LUCIANI still can’t believe what just happened on that training floor.Ingrid defeated Victoria way easier than I had anticipated. Dash was right. I shouldn’t have underestimated her.But it wasn’t just her fighting skills that caught me off guard. Watching her take down Victoria did something to me. It stirred something inside me, something wild and unexpected.It was the same feeling I felt when I first saw Victoria, but this… this was much stronger.I shook the thought away before it took root because that is a feeling I cannot afford to have for her.I still had a lot to do and more responsibilities than ever, and it would take all my full focus to navigate them.The first step was to set up a meeting with the former Alphas to decide what came next."Thank you all for coming," I begin, keeping my tone steady but firm. "We need to figure out how to proceed from here."They settle into their seats, all eyes on me."First, what will be the living situation now that we are one pack?"
INGRID"Where am I?" I whisper to myself, tilting on the bed. I rub my eyes gently to clear my vision, but nothing about my surroundings looks familiar.Panic creeps in as I sit up quickly, only to be yanked back by a sharp pain in my thigh."Ow!" I wince, grabbing my leg.A dull ache pulses through me, and I tilt my head only to notice the fresh bandages wrapped tightly around the wound.I move slowly this time, peeling away the thick comforter covering me.The last thing I remember is the nurse applying some herbal paste on my leg, and everything going dark after.Now, I’m in different clothes, and in a room I’ve never seen before.The bed is massive, with dark wooden posts carved with intricate symbols, the walls are a deep shade of gray and there is a fireplace across from me crackling with warmth.I hear voices coming from outside, some chatting, others barking orders.I stretch my leg cautiously to the side of the bed, trying to gauge how much weight I can put on it. I attempt to
LUCIAN,I haven’t seen Ingrid since I had her brought here. I ordered her to be settled in the room farthest from mine. I know she wouldn’t want to be near me, just as I didn’t want to be near her.There was a moment I thought about checking up on her while she was unconscious, but I stopped myself. I figured it would send the wrong message to Ezra, and he would start thinking I cared.Instead, I threw myself into handling the transition of the packs. I let Ezra deal with the settlement during the day, while I patrolled the borders at night with Dash, who had come on board after I explained why I made Ezra my Beta and not him.Other than that, I haven’t been sleeping well.Every time I try to close my eyes, I see Ingrid. Her face, specifically the expression she gave me after defeating Victoria. That look wasn’t just pride. It was something more. Something I couldn’t place, and it keeps haunting me.That’s why I need a distraction immediately.“Dash,” I bark as we return from patrol. “
INGRID"What the hell was that, Kira?" I mutter, limping across the room, my fingers trembling at my sides."He was just standing there, watching me while I was naked."Kira chuckles like it’s funny, but it’s not."I feel so violated," I add, my skin crawling at the thought of his eyes on me.I rush back to the window and peek through the sheer curtain expecting to still find him there, and he is, except he is kissing Victoria.My stomach twists as I watch him lead her inside the house, his hands firm on her waist, his lips moving against hers like he wasn’t just—“The fuck? I gasp, yanking the curtain shut completely.I shake my head in disbelief, my jaw tightening, and I feel sick.I drag myself back to bed and slip under the covers, pulling them up to my chin as I close my eyes.I don’t want to think about this. About him.*****************************A loud bang on my door startles me awake, and I blink rapidly, trying to clear the fog of sleep from my mind.I groan, dragging myse
LUCIANAs soon as I storm out of her room, I lean against the door, pressing my palms against the cold wood.My chest rises and falls unevenly, my heart pounding for reasons I refuse to acknowledge.From the other side, I hear hers. The steady rhythm of her heart, slightly faster than before.I curse under my breath and push away from the door, clenching my fists as I stride down the hallway."What the hell was that, Lucian?" I mutter to myself.I wasn’t supposed to go in there, but after barely sleeping the entire night, I woke up with only one thought. To see her.So I did.The moment I walked in and saw that damn robe loosely tied around her waist, I wanted to grab her and claim her right then and there.That’s why I had to leave. Because if I had stayed another second, I would’ve done something I might regret.I spot a pack member striding past me and bark, "You. Get Ezra. Tell him to see me immediately."Without waiting for a response, I head straight to my office, leaving the doo
INGRIDAfter spending the entire day in the compound making sure everyone, especially the kids, were well settled, I was exhausted.All I wanted was to collapse into my bed and rest my eyes, but the children wouldn’t let me.They followed me everywhere, asking endless questions about where I had learned to fight and who had taught me.Of course, I couldn’t tell them exactly where I’d learned.Luckily, their mothers eventually called them back as the sun began to set, finally releasing me from their shackles.With a deep sigh, I use my walking stick to drag myself toward the house, my body aching with every step.Just as I am about to reach the main door, I stumble into the posse again, and this time they look pissed."You know, you will never fit in no matter what you do," Victoria sneers, her arms crossed over her chest.I scan her from her perfect blonde hair to her polished boots before limping past her without saying a word."I’m talking to you, Ingrid!" she calls after me, her voi
LUCIAN.Training had officially kicked off.Ezra and I chose the strongest warriors and the weakest, pairing them together so each strong fighter could train a weaker one.Ingrid’s job was to ensure that the strongest warriors kept their skills sharp.I had been watching her for a few days now, and I have to admit that Ezra was right. She’s an asset to this pack.She trained them with so much precision and grace, like she was born for this."Use your hands as your guard!" she yells at Dash for what feels like the hundredth time.I stop and watch."There is nothing you can teach me, Ingrid. I’m older and faster than you," Dash sneers, clenching his fists.I see Ingrid’s demeanor shift, and her breathing becomes erratic, like Dash's words had hit a nerve."Go teach the younglings. Leave us alone," he adds, turning to walk away from the training field.The other older pack members laugh, high-fiving each other in agreement.As he walks away, Ingrid pounces on him from behind, wrapping he
INGRIDTHUD! I bang the door shut behind me, my breath coming fast, my hands shaking.The air in my room feels heavy, like it’s pressing down on my chest, making it impossible to think straight.With a frustrated sigh, I reach up and untie my hair, letting the strands fall around my face. My fingers thread through it as I try to calm my racing heart, but it’s useless. The memory of what just happened refuses to leave me.“What was that?” I mutter to myself, pacing across the room, my bare feet making soft sounds against the wooden floor.I squeeze my eyes shut, but it only makes the memory stronger. The way our chests collided at one point, his breath against my skin when he whispered in my ear, and the warmth I felt on my skin whenever he touched me. I groan and kick my bed in frustration, which is a big mistake.“Fuck!” I gasp, stumbling as pain shoots up my leg. A tear spills down my cheek, caused by this stupid, self-inflicted injury.I sink to the floor, clutch my foot, and blow
INGRID.“Kira, what’s going on with Lucian?” I ask, my eyes locked on his.He stares at me blankly, his gaze distant, cold and empty. It’s like I’m a stranger to him, like he doesn’t recognize me at all.“Why does he look at us like that?” I press, the knot in my stomach twisting tighter.Kira doesn’t respond right away, but I can sense her hesitation, and her pacing in my mind. I close my eyes and plead with her. “Please, Kira. What’s wrong with him?”Finally, she hums, her voice low, and solemn. “Us wolves… have the ability to control our emotions,” she sighs, “especially when we’re in physical pain.”I frown, confused, sensing there’s more.“Lucian…,” she hesitates, and then the words come out in a rush. “He’s been tortured for days now. He has probably shut off the part of his brain that feels pain. Or anything at all, really.”My chest tightens. “So he’s numb…” I whisper in my head, the realization landing like a weight on my chest.“Right now,” Kira continues gently, “Lucian’s m
INGRID."Silas? Is that who I am to you now?" he sneers, buttoning the front of his long, tailored coat. “I’m not Dad anymore?”I drop my gaze to the floor, biting the inside of my cheek.A second later, I feel the cold end of his cane slide under my chin, forcing my face upward until I’m looking straight at him.“I asked you a question, Ingrid,” he blurts, his tone low and clipped. “Have you forgotten your manners?”I glance around the room and notice how quiet everyone is. I can smell their fear from where I am sitting. They are like children bracing for a punishment.I am not going to give him that satisfaction."Well..." I finally speak, my voice trembling just slightly, “you’re not my father, Silas. I know the truth.”I meet his eyes head-on, and watch as his composure wavers.He steps back, blinking twice, his jaw tightening like a vise.Then, I turn to Logan, watching the shock cross his face. “That’s right. Silas isn’t my father,” I spit calmly. “And you’re not my brother.”A
INGRID."Ingrid, wake up!” I hear Kira’s voice, loud, panicked, and echoing through my mind like thunder.I try to open my eyes, but my head is pounding like a war drum, my eyelids feeling like they’re made of stone.Every inch of my body aches—especially my spine, which still sizzles from the electricity they shoved through me."Open your eyes now!" she barks again, fiercer this time.With all the strength I can muster, I force them open.At first, everything is blurry. All I see is shapes and shadows and dull light flickering above. I blink several times, and the fog starts to clear.I tilt my head, barely managing it through the pulsing pain, and I see a figure approaching with heavy footsteps exuding confidence.It's Logan, and he’s holding a taser in his hand.I instinctively jerk back, my heart slamming against my ribs, but I can’t move.My arms are bound to the chair, ropes cutting into my skin, and my ankles too. As expected, the ropes are covered in wolfsbane and I can feel i
INGRID“Come on, Lucian. Help me out here,” I plead, my fingers working furiously at the chains wrapped around his wrists. “I need you to wake up and help me out.”Lucian groans, barely conscious. His head lolling forward again.“Lucian,” I whisper, nudging his shoulder. “Come on. Open your eyes. We don’t have much time.”No response.I keep working on the chains, my movements as quiet as possible, but the metal scrapes against itself, letting out a sharp clink. I freeze, holding my breath, and I quickly peek around the doorway to check if anyone heard.Luckily, no one has.Lucian starts mumbling something to himself a little too loudly.“Shhh! We’ll get caught,” I whisper harshly in his ear, but he doesn’t listen. His voice rises, slurred and confused.“Lucian, what are you doing?” I scold, sternly this time.He finally looks up at me, his gaze clearly fogged, and it's like he doesn’t even recognize me.I hear footsteps coming in multiple sets.I slip to the far side of the room, crou
INGRID"It's time," I mutter to myself, my eyes scanning the alley behind the bakery one last time to ensure the coast is clear.Without hesitation, I bolt toward the vent exit nestled between a row of broken crates and garbage bins.I drop to my knees, pull out the pocket knife from my jacket, and begin unscrewing the rusty bolts one by one.Each twist of the blade sends a metallic groan into the air, and I freeze every time, holding my breath, listening if someone is coming.“Come on Ingrid… come on…” I whisper to myself.Finally, the last screw gives way. I slip the metal cover off, squeeze myself into the narrow shaft, and after one final look behind me, I pull the grate back into place.“Ingrid… you smell that?” Kira whispers faintly in the back of my mind.I pause, and inhale slowly. My nose twitches, and my stomach tightens at the bitter, choking scent.“Wolfsbane,” I mutter, reaching for my pocket quickly and grabbing a folded handkerchief. I use it to cover my nose and mouth.
INGRIDI stay hidden in the abandoned house for the rest of the day, thanks to the supplies I had packed before we left the compound. It isn’t much, but it’s enough to keep me going.The hours crawl by, the silence stretching thick and tense. I pace, sit, then pace again my thoughts circling endlessly, as I try to figure out where Lucian might have been taken.They left no clues, or scent trails hence I have nothing to work with.I think of all the places they could have taken him over and over again and frustratingly, my instincts keep bringing me back to one place. My bakery.When I think why? It’s close to this abandoned house and it’s also the last place anyone would think to look.“Ingrid, I think you should’ve gone back with them,” Kira’s voice echoes softly in my head, her tone tight with concern. “This is too dangerous. Remember what happened the last time you went back to that bakery?”I finish the last bite of tuna, swallowing hard. “Yeah… I remember. Logan found me and almos
INGRIDEveryone gathers in the room Lucian had been kept in and I can feel the air thickening with tension and quiet desperation.The bloodstain on the floor feels like a wound to my chest which made me freeze the second I saw it.Around me, the others begin to use their wolf senses, sniffing the air, trying to pick up a trail.“I can’t get anything,” one of them mutters, frustration clear in his voice.“Me neither,” another adds.Ezra’s eyes flick to me, then back to them. “Find something. Anything,” he commands.They hesitate, clearly discouraged, but obey and begin scouring the rest of the house.“Are you just going to stand there, or are you actually going to help?” Victoria snaps from behind me.Before I can react, I see Ezra give her a glare so deadly that she immediately backs off.She’s right though. I can’t just stand here. Not while everyone else is searching for a trace of him.Kira, I whisper in my head, please help me find something. Anything.She hums softly in response,
INGRIDI didn’t sleep. Not even for a second.The entire night I tossed and turned, because I was too restless, too anxious, and too desperate to leave.I kept replaying all the possible routes and locations where Silas might be hiding Lucian, because every second we wasted out there, Lucian could be dying.By the time the sky began to turn from black to grey, I was already out of bed, dressed, and heading to the compound. Everyone is still asleep, not even the birds are awake yet.I make my way into the kitchen and grab whatever supplies we might need. Water, rations, and a few herbs for healing.I pack everything into a travel bag with shaking hands, forcing myself to stay focused. I sit on the bench near the entrance and begin tapping my foot impatiently, my thoughts already halfway into the forest.A few minutes later, I hear footsteps coming from the house.“Morning,” Ezra greets as he approaches and joins me on the bench. He’s limping, but he looks stronger than he was yesterday
LUCIANBy the time the third day rolls around, I can barely see.My eyes are swollen shut, crusted in blood. My head throbs with the unrelenting sound of ringing—like war drums pulsing behind my skull.Every inch of my body is either bruised, broken, or burning.After Silas left, Logan took over, and he has been using every method of torture he could find. Silver blades, wolfsbane-laced whips, even mind tricks I didn’t think hunters were capable of.It reached a point where my wolf stepped in and helped me shut it all off. The physical pain. The emotional torment and the humiliation of being bound and beaten like an animal.I became numb and let Logan do what he pleased with me until he got tired and left.At some point, I heard the others talk in whispers and disbelief.“He should’ve cracked by now.” One said.“Maybe we should just kill him.” Another one chipped in.But I knew Logan wouldn’t have it. He’s obsessed and determined to make me talk and give up Ingrid. I even heard him me