Lucas?”The voice sounded distant, muffled, like it was coming from underwater. His body felt heavy, his limbs unresponsive. A dull, throbbing pain pulsed through his skull, each beat sending sharp jolts down his spine.“Lucas, can you hear me?”He forced his eyes open, blinking against the harsh light. The ceiling above him was unfamiliar—plain white, no cracks, no familiar marks. His mind scrambled for clarity, but everything was tangled in a thick haze.A shadow moved beside him.“Fidel?” His voice came out hoarse, strained.“Yeah, I’m here.” Fidel leaned closer, his expression tense. “Don’t try to move too fast. You took a pretty bad hit.”Lucas groaned, attempting to lift his head. A wave of dizziness crashed over him, and he collapsed back onto the bed. His stomach churned.“What… happened?” he managed, his throat dry as sandpaper.Fidel hesitated. “You don’t remember?”Lucas shut his eyes, reaching inward for his wolf’s presence—only to be met with silence.Panic flickered thr
Lucas’s head spun with the weight of the news.“Three days... Three days I’ve been unconscious and no one thought to wake me?” Lucas’s voice was a mix of frustration and disbelief.Jack stood there, his arms crossed, looking more tired than Lucas had ever seen him.“You were in bad shape, Lucas,” Jack said softly. “We couldn’t risk moving you.”But Lucas wasn’t listening anymore. His mind was racing, trying to piece together the aftermath of the explosion.“Where is she, Jack? Where is Lila?” His voice hardened, the pain he’d felt from being kept in the dark now erupting into raw desperation.Jack’s gaze shifted briefly to the ground, his eyes clouded with something Lucas couldn’t quite read.“She’s in another room.” Jack hesitated, his voice lowering. “She was closest to the explosion, Lucas.”Lucas’s heart slammed in his chest.“Who was the second closest?” he demanded, already fearing the answer.Jack hesitated a moment longer, his eyes narrowing. “You.”Lucas felt as though the fl
Mates weren’t meant to be shared. At least, that’s what he had always believed.But as the words sank in, a strange realization settled over him—he didn’t feel the jealousy he had expected. No rage. No possessiveness. Just an overwhelming sense of connection.“Say something,” Jake muttered, his jaw tightening.Lucas exhaled sharply. “I don’t— I don’t understand. How is this possible?”Jake’s expression darkened. “It’s not unheard of. In our family, having two mates isn’t impossible. It’s rare, but it happens.”Lucas’s mind raced back to the stories his father used to tell him, about the legends of wolves with more than one destined mate. He had dismissed them as myths. But now, standing here, facing this impossible truth, he realized those myths had just become his reality.“And you’ve felt it too?” Lucas finally asked.Jake nodded once. “From the moment I saw her lying there after the explosion, something inside me shifted. It was like losing her would destroy me. And now... I don’t
"Where is Jake?" Lila’s voice cut through the morning stillness, sharp with unease. She barely touched her breakfast, the plate in front of her nearly untouched. Lucas, sitting across from her, stirred his coffee with deliberate calm, seemingly unaffected by the tension crackling between them. "Handling something important," Lucas answered vaguely. Lila’s fingers curled into fists. "Something important? That’s not an answer, Lucas." His gaze flickered up to meet hers, steady and unreadable. "It’s not something you need to worry about." Her stomach churned. "Not something I need to worry about? My servers are missing, Lucas. Do you even understand what’s on them?" Lucas set his cup down with a quiet clink. "Yes, I do." "Then tell me why you’re acting like this is nothing!" Her frustration boiled over, her voice rising. "Do you have any idea how much damage could be done if that data falls into the wrong hands?" Lucas sighed, rubbing his temples. "We’re looking into it."
Lucas's hold tightened slightly, his warmth grounding me in ways I hadn’t expected. "You don’t have to figure everything out right now. Just… let us in."I wanted to. More than anything. But the walls I had spent years building weren’t so easily torn down. Every time I let myself believe in this—in them—a whisper of doubt crept in, reminding me of all the reasons I shouldn’t.Jake sighed, almost as if he could hear my thoughts. "You overthink everything."Lucas smirked faintly, his gaze softening. "It’s what she does best."I let out a shaky laugh, and something shifted in their expressions—like a weight lifting, even if only slightly."Better," Jake murmured, his thumb brushing against my jaw. "I like it when you laugh."My throat tightened. "I don’t know how to let go."Lucas’s grip never wavered. "Then don’t," he said simply. "Just lean on us instead."That was the real fear, wasn’t it? Letting go felt like losing control, but leaning on them… That was different. That was trust.Ja
Lucas leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine. His warmth seeped into me, soothing the tension I hadn’t even realized I was holding. "Are you okay?" he asked, his thumb tracing soft circles against my cheek. His expression was open, vulnerable in a way that sent my heart racing."Yes," I breathed. "I want this—I want us."Jake let out a slow breath, as if he’d been holding it in, waiting for those words. His hand brushed against my shoulder, grounding me, steadying me in a way I hadn't expected."You don’t have to be afraid," he murmured. "We’re not going anywhere."Lucas’s fingers tightened slightly around mine, a silent reassurance. "It’s okay to be scared," he admitted. "But you don’t have to carry it alone."I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of their words settle deep in my chest. No one had ever told me that before. No one had ever wanted to carry anything with me. I had spent so long convincing myself I had to be strong, that I had to keep everything locked away—but now
He smirked. “You eat, don’t you?” She stared at him. “I—of course, but…” She hesitated. “What are you making?” Asher opened the fridge and pulled out a pack of ground meat. “yambeef.” Elena blinked again. The powerful Alpha—the man who had just silenced an entire pack with a single growl—was now casually talking about yambeef. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be more confused. Still, something about the abrupt change in mood made her relax. At least a little. She folded her arms, tilting her head. “You cook?” Asher glanced at her. “Do I look like someone who doesn’t?” Elena hesitated. “…Honestly?” One brow arched. “Careful, Elena.” A small, unexpected smile tugged at her lips. For a moment, the weight of the day lifted, and she allowed herself to simply watch him move around the kitchen. The way he effortlessly grabbed ingredients, the way he seemed completely at ease in his own space. Her gaze drifted across the room again—the wooden beams, the large
"Sit," Asher’s deep voice commanded. Elena hesitated, hovering near the doorway of his home. Her eyes flickered over the elegant black couches, the wooden table, the fireplace flickering with golden embers. The place was beautiful. It suited him. Dark. Refined. Commanding. But she—she didn’t belong in a place like this. Still, Asher was watching her, waiting. Slowly, she moved forward and sank into a seat at the kitchen island, her fingers gripping the cool marble counter. Asher walked past her, opening the fridge. The sound of the door creaking open, the soft clink of glass against metal—it all felt too normal. Too mundane, given the chaos of earlier. Elena swallowed hard. The tension in her shoulders refused to ease, even as Asher casually pulled out a plate of food. His presence was the only thing grounding her—the warmth of his body as he moved past her, the occasional brush of his fingers against her skin. The firm, steady weight of his hand resting
...The moment hung in the air, thick with anticipation, the prelude to the complete and utter claiming that was about to unfold. A hush fell over the room, broken only by the sound of Lila’s ragged breaths. Lucas, his eyes locked on hers, moved with a slow, deliberate grace. He positioned himself behind her, the tip of his cock pressing against her slick entrance. The anticipation was almost unbearable, a delicious tension that coiled tight in Lila’s belly. With a deep breath, he began to push forward, the slow, gradual entry stretching her, filling her with his heat.Lila gasped, a sharp intake of air as she felt him slide inside her. The initial stretch was intense, a sensation that teetered on the edge of pain, yet was quickly overtaken by a burgeoning pleasure. She clenched her muscles around him, instinctively pulling him deeper, craving the fullness of his presence. A low moan escaped her lips, a mixture of surrender and anticipation.Jake's voice, a low rumble in her ear, soot
The air in the room thrummed with unspoken fears, a palpable tension that clung to Lila like a second skin. Her eyes, usually vibrant and full of life, were shadowed with a deep, primal anxiety. "Don't... don't leave me," she whispered, her voice barely audible, a raw plea against the phantom of abandonment. Her fingers, trembling, clutched at the soft fabric of Lucas's shirt, her knuckles white. "I can't... I can't lose you. Either of you." The words were a fragile confession of her deepest vulnerability, a desperate attempt to anchor herself to the two men who had irrevocably claimed her heart.Lucas's hand, warm and reassuring, covered hers, his strong fingers intertwining with her own. "Lila," he murmured, his voice a low, soothing rumble, "we're not going anywhere. We're yours, completely and utterly. There is no 'losing' us. We're bound to you, heart and soul." His gaze, intense and unwavering, held hers, promising a loyalty that transcended mere words. Jake, standing beside hi
She buried her face in her hands, breathing in shakily. “For so long, my purpose was revenge. I let it consume me. I spent years chasing ghosts, believing that if I avenged my father, I could somehow make sense of his death.”Jake's expression darkened. “And now?”She let out a humorless laugh, leaning against the headboard. “And now? I don’t know who I am anymore.”Lucas took a step forward. “Then figure it out. But don’t let the past define you.”Lila sighed, fingers tracing the jagged scar along her forearm. “You think I don’t know that? But the Moon Goddess didn’t make it easy. She gave me you two. The very men I was supposed to hate.”Jake’s lips pressed into a thin line. “And when you denied the bond, what happened?”Lila's throat tightened. The memory of fire, of screaming, of pain so unbearable it nearly broke her came rushing back.“The explosion.” Her voice was hollow. “The moment I turned my back on fate, I was punished. I lost my arm. I lost everything.”Lucas' gaze soften
“I hate you!”Lila's voice rang through the dimly lit hotel room, raw and filled with a fury that left the air crackling with tension. Her chest heaved, fists clenched at her sides as she glared at Lucas, her entire body trembling with emotion. The words had escaped before she could stop them, before she could swallow down the storm that had been brewing within her since the moment he had spoken those words—*Do you want to have sex with the man who killed your father?*Lucas stood unmoving, his gaze unreadable, his expression impassive. But Lila saw it—the flicker of something behind his cold exterior. Guilt? Regret? Maybe both. Yet it wasn’t enough.The hotel door swung open.Jake stepped in, his brows furrowed as he took in the scene before him. His gaze bounced between them, his usual easy-going demeanor vanishing in an instant. “What the hell is going on?”Lila sucked in a shaky breath, her mind spinning. She turned sharply to Jake, the intensity of her emotions still gripping her