LOGINLuciano: With Leyton
"You look like you want to kill me before we even reach the car," Leyton said.
He stood by the airport exit, leaning against a black SUV. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp. He was watching me with that calm, Alpha gaze that usually earned my respect. Today, it just made my blood boil.
"Maybe I do," I muttered, stopping a few feet away from him.
My wolf was a jagged mess of teeth and fur inside my chest. It wanted to lung across t
Lucia’s POV"You aren't going anywhere until she opens her eyes, so sit back down," Libbie said, her voice soft but firm.I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sank into the plastic chair. The healer reached over, giving my hand a reassuring pat. I appreciated the gesture, but my skin felt electric with nerves. Every time the floorboards creaked outside the room, I thought it was the news I dreaded."It is just the Beta, Lucia. Relax," Libbie added.A second later, the door didn't just open. It hit the stopper with a dull thud. Karlos walked in like he owned the air we were breathing. I hated how my brain immediately started a checklist of his features. Broad shoulders. That rough, golden stubble. Hair that looked like he’d just rolled out of bed in the most expensive way possible. He looked like a lead actor from one of those messy romance movies I watched when I wanted to cry.I looked at my shoes, angry at myself. My bes
Lucia’s POV"He is literally three times the size of a normal human," I whispered to the empty, sterile air of the hospital room.Luciano didn’t even blink. He didn't look at me, and honestly, I don't think he knew I was in the room. His entire world was narrowed down to the rhythm of Alanza’s shallow breathing. He sat hunched over in a chair that looked like a toy beneath his frame, his face twisted into a mask of pure, raw agony. It made my own chest feel tight just watching him.I knew I was supposed to be the grieving best friend, and I was, but this was different. This was that fated mate bond the shifters always whispered about. It wasn't just sadness; it was like watching a man try to breathe while his lungs were being crushed.I looked down at Alanza’s hand. It felt too cool, too still. I squeezed her fingers and lowered my head, closing my eyes tight."Okay, God, let's talk," I muttered under my breath. "I know I&rs
Luciano’s POV"Tell me exactly what you mean by unconscious," I snapped into the phone.The interior of the SUV felt like a cage. I could see Lindsie’s eyes darting toward the rearview mirror, catching the jagged edge of my temper. On the other end of the line, Karlos’s breathing sounded heavy, layered with the static of a bad connection."Her heart rate is steady and her breathing is fine, but she won't wake up," Karlos said. "The specialists are hovering, but they can't find a single physical scratch or a chemical reason for it.""Then explain to me why she is hooked up to a hospital bed," I growled. My skin felt too tight for my body, my pulse a rhythmic hammer against my ribs. My wolf was a caged heat beneath my lungs, pacing and snarling at the thought of our mate in a sterile room. "What did London do to her?""This isn't on him, Luciano. She wasn't near him. She just dropped at the house right after she finished training."
Alanza’s POV"Just keep your head down and try not to trip over the threshold," Lucia muttered, her voice thick with exhaustion.I didn't have the energy to reply. My legs felt like lead weights as I dragged them through the front door. The second I cleared the frame, I didn't even look for a blanket. I just collapsed face-first onto the sofa. The fabric was scratchy against my cheek, but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever felt.Next to me, Lucia didn't even make it to the couch. She steered herself toward the recliner and sank into it. She pulled her knees up to her chest, curling into a tight ball. "I am staying in this exact spot until tomorrow," she groaned into her knees. "Don't move me. Don't talk to me. Just let the floor swallow me whole.""I’m right there with you," I mumbled, my voice muffled by the cushion. I rolled onto my back, stretching my limbs out until my joints popped.Karlos was already in the kitchen. I coul
Alanza’s POV"Why are you stopping?"London appears out of thin air when I am only halfway around the track. He is the only person I have ever met who I genuinely want to punch and hug at the exact same time. It is a complicated feeling. My family is a mess of toxic love and sharp edges, so I am used to conflicting emotions, but this man is on another level."I am... moving," I grunt.I force my body into another lunge. My legs stretch out, but my arms are the real problem. They are not just shaking. They feel like warm cake batter. I can barely keep the weights at my sides, let alone lift them. Every muscle fiber is screaming at me to just lay down in the dirt and stay there. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me collapse."Back straight," London orders.He circles me like a predator looking for a weak spot in a fence."Tighten your core. You are wobbling like a newborn pup."I adjust my hips and try to find
Alanza’s POV"Why are you staring at the dirt when you should be moving?"London’s voice cut through the humid air of the training grounds. I didn't look up. I just focused on the rhythmic thud of my sneakers against the packed earth. If I stopped, the thoughts would catch up to me. If I stopped, I’d have to think about Luciano, or Leyton, or the absolute mess my life had become.Physical pain was a much better distraction. I pushed my legs harder, welcoming the burn in my quads. My body was a map of fading purple and yellow marks. Every day, new bruises formed from the intensity of the drills, and every night, my shifted metabolism knit my skin back together. Beside me, Lucia wasn't as lucky. Her bruises stayed longer, blooming across her pale skin in various stages of healing.I was determined to stay in this bubble of exhaustion for as long as possible. It was safer than dealing with reality. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest way to cope, but surviving th







