Chapter 3

Lana's POV

The night dragged on like a punishment.

I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, shadows bending and stretching with the dim moonlight bleeding through the curtains. Sleep refused to come, no matter how heavy my body felt. My mind was a storm, restless and sharp, replaying Damon’s face over and over again, that cold smirk, those piercing gray eyes, the unspoken warning in his silence.

I rolled over and buried my face into the pillow, squeezing it hard, but nothing helped. The thought of the fragment gnawed at me like claws sinking deep into my chest. I had to get it. There was no other choice.

For my pack. For their wolves. For everything we lost.

But Damon’s price… No. I shut my eyes tightly, refusing to even imagine giving in to his stupid, arrogant offer.

I would never.

If Damon wouldn’t give it willingly, and I had no money to buy it… then there was only one person left to try.

Liam.

The thought made my stomach twist, but I forced myself up from the bed. He was my fiancé, after all. No matter how much of an asshole he could be, he should help me.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and dialed his number with trembling fingers. It rang and rang, each second stretching painfully until the call finally died. No answer.

I tried again. Nothing.

I sat there, clenching my jaw until it hurt, and then it hit me. Of course. He was probably at his favorite spot, Crimson Haze, a nightclub where he practically lived most nights, drowning himself in whiskey and cheap thrills.

I grabbed my jacket, shoved my phone into my pocket, and stormed out.

It took less than ten minutes to reach Crimson Haze. The thumping bass from inside rattled the ground beneath my feet as I spotted Liam’s black sports car parked at the entrance, sleek and arrogant, just like him.

I pushed through the doors, my senses immediately hit by the suffocating mixture of sweat, alcohol, and expensive perfume. Lights danced across the walls, shadows twisting, people grinding against each other in chaos.

Ignoring the crowd, I headed straight for the VIP hallway at the back. My heels clicked softly against the polished floor as I followed the muffled laughter and familiar voices.

Then I heard it.

Liam’s laugh, loud, sharp, and mocking.

I stopped outside the door, pressing myself against the wall, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. And then… his voice came through, slicing me open with every word.

“Man, you wouldn’t believe it,” Liam said between snickers. “She actually begged Damon for the fragment. Begged. My boring little fiancée thinks she can manipulate him.”

The room erupted in laughter.

“She’s desperate, bro,” another voice chimed in. “You’re one lucky bastard. She’s pretty, though.”

“Pretty but dull,” Liam said smoothly, his voice curling with venom. “Seriously, guys… I’m fucking tired of her. She’s a boring bitch. Always whining about her stupid pack like I care.”

The laughter got louder, and my hands started to shake. My vision blurred with heat, and every instinct screamed at me to burst through that door, to slap that smug grin off his face.

But I froze.

I couldn’t. Not here. Not now.

I couldn’t risk anything that would make life harder for the Moon Tide pack. They were already hanging by a thread, clinging to me for salvation. I couldn’t afford to let my anger destroy what little chance we had left.

I shut my eyes, took a deep, slow breath, and forced myself to steady the chaos inside me.

Then I turned the handle and pushed the door open.

The room fell silent for a moment, though not out of respect.

“Well, well,” one of Liam’s friends said, leaning back with a wicked grin. “Look who we have here. The princess of Moon Tide herself.”

Another voice joined, mocking and loud. “Wow, give it up for Lana, Liam’s dope fiancée!”

Snickers rippled around the room, but I ignored them all. My eyes swept over the group until they landed on the woman straddling Liam’s lap, her upper body bare, twirling lazily as Liam’s hands rested possessively on her waist.

Something inside me twisted painfully, but I swallowed it down and kept my face blank.

“Liam,” I said flatly, my voice cold and steady. “I need your help.”

He leaned back against the couch, smirking as his fingers traced the woman’s hip lazily.

“Wow,” he drawled. “The helpless Alpha’s daughter wants my help… again.”

The room erupted in laughter, but I didn’t flinch.

“I need the fragment back,” I said, forcing the words out before my voice cracked. “From Damon. Your uncle.”

He raised an eyebrow, then nodded slowly, tapping his fingers against the woman’s thigh as though he were considering my request.

“I can help,” he said finally.

Relief flickered inside me, but it didn’t last.

“On one condition.”

My stomach knotted. “What condition?”

His smirk widened, cruel and deliberate.

“Take off your clothes,” he said casually, leaning back as he spread his legs wider on the couch. “Right here. On your knees. Give me a reason to help you, Lana. Give me a blow job.”

His friends burst into loud laughter, hooting and cheering like hyenas. My cheeks burned with humiliation, and anger rose so violently I thought I’d choke on it.

Before I could respond, a shadow fell across the doorway.

I froze.

My heart stopped.

And then I saw him.

Damon.

Standing there, silent and sharp, his gray eyes locked on Liam like cold steel.

Liam noticed him too and grinned wickedly.

“Go on, Lana, my cock is waiting,” he taunted. “Get right on it, and after that, I’ll intercede on your behalf… with my dear uncle.”

I didn’t get the chance to speak.

Damon moved.

One second, he was at the door. Next, he was on Liam.

His fist connected with Liam’s jaw with a sickening crack, the impact sending him crashing back against the sofa. Gasps erupted around the room as Damon grabbed Liam by the collar, yanking him up effortlessly before slamming him hard onto the floor.

“You—” Damon’s voice was low, vibrating with lethal rage, “— bloody scumbag.”

He delivered another brutal punch, the sound of bone meeting flesh echoing through the room. Liam’s body hit the corner of the low table, groaning in pain as he slid to the ground.

I stood frozen, breathing hard, my heart racing so violently it hurt.

Then Damon turned to me. Without a word, he grabbed my wrist, his grip firm and commanding, pulling me out of the room before anyone could react.

My thoughts were in a storm. My pulse a roar.

Damon’s grip around my wrist was firm, unrelenting, dragging me down the dimly lit passage until we stopped abruptly.

He turned, his gray eyes like steel, sharp and unyielding.

“Tell me, Lana,” his voice was low, deadly calm, “were you really going to give Liam a blow job?”

I froze, my throat tightening. Heat rose to my cheeks, from anger, not shame. With a hard tug, I yanked my wrist free, rubbing the faint mark his hold left on my skin.

“That,” I hissed, meeting his gaze, “is none of your business. We broke up a long time ago, Damon. You lost the right to interfere in my life the moment we ended. And since we never made it public, don’t pretend like you have any claims on me.”

For a heartbeat, he didn’t move, didn’t blink. Then he scoffed softly, tilting his head.

“Ended?” His laugh was hollow. “We didn’t end, Lana. You ended it. I never agreed to any breakup.”

My breath hitched, but I refused to look away.

“And let me remind you,” his tone sharpened as he stepped closer. “it was you who didn’t want us to go public. You hid us. You hid me.”

I stumbled back, step after step, until my shoulders pressed into the cold wall. He kept advancing, slow and deliberate, until there was barely any space left between us.

His gaze dropped to my lips for a fleeting second, then back to my eyes.

“Give me a blow job,” he murmured, voice so controlled it made my chest tighten.

I blinked, stunned, before the anger erupted.

“You,” my voice trembled, but I steadied it. “You’re shameless, Damon!”

One corner of his mouth lifted faintly, unreadable as he demanded firmly. “Then kiss me.”

I turned my face sharply, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my answer. But his hand shot up, fingers catching my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.

My breath caught when I saw what burned there, possession, anger, something darker I couldn’t name.

“Break off the engagement with Liam.”