I had been waiting for five hours.
Five. Whole. Hours. D*mn it, Alphas had great stamina.
I dragged a hand down my face.
“Good thing this place is buried in the hills,” I muttered. “That million-dollar car of yours was rocking so hard, someone might’ve called in an earthquake warning.”
Erik’s POV:
Luis gave me a cold stare without saying a word.
He strolled across the room, pulled a bottle of whiskey from the shelf, filled a heavy-bottom glass to the top, and knocked it back like water.
I watched him, unimpressed. “So that little emergency stash of meds I brought? Guess we won’t be needing those, huh?”
I leaned forward. “Who was it? Who finally brought down the great Alpha of Mooncrown Pack? Don’t tell me it was your mate.”
I had known Luis since we were pups. I knew things no one else did.
His family carried a curse – one that started with his grandfather. Every heir of the Mooncrown Pack, after turning twenty-five, would lose control under the full moon and shift into a violent black wolf. A creature that thirsted for blood.
The only known way to stop it was to find a Healer. But Healers were rare. Nearly extinct.
Luis’ grandfather had died without finding one. So had his father. And now Luis was twenty-four. Time was closing in. The elders were panicking. They sent scouts everywhere. They begged him to find a mate.
To have an heir.
To secure the future.
But Luis didn’t care.
He hated drama. He hated being tied down. He lived for danger – racing, surfing, vanishing into the forest in his wolf form like it was the only place he could breathe. Talk of mates always went in one ear and out the other.
The elders were losing sleep over him.
The room was silent. Only the heavy thrum of Alpha aura and the strange sweetness that lingered in the air reminded me how much had changed.
Just when I figured he wasn’t going to say a word, he tipped back the last of his drink and said it like it meant nothing. “Deanna.”
Wait. Deanna? I blinked.
Lately, her name had been everywhere in werewolf society.
Not because she was the Mistbane Pack’s heiress. But because she was supposed to become Luna of the Olsendreich Pack.
Jake led the faction trying to break away from tradition and rewrite every rule. Luis? He stood for the old ways, the ancient lineages, and bloodlines so pure they were practically sacred. Those two had always been on a collision course.
Jake had recently thrown a grand mating ceremony for his first love, Peggie. The whole thing had turned into a spectacle, and now every pack was talking about it.
An Alpha tossing aside his fiancée for a half-human? It was scandalous. Deanna had become the center of every cruel joke in the werewolf world.
I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and asked, “You’re not messing around with Jake’s girl just to piss him off, right? I mean, if that’s what you were doing, shouldn’t it be Peggie? Deanna’s not even his favorite anymore.”
Luis looked at me with a stare so cold it felt like a blade had brushed the back of my neck.
My whole spine stiffened.
He gave a quiet scoff. “You think Jake’s worth that much of my time?”
I let out a shaky laugh. “No, of course not. Jake’s not worth it. It’s just… Deanna’s still his fiancée. And now you and Deanna… that’s starting to look a little messy.”
It made him look like the other guy.
Not that I had the guts to say it out loud.
Luis’ eyes narrowed, and suddenly the air in the room turned heavy. His Alpha aura slammed down like a weight pressing into my chest.
“You’ve got a real gift for saying the wrong thing.”
My mouth went dry. Inside, my wolf was growling, warning me to stop talking. The tension in Luis’ voice made it clear – he wasn’t being playful.
Then, he said it, low and final. “Leave. Or you’re going to lose your tongue.”
Message received.
I didn’t just leave. I got out fast.
I flew out of there on my private jet and didn’t look back.
…
Deanna’s POV:
I felt like I was drifting between sleep and waking. The effects of the drug had worn off, but my body ached like it had been broken down and rebuilt.
Somewhere nearby, the sound of a helicopter’s blades echoed through the sky and into my bones.
I forced my eyes open. The pain was gone. Not even a scar was left behind. I had healed faster than I ever had in my life.
Something felt different. I reached inward and tried to call out to my wolf.
After a long silence, a rough, tired voice stirred in my mind. “Deanna…”
“Mila!” I gasped. “You’re okay!”
“I’m here. But something’s pulling at me. It’s strong. I’m so tired, Deanna… I need to rest for a while. Don’t worry. I’ll come back…”
Her voice faded, softer with each word, until the connection disappeared completely.
That had never happened before. I sat still, unsure. However, I held on to what she said.
She was just drained. The poison must have left her too weak. She needed time.
That made sense. I told myself it did. I sat up slowly. The silk blanket slid down, and I caught sight of the bruises along my skin. Faint, red, and clearly not from combat.
The memory hit me all at once.
I had slept with Luis.
And I had been the one who made the first move.
Heat rushed to my face in a wave of embarrassment.
Then, I heard the soft creak of the bedroom door.
I panicked. I dropped back into the bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin, gripping it tightly in both hands.
Footsteps crossed the room. They were steady, calm, and loud enough to make my heart race.
I held my breath. Even my toes, I pulled them back under the blanket.
Even with my eyes shut, I could feel it – an Alpha’s aura, thick and impossible to ignore.
It was suffocating me.
Then, a voice, low and careless, filled the space. “You slept with me, Ms. Wiley. You trying to pretend it didn’t happen?”
I opened one eye.
Luis stood at the edge of the bed. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Arms crossed as he looked down at me with unreadable eyes, cool and dark like deep water.
It was the first time I’d really seen him up close while fully awake.
He wore a floral shirt with a few buttons undone. His collarbone peeked out beneath the loose fabric. His whole stance was relaxed, but his presence wasn’t.
I pulled the blanket tighter around me and sat up slowly, cheeks burning. “Luis… I didn’t mean for that to happen. I was drugged. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just… I don’t know how to make it right.”
He tilted his head and asked casually, “So, how are you planning to make it up to me?”
“I could buy you dinner?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You think I need your dinner?”
Right. Fair point.
I sat there, silent. I honestly had no clue what else I could offer him.
If this ends in a loss…
The Mooncrown Pack stood at the top of werewolf society. It was the oldest pureborn line and the richest by far. With assets in the billions, Luis had no reason to care about my modest savings.
I lifted my gaze. “How about a clue?”
Luis leaned in, his fingers curling under my chin. He tilted my head up, making sure I looked at him.
“Deanna, I just gave you what you wanted. Now, it’s your turn to return the favor.”
Everything inside me went quiet.
When the drug controlled my body, I could let go. I could surrender to want without thinking twice.
But now, I was fully awake.
I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
He didn’t give me time to weigh my fear.
His hand clamped around my waist, and his mouth crashed onto mine.
The robe I wore barely hung on. One tug from him and it slipped open, revealing the pale skin of my collarbone and the faint, blooming marks he’d left behind.
His breath hit the shell of my ear, thick and hot. The heady mix of his Alpha aura and the fresh scent of soap flooded every inch of my senses.
I let out a breath that trembled. It came out shaky and soft, nothing like the voice I knew as mine.
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