LOGINChristie's POV The door groaned as the wedge holding it shut was kicked away.I could feel literal tremors. I was confused and I saw too that Diane and Anna were just as confused.Two men walked into the lab, their presence instantly making the room feel crowded. They were broad-shouldered and dressed in heavy, dark tactical gear that didn't belong in a residential basement. They didn't look like lawyers or security guards. They looked like soldiers.Diane dropped the tray of vials she was holding. Glass shattered against the floor, splashing clear liquid over her expensive shoes. She didn't even look down. Her face was white, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the strangers."Who are you?" Diane asked. Her voice was thin and shaky. "How did you get past the gates?"The man in the lead ignored her. He looked at me, his eyes cold and clinical. "Dr. Graves. We were told you were the smart one. We want the final sequences for the stabilization formula. Now.""Julian is supposed to
Christie's POV I didn't stay in the kitchen as Lyon had told me to after he left my side. The moment he moved toward the stairs, I turned and headed for the basement. If someone was in my lab, they weren't just touching equipment; they were touching my life's work. I reached the heavy door and saw it was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and stopped. The lights were already on. Diane was standing by my primary refrigerator, holding a tray of glass vials. Anna was next to her, clutching my digital tablet. They weren't even trying to be quiet. "What are you doing?" I asked. My voice sounded louder than I expected in the cramped space.Diane didn't jump. She just looked at me with a steady expression. She placed the tray down on the counter and folded her arms. "I am saving this family, Christie," Diane said. "Since you decided to bring a wild animal into our home to terrorize our guests, someone has to be the adult.""You’re stealing my samples," I said, walking toward her. I didn't
Christie's POV The clock in the hallway struck two, but the sound didn't matter because I hadn't been asleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Julian’s face. I saw the way his skin looked gray and the way his hand shook as he pointed that needle at my throat. I could still hear the sound of his body hitting the bookshelf when Lyon tackled him. The house felt like it was holding its breath. My mother was locked in her room, likely plotting with the new lawyers she had called, and Richard was somewhere in the east wing, probably drinking himself into a stupor. I pushed off the bed and walked out of my room. My throat was dry, and the silence of the mansion was making the hair on my arms stand up. I made my way down to the kitchen, my bare feet silent on the cold tiles. I didn't turn on the lights. The moonlight coming through the large windows over the sink was enough to show me I wasn't alone.Lyon was sitting on one of the high stoo
Lyon's POV I left Christie in the lab and walked back up the stairs. My blood was still running hot. Every time I thought about Julian lunging at her with that needle, the wolf inside me pushed against my skin, wanting to tear the man apart. I didn't care about the laws of this city. I only cared about the fact that a parasite had tried to harm my mate.I stepped into the study and closed the door behind me. Julian was slumped in a chair, his face a mess of blood and bruises where I’d hit him. Richard was standing by the window, staring out at the driveway. He looked like a man who had suddenly realized his entire life was built on a lie."He's not going to the police," I said. My voice was flat.Richard turned around. "He tried to kill my daughter, Lyon. He belongs in a cell.""If he goes to a precinct, the press goes with him," I reminded him. "They’ll drag Christie’s name through the mud. They’ll call her research dangerous. Julian wi
Christie's POV I didn’t stop running until I reached the basement. The heavy door of the lab clicked shut behind me, and I finally let out the breath I had been holding since Lyon slammed Julian into the bookshelf. My hands were shaking so hard the glass vial rattled against my fingernails. I walked over to the central workbench and set the injector down, staring at it under the bright fluorescent lights. The lab felt different now. It was no longer a room in my mother's house where I hid to escape her voice. It was a fortress. Lyon owned this floor, this house, and the air I was breathing. The thought should have terrified me, but it was the only thing keeping my legs from giving out.I pulled on a pair of gloves and grabbed a slide. I needed to know what Julian was so desperate to put into my veins. I extracted a tiny drop of the cloudy green liquid and smeared it across the glass, slotting it under the microscope. I leaned in, adjusting the focus. What I saw made my blood run
Lyon's POV I didn't wait for my brain to process the move. I was already in the air. As Julian lunged, I threw my weight across the corner of the desk, my shoulder slamming into his ribs. The impact made a sickening thud. Julian gasped as he was knocked sideways, his feet leaving the floor before he crashed into a heavy bookshelf.The injector flew out of his hand. It spun through the air, the glass glinting under the study lights, before it landed on the rug right at Christie’s feet. I didn't stop. I stepped over the edge of the desk and planted my boot firmly in the center of Julian’s chest, pinning him to the floor. He groaned, his hands clawing at my leg, but I put enough pressure on his sternum to make him stop breathing for a second."Try that again," I growled, my voice sounding more like a wolf than a man. "See what happens to your neck."Christie was trembling. She stared at the small glass tube on the floor, then slowly reached down and picked it up. She held it with two
Lyon’s POVI didn't go back to the mansion. The image of Christie standing behind those broken gates burned into my mind. I could still feel the phantom heat of her skin where I’d touched her lip. My wolf was pacing, a low, constant snarl vibrating in my chest that had nothing to do with the engin
Christie’s POVThe air in the foyer was ice as Richard stood in the center of the marble floor, his presence the only thing keeping the room from spinning out of control. Julian remained by the door.Diane and Anna joined."Explain it better, Diane," Richard said. His voice was low, vibrating with
Christie’s POVThe air in the foyer was ice as Richard stood in the center of the marble floor, his presence the only thing keeping the room from spinning out of control. Julian remained by the door.Diane and Anna joined."Explain it better, Diane," Richard said. His voice was low, vibrating with
Christie's POV "I said let her go," Lyon repeated. He didn't look at Diane. He didn't look at Anna, who was hiding behind my mother’s shoulder. He looked only at me. "Christie, did they do that to your face?"I couldn't speak. My throat felt like it was full of glass. I just looked at him, my eyes







