Chapter 3: The price of power

Lila

The next few days felt like a blur of nothingness, the kind of emptiness that follows you even when you’re surrounded by people. The pain of being cast out by my own pack still burned like a fresh wound, but it was nothing compared to the pull I felt toward Maximus.

I tried to keep my distance. I told myself I didn’t need him, didn’t want him anywhere near me. But his words echoed in my mind at night when I was alone. “You’re mine now, Lila.”

No. I wasn’t his. I refused to be.

But there was something about him—something that both terrified and fascinated me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had stepped into a world I couldn’t escape from, even if I wanted to.

I had no choice but to face the truth. I was on my own now. The pack was gone. My family—gone, everything I stood for gone. And the only people who would take me in were the very ones I hated.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew I was trapped.

---

It wasn’t long before I ran into Maximus again. The meeting was unexpected, but the moment I saw him, my stomach twisted in knots. He stood across the street, talking to a group of men, his presence as commanding as ever with great aura. When his eyes landed on me, the air seemed to still. His gaze locked onto mine with the intensity of a predator spotting its prey.

I didn’t know whether to hide or confront him. I chose the latter, pushing my fear aside as I walked toward him, my footsteps slow and steady like an animal walking directly to the slaughter house.

He noticed me immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly as he excused himself from his conversation and walked toward me. There was something about the way he moved—almost too smooth, too confident. Like the world was his, and I was just another piece in his game.

“You look like you’re running from something,” Maximus said, his voice deep, smooth like velvet.

I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, trying to ignore the pulse of energy that rushed through my veins every time he got too close.

“I’m not running from anything,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’m fine.”

Maximus raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my lie. “You don’t look fine, Lila. You look lost.”

I flinched at his words. He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t going to admit it to him. “I’m not your concern, Maximus.”

His lips curled into a faint smirk, his eyes glinting with something unreadable. “I think you are, sweetheart. You’ve been running from your past, but you won’t be able to outrun your future.”

My breath caught at his words. What the hell did he mean by that?

He stepped closer, and for a brief second, I thought he was going to touch me again. I took a step back instinctively, but he didn’t stop.

“I’m giving you a choice, Lila,” Maximus continued, his voice lower, more dangerous now. “You can come with me, join the Vito family, and I’ll protect you. Or…” He paused, letting the silence hang between us. “You can keep running. But trust me, you won’t get far.”

His words felt like a threat, but I could hear something else behind them. There was a strange offer in his voice. The mafia heir, a man capable of anything, offering me protection. It should have made me want to walk away, to run as fast as I could, but instead, a small part of me felt drawn to the idea.

“I don’t need your protection,” I snapped, trying to keep my composure. “I don’t need you.”

His eyes darkened, and he took another step closer, his body mere inches from mine now. “You don’t have to need me, Lila. I’ll make you need me, I swear it. And when you do, you’ll understand why you can’t escape me.”

I stood my ground, despite the way his words affected me. “You think you can just control me?” I asked, my voice low, defiant.

Maximus didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied me, as if trying to figure me out. And then he finally spoke, his voice colder this time.

“You think you’re the one in control, Lila?” His gaze was piercing, and I could feel the weight of it. “You’re wrong. You’ve been running from something bigger than you, and you don’t even know it yet.”

I tried to pull away, but he caught my arm with a surprising force. His grip was firm, but not painful. His touch was all-consuming, and I felt a wave of heat spread through my chest.

“You’re mine now,” he whispered, so quietly I almost didn’t hear it. “Whether you like it or not.”

My heart hammered in my chest. I should’ve pulled away. I should’ve fought back. But instead, I stood there, feeling the undeniable pull between us, the tension thick in the air.

Maximus leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing my ear. “If you think you can run from me, Lila, you’re wrong. You’ve already stepped into my world. And now, there’s no going back.”

He let go of my arm and stepped back, but the feeling of his presence lingered like a shadow. I stood frozen, trying to process everything he had just said.

Maximus turned to leave, but before he did, he looked back at me one last time, his eyes gleaming with something dark and dangerous.

“You’ll come to me, Lila. You always do. And when you do, you’ll understand just how much power I hold over you.”