Leah's POV"I've been everywhere in the world. Foreign boarding schools. Military dispatch..." Darren's voice sounded a bit playful."You don't come across like a soldier to me, but you do come across like a naughty boy at school.""I was trained to be a commanding officer, but I did have a troubled childhood." He squinted and scratched his head. I realized that was his way of being shy.He's so adorable. How can someone be so adorable? I have to stop drinking before this whole thing goes really, really wrong. Lucas is right. He didn't sign the divorce papers, so I'm still legally married to him. But at the same time, the magical encounter with Darren feels so right. I would really want to see where it's going. "A bad boy suits up and becomes a commanding officer. You need to tell me more about it," I tittered under the influence of alcohol. Damn. He must look so hot in an army uniform."I will tell you everything about me, Miss Lewyn. I'm an open book." He replied with a genuine smil
Leah's POV"Are you still buying it?" I looked at Lucas and asked."Whenever you meet, she's the one who gets injured. I don't understand," Lucas said. Even in his drenched state, he exuded an air of confidence and authority.My heart sank."So, you're still buying it. I can't even. Anyway, forget about it. I don't want to have anything to do with you two." I turned and wanted to walk away.A pair of strong hands reached out and pulled me.Looking up, I saw my very angry and offended ex-husband."Don't you think you should explain what happened to me?" Lucas' blue eyes glared at me with fiery intensity. His veins bulged on his forehead as he struggled to control his seething anger."What do you want me to explain?" I asked in a calm voice. His hand was gripping hard on my arm so tightly that it turned red.Lucas was incensed by my nonchalance and raised his voice, "If you were wronged in the past, why didn't you ever explain anything to me? Explain it to me.""So, I don't want to expla
Leah's POVStood on the balcony, I leaned forward to the handrail, looking at the crowd in the yard.I saw Darren, who was accompanied by an attractive young woman in an elegant satin dress, sipping champagne while talking to Alpha Kyle, the Chairman of the Derby Committee.I didn't blame him for not bringing me that glass of champagne after witnessing what happened just now.He was still young. He didn't need to be involved in a divorced woman's family farce. I understood. Plus, the woman leaning against him looked much younger and happier than me. She looked like the younger version of me, when my heart hadn't been broken by my ex-mate.When I was still unrejected.I stretched out my arm to fetch the wine glass behind me, but the glass turned out to be empty.I lifted up my head and sighed, staring out into the night sky.The stars twinkled above me, but my mind was clouded with a deep sense of melancholy.I couldn't shake off the fact that I had just come face to face with my ex-hu
Lucas' POV"Did you lie to me?" I put down my mobile and asked Josephine in the car.On the screen of my phone, there was a video clip reeling. I saw it clearly. Josephine jumped into the swimming pool by herself. Leah didn't push her.This piece of video was posted on Twitter by a man named Darren_S. Apparently, this Darren guy witnessed the whole process of the farce and videotaped it before posting the entire uncutted version online.Josephine sat next to me in my car. Her once-beautiful features twisted with despair when she took a glance at the video clip online.People swarmed at this video and cursed Josephine in all kinds of languages.Being a low profiled person, I hated exposure like this."Are you accusing me of lying?" She played innocent again. But I no longer believed her."Did you?" I asked. My voice was stern and unforgiving.Josephine was speechless, turning her head away from me to avoid eye contact."How could you do this?" I asked. My voice was dripping with anger.
Leah's POVA few days later, I went to my brother's company UniHealer. His Beta Jalin had prepared a room on the top floor to be my new office.After stepping out of the private elevator, I saw the entire landscape of our city in front of me through the giant top-to-floor window."Welcome back, Leah," Beta Jalin, who had been waiting for me next to the elevator door, said with a big smile on his face."Jalin! I miss you so much!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and said.He was three years older than Lucian and he used to babysit me all the time when I was a child. Later, he became my mentor and best friend."So, do you like it?" He showed me around my office.I ran around in the spacious office like a little lark and said, "This is beautiful! When Lucian told me that you'd prepared me a room, I thought it was a cubicle. I hadn't expected an entire floor!""Great!" Jalin caught me like he was catching a rabbit and put me in the chair. "Now stop bouncing around and get to business. I'
Leah's POVLucian stared at Clara with a cold stare and said, "Mind your words, Miss Farrow. There's a surveillance camera in this room. I know you're drunk, but you're threatening my guest in front of my face. The Royal Court will prosecute you for being disrespectful to the Lycans."Clara immediately flinched and mumbled, "Sorry, Your Highness... It's just that I know this woman. She's an Omega and she's a liar! She posted my video online to get attention! She's a shameless bit..."She couldn't continue her speech, because the look on my brother's face was frightening.I slapped her hand away from my face and said, "If I had wanted to get people's attention, I would have posted another video clip online. The part shows a policeman dragging you on the floor. You weren't wearing any pants. I only posted your gambling video online because I wanted to prove my innocence. I didn't steal your mother's jewelry. You did. Anyway, I'm done talking to you. Now it's the time for you to leave."
Leah's POV"Lucian, please, it's hard enough for Mr. Farrow to admit his sister's challenging mental condition in front of us. I guess it's wise to pardon her this time. And I'm sure there won't be another incident like this happening in the future," I said.I was, even though I hate to admit it, born and raised to be benevolent and kind. I noticed that Clara was mentally challenged when I met her for the first time. She bashed a hot burning kettle at me. I didn't really take it personally at that time.When I called Lucian affectionately by his name, referring to him and me as "us", Lucas' face turned even darker.Now that he had more confirmation that there was something going on between Lucian and me.He clenched his fists and stared at me.I knew there were thousands of words he wanted to say to me, but he just didn't have a chance."Alpha Lucas, may I ask why are you staring at Miss Lewyn like that?" Lucian asked. He obviously didn't like his sister being stared at by anyone."I'
Leah's POVWhen he spread my legs and wrapped my legs around his waist, I suddenly realized that he was literally going to take me into this dark, narrow back alley of the restaurant.The shadow of buildings consumed both of us and so did our desperation.No, this isn't happening. It's not fair. I can't be taken by my ex-husband like this. No matter how badly he wants and how hot he is.My last stray of dignity was evoked and I started to struggle against him, trying to push him away."Lucas, stop..." I begged. My voice was trembling with fear and uncertainty.He ignored my plea and leaned in, capturing my lips with his in a hot, passionate kiss. It seemed that he wanted to soothe me. I could feel his longing for me, but I couldn't give in.My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to resist the overwhelming desire to kiss him back. I wanted him, needed him, but I also knew that it was wrong."Lucas, don't..." I tried to push him again as his hands roamed over my body, tracing the
Leah's POVThe moon hung low that night, a fat, accusing bastard spilling its pale light through the blinds, painting jagged stripes across my desk. I glared at my phone as it buzzed, a TikTok push notification clawing its way onto the screen. Some grainy video of the Cosa family's latest shitshow - a surprise FDA inspection, a manager slugging a cop, all polished up with edits and trending under #MafiaPoison, racking up over 100 million reads. Publix had dumped the Cosa family like a bad habit, their stock plunging 23% in a day, tripping some Goldman Sachs clause that forced a scramble. Al Cosa himself had stroked out, kidney shot to hell, rotting in a guarded clinic bed. The whole mess stank of collapse, and I felt it in my gut like a fist.I tossed the phone aside, its screen still glowing with chaos, and sank into my chair. The computer hummed alive as I clicked into Texas Hold'em, the virtual table flickering into view. Fiona sat on the other side - Al Cosa's ex-wife, though that
Leah's POVThe air down there was damp, thick with the musk of captivity. Darren was curled on a filthy mattress, his wrists and ankles chained, his body a knot of tension. The clink of my tray against the stone floor roused him, and his eyes snapped open - wild, burning with a madness that made my chest ache. He lunged, a beast in human skin, all teeth and fury, but the chains yanked him back, the iron biting into his flesh. A guttural snarl tore from his throat, and his face twisted, feral, unrecognizable.I slid the tray toward him, the pancakes still warm, their sweetness a mockery in this place. He froze, nostrils flaring, then dropped to his knees, his face hovering over the plate. He ate like a starved dog, tearing at the food, growling low, the sound vibrating through the stone. I sat a few feet away, watching him, my heart splintering. I wanted to reach for him, to smooth the matted hair from his face, to touch the man he used to be. My hand lifted, trembling,
Leah's POVLycidas peeled off his gloves slow, deliberate, a smile curling his lips like blood seeping from a wound. "Leah, my sweetest sister, you know me. I'd never hurt anyone. They just keep crawling back, begging to be my dog.”There it was - the Old King's dominance and viciousness, alive in him, a shadow Lucian never cast. "From childhood to adulthood," I said, my voice hard as iron, "I always knew you were more his son than Lucian ever was. Pity the Old King never saw it. Not until he was rotting in the ground. Lucian was all he had in his shriveled heart."Lycidas' smile stiffened, a crack of fury splintering through his mask. "Darren disappointed me," he said, "so I tossed him to Leo for his little experiments. But Leo didn't like this human being. He said he didn't meet his standard and sent him back. You wanna know what happened to your precious old flame? Go sniff out Leo. You two always got on better than you and me. I mean, he'll help you, I
Leah's POVA pang ripped through my chest, sharp and unwelcome. I didn't want to know what Lycidas had done - didn't want to picture the claws, the needles, the hunger in that bastard's gaze. Darren wasn't the man I'd known anymore; he was a husk, cracked open and spilling fear. My fingers found the lock, bending the steel like it was clay, the cage door groaning as it gave way. He lunged at me, wild and blind, and I struck fast - knocked him cold with a blow that felt like betrayal. His body slumped, limp and heavy, and I hauled him into the cart, draping a cloth over him like a shroud.I shoved the cart toward the door, every nerve screaming, when a shadow blocked my path. The hotel manager, all puffed-up indignation, glared down at me. "What the fuck? Who are you?! Why are you here? Don't you know this whole floor is reserved...?"His words choked off as my fist met his jaw. He crumpled, a sack of meat, and I dragged him back inside, stuffing him into the cag
Lycidas' POVA pause, heavy with his worry. "Lycidas, don't let anyone hurt her. Protect her. The ritual has to be done."Finn's pace quickened, his throat tightening around me, and I gripped his hair harder, forcing him to take more. "Don't worry, brother. I miss you. I'll be back soon. Put Jalin on, will you?"The line shifted, and Jalin's cold "What?" slithered through.My voice turned razor-sharp. "If you dare touch my brother again, I'll pump you full of suppressant, make you a fuck toy, and toss you to the slave market. Every hole in your body will be stuffed with cocks for the every minute in the rest of your fucking life. Do you understand?"Silence. Finn gagged, his throat spasming, and the pleasure spiked through me. "I'm talking to you," I snarled into the phone."I understand, Your Highness," Jalin muttered, subdued at last. I hung up, tossing the phone aside, and turned my full attention to Finn. He sucked harder, desperate to p
Lycidas' POVThe lazy afternoon sunlight in Miami pressed against me like a lover's claw, the moon long gone but its bloody echo still staining the sky. I stepped out of the limousine, and the red carpet unfurled before me like a tongue, wet with the flash of cameras and the screams of the crowd. The hotel loomed, a glittering beast of glass and steel, its jaws wide with fans clawing at the barriers, their voices a feral hymn to my name. I was Lycidas, the Lycan Prince, a Hollywood god carved from hunger and shadow, and they worshipped me with every ragged breath.I strode forward, my boots sinking into the plush scarlet, and the air thickened with their adoration. The paparazzi swarmed, lenses glinting like predatory eyes, but I owned them all. My lips curled into a smile, sharp and deliberate, as I waved - a king acknowledging his court. The noise swelled, a tidal wave of sound, and then a voice cut through it, high and desperate."Lycidas! Lycidas!" A female
Leah's POVThe clock on my wrist ticked like a smug little bastard, each second a jab at my nerves as I stood there, plotting culinary carnage. Six hours until the Miami Mayor's Annual Seafood Charity Dinner, and I was about to turn a fancy gala into a symphony of gurgles and groans. The TV blared in the background, some chipper anchor rattling on about celebrity cars rolling up to the hotel—shiny Bentleys and Teslas, all ferrying the rich and famous to their doom. I smirked, imagining them clutching their pearls and their stomachs by night's end.I glanced over at Seth, who was practically hypnotized by Sharbo's lazy laps in the shark tank. The kid's mop of hair flopped over his eyes, and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here, plotting with me. I gave his shoulder a solid pat, jolting him back to reality. "It's time, Seth."He blinked at me, all wide-eyed and twitchy, then fumbled for his laptop like it was his security blanket. His fingers danc
Leah's POVThe moonlight was pouring down from the sky like cascade.I stood there, rooted, facing Darren, his eyes blazing with a storm of rage and grief that pinned me where I stood. The air hung heavy, thick with unspoken venom, prickling my scarred skin—the brands of the slave market I'd never outrun."Why are you asking this question?" Darren's voice cut through the stillness, sharp as a blade, edged with accusation.I didn't answer. Couldn't. My throat clenched tight, strangling the words beneath the weight of all we'd left unsaid.He stepped closer, his emotions bursting free like blood from a fresh wound. "Are you asking this to hurt me, Leah? Haven't I done enough for you all these years to earn your trust?"Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and relentless, carving trails through the grime on my face. I felt nothing - no sting, no release - just the hollow rush of them falling, a betrayal of the numbness gnawing my bones.
Leah's POVI remained silent. Father killed his son. Justice was almost done.Al Cosa continued, "And my son Tommy... He was burned alive in an elevator. Forensic team said his charred, deformed body burned so badly that... they needed tweezers to collect him."Two fat tears carved paths through his ashen stubble. I mirrored his grief - shoulders curling inward, breath catching - as the incinerator roared to life behind him. Its hunger vibrated in my molars."They found nail marks," he whispered. "Inside the elevator door. My boy...my Tommy clawed iron hot metal until his fingers..." A wet choke. "You know what fire does to lungs before death comes?"I let my own eyes glisten. "Mr. Cosa, I...""You're about to find out."I pretended to be horrified. "Mr. Cosa, I'm...""Sorry?" The wheelchair lurched forward. "You shoved my Tony off a balcony! Trapped Tommy in that metal coffin!" Spittle hit my cheek. "And now you're standing he