Chapter 5

Several silent hours later, we arrived back home in the dead of night. Neither of our fathers felt comfortable with Mady and I going back to our townhouse, especially while it was unclear as to why we had caught the attention of a rival Alpha.

Not wishing to cause any more trouble than necessary, we both agreed to stay with our parents until things smoothed over.

We both returned to our townhouse to pack a bag, taking time to gather a few things.

I made sure to cover my painting before carrying it out to the car where my father was waiting.

Along with paint supplies, I grabbed an extra set of pajamas and clothes for a few days. I could only hope there was a spare toothbrush at my parents' house because mine was still in Las Vegas.

I said goodbye to Mady as the two of us went our separate ways, promising to meet for coffee the next morning. When we got home, I said goodnight to my parents and went upstairs to my old bedroom.

After what felt like an eternity of laying in the bed staring at the ceiling, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be sleeping that night. Especially since my mind was still replaying the day on a continuous loop.

I went downstairs to a dark house, not unusual since I presumed my parents had likely been sleeping for several hours at that point. After making myself a cup of tea, I went out onto the back patio to get some fresh air.

Our back patio had a screened-in porch with a comfortable seating area where I found myself lounging on the couch that night, listening to the sound of rain falling against the roof and thunder rumbling off in the distance.

A few minutes went by while I drank my tea and listened to the storm as it gathered over my head. I could hear crickets singing and frogs bellowing as rainwater puddled in the yard, gently splashing against the grass my father had cut only a few days earlier.

I watched the sky above the trees off in the distance as lightning flashed against the dark, puffy clouds.

As the rain picked up and wind began to blow harder, I noticed that I could no longer hear the crickets and frogs. I finished drinking my tea and stood up from the couch to go back inside the house.

Just before I could turn to open the backdoor, I watched a sharp flash of lightning stretch out across the sky. In the brief moment that it illuminated my backyard, I saw a man standing on the edge of the trees... watching me.

My heart stopped.

Darkness surrounded me once again as the lightning drew back into the clouds. An eerie chill ran up my spine, sending goosebumps across my body.

Turn around! Open the door and go inside!

Despite my hand already being on the door, I couldn't muster up the strength to make my quivering fingers clench the handle and turn it. With the adrenaline coursing through me, I felt as though I had been struck by the lightning that flashed overhead.

As the backyard was illuminated yet again, my eye was drawn to the trees once more-only to see that the figure I'd seen was no longer there. I felt a tinge of relief before I heard the sound of puddles and mud being squished under feet.

He was walking closer towards the house.

Open the door, you idiot!

Holding my breath, I listened to the sound of footfalls coming up the wooden steps of the deck. They were slow and calculated. I tried to determine if I had enough time to make it into the house before they reached the patio door.

By now, I had taken a few steps forward to look out into the yard. I was several feet from the backdoor.

Do I risk the loss of time by running inside the house or do I take what time I have to lock the patio door? Do I hide or fight?

Before I could make a decision, time was up.

In bother flash of lightning, I saw the towering shape of a man standing in the patio doorway and I found myself frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.

Neither of us moved.

He was close enough that I could see his shadowy outline even after the flash of light was gone.

Suddenly, almost quicker than I could register his movements, he stepped towards me and I did the only thing I could think to do in that moment: throw the mug.

He side-stepped the throw and the ceramic cup shattered against the wooden support beam behind him. Seizing this moment of distraction, I turned and ran.

My hand had barely touched the door handle before an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back.

Panicking, I jumped up and back against the rain-soaked body of the man behind me-forcefully pushing myself backwards, leveraging my feet against the side of the house.

Clearly such force had not been anticipated by my attacker and he stumbled backwards, landing on the couch I had just been sitting on.

I wrestled my way out of his arms and landed on the hard patio floor next to the couch. Trying as fast as I could to get away, stumbled only a few feet before I felt his hand on my ankle pulling me back to the ground.

A sudden shockwave sent me rigid as I landed hard on the floor.

What was that?

He crawled over me as I tried to wrestle my way out of his grip again, this time to no avail.

Pinning me to the ground, he sat on my lower torso and held my wrists in one hand and stifled my scream with the other.

I realized quickly that he wasn't trying to crush me with the full weight of his body, instead he was merely holding me down by constricting my movements.

He was hardly trying and I was giving it everything I had.

I'm sure I looked as pathetic as I felt.

It wasn't until I stopped struggling that I felt the sparks crawling over my body, originating from his grip on my wrists and hand over my mouth. I felt like I was being electrocuted.

It was as if every neuron in my body was firing off violently; I couldn't tell if I enjoyed the sensation or if I despised it.

"I know you feel that," he said with a deep voice, "and I know that you know what it means."

When he spoke those words, I realized that I had been so blinded by fear that I ignored the telling symptoms of a life-long illness I was destined to suffer from...

The heightened senses.

The palpitating heart rhythm.

The shortness of breath.

The tingles that danced across my skin when he touched me. They all added up to one thing.

"If I take my hand off your mouth, promise me you won't scream."

When I did nothing to acknowledge him, he sighed.

"I don't think your father would enjoy knowing another Alpha was on his land, much less one like me. You screaming will draw his attention and create many more problems than it would solve. I don't think you want that, so it's in your best interest to keep quiet."

Alpha?

He slowly took his hand off of my mouth.

I stared up at him as lightning flashed across the room, barely catching a glimpse of his face.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Yours."

Mine.

The man hovering over me was my mate. Thunder echoed outside the patio. Despite the situation, I found myself relaxing under him He let go of my wrists and sighed as he pulled himself off of me.

I watched him kneel on the ground next to where I lay, keeping a hand on the other side of my body as if he were still unsure of whether I would try to flee.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"You first," I said, sitting up. I was still breathing heavy from both the encounter and the exertion.

"Luca," he answered.

"Luca Ronan."

He must have noticed my expression as I registered his name and what it meant.

Immediately, I remembered the things my father had said of him the day before.

I stood up and Luca did as well.

"You know who I am," he presumed.

I nodded slowly, my eyes darting to the backdoor.

"Your reputation precedes you."

He reached out, his fingers barely touching my face before I flinched away from his raised hand.

His jaw clenched.

To my surprise, he reached out with both hands and held my face, gently turning my attention to him.

"My hands are for your protection and your pleasure only," he said sincerely. "Don't you dare believe that I would use them to harm you."

You did just tackle me to the ground, I wanted to say.

"You should go," I told him, backing away.

"You're right about my father, he wouldn't want you here."

"What about you?" Luca asked.

I didn't answer him.

"I'll only leave under one condition," he told me.

Another bolt of lightning stretched across the sky, illuminating his sharp facial features.

After the accompanying rumble of thunder had passed, Luca spoke again.

"Come with me, amore mio."