Chapter 12

ISABELLA’S POV

I hurried out of Luca’s room like my life depended on it, shutting the door behind me with trembling hands. 

Damn. Here is so hot.

My heart was racing, beating wildly against my ribs as if it wanted to escape my chest.

What the hell just happened?

I swallowed hard, rushing down the hall toward my own room, feeling the heat of his gaze still lingering on my skin. 

The moment I reached my door, I pushed it open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind me.

My back hit the door, and I slid down, my wobbly knees weak beneath me.

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm my erratic breathing, but nothing seemed to work.

Luca.

He had been so close.

So dangerously, sinfully close.

I could still feel his breath ghosting over my skin, the heat of his body surrounding me, caging me in. 

The memory of his wet, tattooed torso, glistening with water droplets, flashed before my eyes, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

Fuck.

I tilted my head back against the door and squeezed my eyes shut.

I was not about to sit here fantasizing about the arrogant, insufferable Alpha who seemed to have a problem with me breathing the same air as him.

No.

Absolutely not.

But my traitorous mind didn’t seem to get the message.

Because all I could see was the way his muscles flexed when he moved, the way his lips had been so close to mine, the way his scent had wrapped around me like a damn drug.

I groaned, covering my face with my hands.

I need to stop thinking about him.

He was dangerous. Arrogant. A complete control freak.

And yet…

I bit my lip, cursing myself internally.

It wasn’t just that he was physically attractive—because, let’s be honest, the man looked like he had been sculpted by the gods themselves.

It was something else.

Something deeper.

Something primal.

I shook my head, pushing myself up from the floor. 

Nope. 

I refused to go down that road.

Just as I was about to force myself to think about literally anything else, there was a knock at the door.

I hesitated for a second before walking over and opening it.

The maid.

She stood there, completely silent, her expression blank as always. But in her hands, she held a small bag.

Sanitary supplies.

I exhaled in relief, reaching out to take it from her. 

"Thank you." I said but as expected, she didn’t reply. 

She just turned on her heel and walked away without a word.

I sighed, closing the door behind me.

At least I had what I needed now.

I quickly gathered my things and headed to the bathroom, eager to freshen up. 

The warm water washed away some of the tension coiling inside me, but even as I scrubbed my skin, the memory of Luca’s touchless dominance lingered.

The way he had caged me in.

The way his voice had sent shivers down my spine.

I shuddered, forcing myself to focus on getting dressed.

Once I was back in my room, I climbed into bed, hoping sleep would pull me under and erase the dangerous thoughts swirling in my mind.

But I was wrong.

Damn wrong.

Because instead of peaceful oblivion, my mind decided to betray me in the most unholy way possible.

I imagined Luca above me, his strong hands pinning mine down, his lips trailing down my neck, his voice a low growl as he whispered all the sinful things he could do to me.

Heat pooled in my belly, and I clenched my thighs together, trying to push the thoughts away.

Get it together, Isabella!

I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. 

This was ridiculous.

Luca was an arrogant, brooding Alpha who had ignored my existence for an entire week.

But gods, he was beautiful.

And the way he had looked at me tonight…

I exhaled sharply. 

I can’t be thinking about him like this.

I forced myself to roll over, willing sleep to take me.

But as soon as my eyes shut, something strange happened.

I wasn’t in my room anymore.

I was running.

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, the moonlight casting silver beams through the dense canopy above me. My feet—bare, yet unbothered by the rough terrain—pounded against the forest floor.

And I wasn’t alone.

I could hear them.

Wolves.

Their howls echoed through the trees, their massive forms moving beside me like shadows.

My heart pounded, but not from fear.

From something else.

Something ancient.

I felt a surge of power course through me, a raw, unexplainable energy that made my skin tingle and my senses heighten.

And then, just as quickly as it had begun—

I jolted awake.

My room was silent, the darkness surrounded me.

My breathing was erratic, my body still buzzing with the remnants of whatever the hell that had been.

A dream?

Or something more?

I pressed a hand to my chest, my fingers trembling slightly.

Something was happening to me.

Something I didn’t understand.

I couldn't sleep, I opened the door and decided to walk over to Luca's wing in the villa.

No, I'm not going to seduce him.

When I got to his room door, I turned the knob and funnily, it was open. 

This man sure doesn't fear anything… why is his door unlocked in the night?

I let it open wide to make sure there was nothing behind the door that could make me go directly into a trap.

I walked into the room and saw a comfy looking rub by the bedside.

He definitely shouldn't mind me being asleep there.

I went up to the small rug and curled up in a ball on the rug and let sleep take over me.

I haven't even looked at the bed to see if he was in it.

 When I heard the door open my eyes shot open.

Shit. He's coming in.

I didn't say a word , I heard another door open and figured it would be the bathroom door.

When I peeked, I saw his eyes staring right back at me and I was caught like a deer in headlights.