Lycidas' POV
The sunset hung heavy outside my window, its crimson glow bleeding through the curtains, casting jagged shadows across the room. I'd dragged the man back to my lair, his wrists still bound tight with the coarse rope. The stairs creaked under my boots as I hauled him up, his useless squirming only stoking the fire in my gut. I flung him onto the bed, the frame groaning under his weight, and watched him thrash like a trapped animal, his voice grating against my ears.
"Let me go!" he barked, his words sharp and desperate, clawing at the air. "I must go see my pro officer today! Otherwise..."
I loomed over him, my shadow swallowing his form, and let a smirk curl my lips. "Otherwise, will they throw you in jail again?" My voice rumbled low, a predator's taunt, and I savored the way his eyes flickered with panic, even as he tried to hide it.
"Let me go!" he snapped, his tone brittle, cracking under the strain. He twisted against the ropes, his scar
Leah's POVAs I walked out of the clinic, Dr. Jafar stood there, his white coat flapping like a tattered flag in the wind, his eyes pinning me with a gaze that felt too heavy, too knowing. He stepped closer, all stiff formality and quiet urgency, and I froze, my breath hitching."Your Highness," he said, his voice cutting through the dusk like a blade, "I came immediately after receiving your call."I tilted my head, letting a flicker of surprise twist my lips. "I thought you wouldn't come," I rasped, my tone dry as dust.He straightened, his jaw tightening. "In our medical school, we took oath. We swore to answer all Lycan calls. Besides…" His eyes softened, just for a heartbeat, "I very much hoped to see you, to confirm your well-being."I swallowed, the weight of his words sinking into me like claws. "I called because I wanted to know something about Leo," I said, forcing the name out, bitter and sharp. "I know you used to be his colleagu
Leah's POVI walked into the clinic, its low-key luxury pressing against me like a velvet glove hiding claws. The air bit at my skin, cool and sterile, a frail shield against the chaos clawing inside my chest. The place reeked of money - polished wood, soft lighting - but it couldn't drown out the stench of my own fear.I was halfway through the door when this security guard stepped in front of me, all stiff like he’d caught me trespassing. "Ma'am, may I ask who you are and why are you here?""Leah Winters, coming for Dr. Aspen Monk," I replied.He squinted at his clipboard, flipping pages like it was some top-secret file. "Uh… I don't see your appointment listed."Before I could answer, another guard - older, salt-and-pepper mustache - grabbed his elbow and jerked his chin toward the wall. "Winters Clinic," he muttered, like it was obvious. "This is Mrs. Winters. Her clinic."Kid turned beet red. "Oh, shit. I mean, sorry, Mrs.
Leah's POVLiam's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer. He turned to me instead, softening just enough. "You okay?"I nodded, shaky, pulling my clothes straight. "I'm fine," I lied, voice thin.But Darren lunged, grabbing Liam's collar. "Did you fuck her?" he growled, teeth bared.Liam shoved him off, hard. "That's not your business," he shot back. "But touch her again, and I'll rip your throat out."The air crackled, thick with threat. Darren's fists balled, ready to strike, but I stepped between them, trembling but firm. "Stop," I said, louder than I felt. "Both of you."Darren's eyes met mine, hurt bleeding through the rage. "Leah…"I shook my head, tears streaming now. "You need to leave, Liam."He blinked, stunned. "What?""You're fired," I said, forcing the words out, cold and sharp. "Get out. For real this time."Liam's face crumpled, pain flashing raw in his eyes. "Boss, you can't mean that. After eve
Leah's POVThe next morning, I woke to a bed that felt too big, too empty. The sheets beside me were cold, the imprint of Darren's body gone like he'd never been there at all. My chest tightened, a jagged panic slicing through me. The moon's bloody glare from last night still lingered in my mind, and now this—him missing again. I bolted upright, heart slamming against my ribs, sweat beading on my scarred skin. Those marks from the slave market itched, a reminder of chains I'd never fully shed. He couldn't be gone. Not after everything.I stumbled out of bed, bare feet hitting the floorboards with a slap that echoed in the too-quiet house. My breath came fast, shallow, as I tore down the stairs, the ache in my bones screaming from the night before. A clatter drifted up from below—metal on metal, faint but real. My pulse stuttered. Maybe he hadn't left me. Maybe he was still mine.The kitchen doorway loomed ahead, and I caught the scent first—gre
Leah's POVThe night pressed against me, heavy and thick, like a beast breathing down my neck. I slumped on the sofa, the leather creaking under my weight, a glass of something sharp and amber cradled in my hand. It burned going down, slow and deliberate, a quiet fire licking at the edges of my thoughts. In front of me, Darren sprawled across the floor, his body limp, chest rising and falling in the deep, drugged sleep Leo's sedative had forced on him. One shot, and the wildness in him had crumpled, leaving behind this shell—calm, almost human again. I stared at him, the faint scars on his arms catching the dim light, and wondered how long that peace would hold before the monster clawed its way back.The growl of a scooter cut through the stillness, a jagged sound that scraped against the silence. Seth. I didn't need to hear the door slam open to know it was him—his presence always hit like a storm, chaotic and unapologetic. He burst in, all sharp edges and
Leah's POV"People say that before death, a person's true nature will be revealed," Finn said, voice steady, taunting. "Do you want to know what Gean was like before he died?"Leo stabbed deeper, rage contorting his ruined face."He begged me on his knees like a dog," Finn continued, "begging me to spare him. He said that as long as he could survive, he could even help me kill you…"Leo spat blood, a crimson arc, his eyes wild. Finn raised a hand, poised to end him, but I moved - fast, instinctive - leaping forward to block the blow. Blood seared through my arm, hot and fleeting, as I pulled Leo into my arms, shielding him.He stared up at me, blood-streaked, stunned. "Why… why did you do this?"I knelt, snapping the shackles from his feet, my voice firm despite the tremor beneath it. "You're my family, Leo. I know you can't see it at all, but that it what it is. You're a Lycan. Our kind will never be chained, tamed, or manipul
Leah's POVThe moon hung low that night, its crimson glare spilling over Redwood Mansion like a wound torn open in the sky. I stood before it, breath fogging in the chilled air, my boots sinking into the cracked earth where grandeur once reigned. The luxurious manor where my grandfather had held court was a husk now, its walls sagging, its windows blind and gaping. Yet the murals - those gorgeous, sprawling tales of Lycan triumph - clung to the stone, and the carved beams overhead still bore the weight of forgotten glory. A ache bloomed in my chest, sharp and unbidden, not for the place itself, but for the blood that tied me to it, the lineage crumbling like the house before me.A werewolf guard shifted in the shadows, his eyes catching the moonlight as he tracked my approach. He stepped forward, then froze, nostrils flaring as the Lycan aura rolled off me - thick, primal, a warning stitched into my bones. His gaze dropped, and he shrank back, a mutt knowing its place.
Seth's POVI shoved him back, firm but not rough. "Calm down, bro. Your wound's fresh-stitched.""Wolf!" he rasped, thrashing. "Boss... She's got wolf claws!"I pinned him with a look, my gut twisting. "Bro, that Cheetah really scared you, didn't it? Boss is a woman - how's she a wolf?""Surveillance!" he barked. "Check it! You'll see!"I yanked my laptop from the table, pulling up the feed. The screen flickered, and there they were - Liam riding Leah, tangled in a mess of lust. I grinned, slapping his shoulder. "You dog. Didn't know you look good on camera."His face burned red, but he ignored me, stabbing the fast-forward key. Then it hit - a massive Cheetah exploded onto the screen, slamming Liam down, claws sinking into his chest. He crumpled, out cold. Leah pounced, seizing the beast and hurling it out the door before stalking after it.I slammed the laptop shut. "See? Cheetah got you, not Boss."Liam stared, dazed, rubbin
Liam's POVThe room felt claustrophobic, the walls pressing in as I stared at the boss. She stood there, tall and commanding, like she always did, but something was wrong - horribly wrong.My chest tightened, heart slamming against my ribs so hard I thought they'd crack. Sweat stung my eyes, trickling down my face, cold against my flushed skin. I wanted to bolt, to yell, to do something, but my feet were cemented to the floor."Impossible," I rasped, the word scraping out of my dry throat.She turned her head, slow and deliberate, her eyes catching the light—glowing, predatory."Liam, you're hallucinating."I couldn't think straight. My mind clawed for something solid, something to hold onto.My dad's voice came back to me, low and steady like it always was - Don't rush to judge, Liam. Try to understand.He’d been big on that - seeing things from the other side. But this? This wasn't a perspective I could wrap