CHA-3

LUKE

"I don't think so, you bloodless leach. It’ll be a lunar eclipse in hell before I ever let you past this threshold. Besides, your partner isn't here."

I took a jagged kind of satisfaction in how Cass spat the word partner. That traitor Brandon Cole didn't have a mate anymore. He was a lone wolf now, whether he knew it or not.

Nice growl, Castillo, I thought, nearly ready to forgive him for the "scavenger" rumors he’d spread about my pack—except, no. Not yet.

"Bullshit," Brandon snarled.

Cass lurched an inch back as the quarterback tried to shoulder his way through the frame, but he didn't budge. He was a mountain of ice.

"I saw the door slam. I tracked the scent of his distress. And he dropped his damn skate guard right outside this room."

Isabella and I both looked at the floor. I was indeed missing a guard. I hadn't even felt it slip.

"That's mine," Cass answered, snatching the plastic guard from the floor and tossing it blindly over his shoulder. It landed with a hollow thud in the center of the rug.

"You son of a bitch," Brandon exploded. "I know he’s in there. Luke!" he roared, trying to peer over Cass’s massive shoulder, snapping his teeth in a frantic rhythm. "I know what you saw. It was a mistake. The pheromones—I can explain. Please, baby, just look at me."

I winced at the term of endearment. It tasted like poison. Isabella Navarro quickly pulled me into a side-hug, her small hands rubbing my back.

At the entrance, Cass let out a low, vibrating boom. "Enough!" His back muscles coiled, elbows jutting out as he shoved forward, forcing Brandon back into the corridor. His voice went muffled as he followed him out. "I said he’s not here. And even if he were, I’d gut you before I let you touch him. Now clear out before I rearrange your skull. If I catch your scent in this hall again, you’ll wish I’d only taken your arm. Find another den. He’s gone."

Brandon had always been more bark than bite. I could tell Cass’s lethal tone had him retreating. I heard his claws click on the stone as he hissed, "I swear, Castillo. If I find out he was in there, I’ll make you pay."

Footsteps stomped away. My shoulders slumped, the adrenaline leaving me hollow. It worked. Whatever Cass had done, Brandon was retreating. I was so drowned in the reprieve that I almost missed Cass’s final words to the empty hallway.

"You already made me pay," he whispered to the shadows. "Since the moment you bled me dry freshman year, I've been paying."

I glanced at Isabella. My brow furrowed. "What did he mean by that?"

Her eyes went wide. She bit her lip and shook her head slowly. "I don't think we were supposed to hear that."

We had heard it, though. My curiosity was a dull ache beneath the heartbreak. Before I could ask if she knew the history, Cass strode back in and slammed the door. His jaw was locked tight.

When he looked at me, his shoulders flinched. He blinked, the predatory fire fading into something that looked like regret, as if he’d let me down.

"He's gone for now. I don't know if he'll stay away."

I swallowed, wiping the salt from my face. My knees were like water. I pushed myself upright anyway, crossing the small space to the wolf who’d just shielded me. History be damned; he’d saved me from a second slaughter.

I reached out, wrapping my arms around his waist, pressing my face into his hard, woodsmoke-scented chest. "Thank you," I rasped.

Then the dam broke again. I sobbed into his jersey, my fingers digging into the fabric.

CASS

If anyone had told me I’d end up on a bed with Luke Navarro before the moon reached its peak, I would’ve laughed until my lungs burned.

Then again, this wasn't the scenario I would've drafted. I’d have pictured far fewer clothes, zero tears, and a lot more teeth-on-skin friction. But here we were, sprawled across Isabella’s bunk. I’d carried Luke here after he’d gone limp in my arms, his body shutting down from the sheer weight of the betrayal.

I’d never seen a wolf break like that. He wasn't a loud whimperer. He’d curled into a tight, shivering ball against me, trying to contain the agony until it simply ripped him apart from the inside out.

I couldn't blame him for falling into a stupor afterward. It had drained me just to witness it. He had to feel hollowed out. I was a little shell-shocked myself.

But I wasn't too numb to feel the way his warm, lean body was draped over mine. He was exactly as solid and perfect as I’d imagined from across the ice. And, hell, he smelled incredible.

I pressed my nose near his temple, inhaling deep. I couldn't identify the scent—it wasn't some store-bought musk. It was something raw, like frosted earth and wild mint.

A long shudder racked him. I pulled him closer, stroking his dark hair, making low, soothing vibrations in my throat until he stilled. He’d stopped crying ten minutes ago, but the aftershocks kept seizing his muscles.

Each one felt like a claw to my own heart.

Whatever Cole had done, it had mentally crippled him. It made me want to track the quarterback down and tear his throat out. But right now, Luke needed a tether. When he flinched in his sleep, clutching my sleeve as if it were a lifeline, I stayed put.

"Shh." I pressed my cheek to the crown of his head. "It’s over. You’re safe. Nothing is going to touch you. Not while I’m standing guard."

That settled him. His body went lax, though his hand remained locked on my shirt.

I knew it didn't mean he wanted me. He was just drowning and I was the only driftwood available. But feeling wanted like this... it got to me. I moved my lips toward the dip in his temple, wanting to press a kiss there, but I stopped myself. That was a selfish hunger.

When the lock clicked, I realized I’d been twirling a lock of his hair around my finger. I pulled my hand back quickly just as my sister stepped in.

Isabella stopped, eyes wide at the sight of us hijacking her bunk. She shook her head and shut the door fast.

"Is he still out there?" I asked.

Isabella knew Cole’s face well enough. I wasn't worried about him harassing her, but I’d sent her out to scout the perimeter.

She exhaled sharply, nodding. "Yeah."

I closed my eyes. "Fuck."

"He’s pacing the foyer by the front entrance, but it’s a pack effort. That winger—number eighteen..."

"Natalie Brooks?" I guessed, momentarily forgetting the gender swap, then corrected, "No, the winger. DeShone?"

She pointed at me. "Yes. Him. He’s guarding the north stairwell. And that center—Tyson? Tyrell?"

"Tyrell," I supplied.

"Whatever. He’s at the south exit. And I’m pretty sure there’s a tight end in the parking lot. They’re running a full defensive screen."

"Son of a bitch," I hissed. "He really wants to drag him back, doesn't he?"

He’d recruited half the Coastal team to help him trap the building.

"He’s asking everyone if they’ve seen Luke," Isabella said, moving closer to look at him. Her eyes were full of pity. "He might want to find him just as much as Luke wants to disappear."

Maybe. But if I had anything to say about it, Cole wouldn't win this period.

"Is he conscious?" I asked softly.

Isabella shook her head. "His eyes are open, but he’s staring through the wall. He’s totally checked out. I don't think he can even hear us."

I knew he was breathing. I could feel his chest rising and falling against mine. It drove me insane with a craving I had no right to feel. But the fact that he was awake and unresponsive was a bad sign.

"We have to get him out of Magnolia Hall, Cass. Out of here and away from that snake."

"I know." I gritted my teeth. "Just—"

The vibration of a phone interrupted me. "This goddamn thing," I muttered.

The phone was in his front pocket, vibrating directly against my hip. I’d reached my limit. I yanked it free, causing Isabella to gasp at how familiar I was being with his body.

I scowled at her. "It won’t stop." I looked at the screen. Brandon Cole’s name was flashing. I sneered at the glass and held it in front of Luke’s face. "You want to talk to this coward?"

In response, Luke flinched violently, burying his face deeper into my shirt. He gripped my ribs so hard I thought he might bruise the bone.

"Yeah, I thought not." I tossed the phone to Isabella. "Kill the power on that thing."

Luke’s breath hitched against my chest, his ear pressed right over my heartbeat. I smoothed my palm over the back of his head, a silent apology for showing him that name.

"I’ll get you away from him. I promise."

He let his muscles go slack, as if my words were the only thing keeping him from shattering.

Isabella looked at me, her eyes asking the obvious question: How?

"If he’s going to call in his goons," I said, smirking as I reached into my back pocket for my own device. "Then I’ll just have to call in the reinforcements."

Luke whimpered at the sudden movement, clutching my side to steady himself.

"Shh. I’m just getting my phone. I’m right here."

He went still again, his hand staying firmly at my side. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my head in the game. I used my thumb to dial Jax Mendoza. My other hand couldn't bring itself to let go of Luke’s hair.

"Yo, where you at?" Jax answered. "I thought we were hitting the server tonight."

Jax was our lead enforcer and my best friend. He was also a survivalist nut.

"Change of plans," I growled. "I need a extraction team at Magnolia Hall. Now."