INGRIDAs I looked down at Lucian, his hair a wild mess between my thighs, I couldn’t believe what was happening. This is Lucian. The man I’ve argued with, fought with, claimed to hate every chance I got—and yet here I am, with his hands all over me, my body responding to him like it was made for this. For him.What the hell am I doing? I think to myself, but the thought doesn’t get to settle. It’s torn apart by a sudden, delicious wave of pleasure that rolls through me when his tongue finds just the right spot. My breath hitches, my body arches, and I forget why I ever told myself I hated him.It shouldn’t feel this good. It shouldn’t feel right. But gods, it does.My hands slide into his hair, tugging gently, then harder when he teases me just to the edge and pulls back again, leaving me panting and desperate.He looks up at me, lips slick and eyes dark with heat, and the smugness in his expression only makes things worse.“Still hate me?” he asks, voice husky, sinful.I want to sla
LUCIAN.As soon as I step out of the shower, the first thing I notice is the missing sheets. I see them tangled and tossed across the room, almost like she was erasing what had happened.She is standing in the middle of the room, arms folded like she's trying to hold herself together but her expression is betraying her.She looks calm on the outside, but there’s a flicker of something in her eyes. Something unspoken.She doesn’t say anything, so I don’t either.I let the towel fall as I walk to the closet.I tug on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt while stealing glances in her direction, but by the time I step out, she’s gone.I hear the bathroom door click shut behind her and the water running again.I stand there for a minute, unsure whether I should follow her, knock on the door, and say something, but I resist the urge.I already had a clue of what she might say, that it meant nothing. That it was just a mistake. That she doesn’t care, which might be true, but unfortunately, I do.So
INGRIDThe moment I heard the click of the door locking, I tiptoed out of the shower and peeked through the gap. The bedroom was empty. Lucian had left.A strange, unexpected wave of disappointment washed over me.I wasn't sure what I expected from him—maybe a word, a glance, or a goodbye. Something. Anything would have been nice.Right on cue, Kira’s voice echoes in my head.“So…” she starts, smug and curious.I roll my eyes, ignoring her as I step back under the water, trying to rinse off every trace of what had just happened, but Lucian… Lucian clung to me.Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. His scent, his touch, his breath—all of it is seared into my skin.“Well, that was unexpected,” Kira comments in a low, teasing tone.I try to concentrate on the water trickling down my body, but instead my mind paints vivid memories of Lucian’s chiseled abs, the hard muscles on his back, his strong legs, and that perfect, sculpted ass.My lips parted unconsciously at the thought, an
LUCIAN“Do you have anyone in mind who could be doing this?” Ezra asks as we walk back to the compound.I glance at him and stop in my tracks, debating whether to say what’s on my mind. It’s not a light accusation and I know Ezra won’t like it.“I have someone,” I say flatly, watching him out of the corner of my eye.Ezra stops too, turning toward me, his eyes narrow, his energy shifting.“Who?” he demands, his voice sharp with curiosity and tension.I shake my head, looking away. “You don’t want to know.”He grabs my bicep, stopping me mid-stride, his grip is firm, almost desperate.“You just promised me you wouldn’t keep things from me, Lucian. What’s it been—ten minutes?” he growls, frustration thick in his voice.I sigh deeply, nodding. “Okay, Ezra,” I breathe, my voice low and grave. “But I’m warning you—you’re not going to like it.”He raises a brow, waiting.I part my lips. “I think it’s Aid—”A searing pain explodes through my back mid-sentence and a growl rips from my chest
INGRIDIt has been almost five hours since Lucian and Ezra left, and I can’t sit still.Every time I hear even the slightest noise at the compound gate, I rush to the window, only to be met with disappointment.There is no sign of them—just false hope, over and over again.I thought about talking to Aiden; we could go out and look for them, but he made things awkward between us.He’d come at me so hard about sleeping with Lucian, like I owed him an explanation, like I belonged to him.Another hour passes, and I start to feel this strange, twisting sensation in my gut. Anxiety, maybe.I can’t breathe, so I sit down on the cold floor, hoping it will stop the chaos in my head.Then I hear it—a commotion at the gate.I shoot up and rush to the window, holding my breath as someone staggers through the gates, covered in soot and clearly injured.My heart stops waiting for another figure to appear behind him, but no one comes in.I squint my eyes, trying to see through the haze, and that’s w
LUCIAN"I’ve never seen someone last this long under torture," a voice sneers, almost in awe.A sharp crack splits the air, followed by a searing pain across my stomach as the whip lands again.I let out a low, guttural growl, my breath shuddering in my lungs.My arms are numb from being suspended for so long, my wrists are torn raw where the ropes dig into them and every muscle in my body trembles under the weight I can no longer bear."Has he said anything yet?" Logan’s voice cuts through the haze."No," someone answers. "Still repeating the same line, that the last time he saw Ingrid was when he bit her."Logan steps closer, and I feel his fingers grip my jaw, forcing my head up.I blink through the blood and sweat, meeting his eyes with what little defiance I can muster."You’re a tough one, aren’t you?" he snarls, studying me like a broken prize. "Makes sense you’re the Alpha."He releases me with a shove and turns away."I think he’s had enough for today. Untie him from the ceil
INGRIDTwo days have never felt longer in my life. Ezra finally woke up, but he’s still weak.His body is struggling to recover from the wolfsbane smoke and the burns that scorched his arm and shoulder.The pack nurse says he’s healing slower than usual, and though he’s trying to mask it, I can see the pain still lingers in his every breath.He needs more time to recover but Lucian might not have that luxury. He might even be dead for all we know.I’ve spent the last two days training harder than I ever have before, pushing myself past exhaustion, running drills with the pack warriors who volunteered, and poring over every map and scouting report I could find.I’ve studied every possible location where Silas could be hiding. Every abandoned fort, hidden dungeon, and even all the properties I know he owns. I’ve barely slept.Ezra could see how hard I was working on planning to get him back, and at one point, he asked why I was doing this even though I had mentioned I hated him several
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
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