the return

Chapter 3: The Return

Three years later.

I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse office, watching the city lights flicker below. My reflection stared back—a woman in a tailored black dress that hugged every curve, hair falling in sleek waves, heels that cost more than my entire wardrobe used to.

Not a single person would recognize the broken Luna I used to be.

"Ms. Cross, your four o'clock is here," my assistant Rachel's voice came through the intercom. "Mr. Lucian Volkov."

Lucian Volkov. Lycan. Mafia king. Ruthless bastard who controlled half the underground operations on the East Coast.

"Send him in."

The door opened, and Lucian Volkov walked into my office like he owned it.

He was massive—at least six-foot-four, built like violence wrapped in an expensive Italian suit. Dark hair pushed back from a face that was all sharp angles and brutal beauty. His amber eyes locked onto me with an intensity that would have made the old Amara drop her gaze.

I met his stare without flinching.

"Mr. Volkov. Please, sit."

He didn't. He walked slowly around my office, examining everything with the careful attention of a predator.

"Amara Cross," he said, his voice a low rumble with the barest hint of an accent. "The ghost in the machine. The hacker every corporation wants but can't find. You're younger than I expected."

"And you're ruder than I expected. I said sit."

His lips curved. He sat, sprawling in the chair like a king on a throne. "I need your services."

"Everyone does. What makes you think I'm available?"

"Because I'm willing to pay five million for three months of your exclusive time."

I didn't react. Three years ago, that number would have made me faint. Now it was just another Tuesday.

"I don't work exclusively for anyone, Mr. Volkov."

"I'm not anyone." He leaned forward, those amber eyes pinning me. "I own forty percent of the security contracts in this city. I have business interests that span six countries. And I have enemies who would very much like to see those interests destroyed. I need someone who can make my systems untouchable."

"You need a miracle worker."

"No. I need you."

The way he said it sent something hot sliding down my spine. I shoved the feeling away. I'd sworn off men three years ago.

"Ten million," I said flatly. "Six months exclusive contract. Non-negotiable."

Lucian smiled, and it was terrifying. "Done."

He stood and extended his hand across the desk. I rose and took it, meaning to shake professionally.

The moment our skin touched, the world tilted.

The bond slammed into me like a freight train. Hot and electric and absolutely undeniable. My wolf, dormant for so long, roared to life inside me, screaming one word.

MATE.

No.

I yanked my hand back, but it was too late. I could see in his eyes that he felt it too.

"You're a wolf," he said quietly, his voice dropping to something dangerous.

"That's not relevant to our business arrangement."

"Like hell it's not." He moved around the desk faster than I could track, suddenly in my space, towering over me. "You're my mate."

"I don't want a mate." The words came out sharp. "I don't want anything to do with bonds or fate or the Moon Goddess's sick sense of humor."

"That's not how this works."

"That's exactly how this works." I stepped back. My wolf was going insane, trying to push forward. I shoved her down brutally. "I've built a life without needing anyone. I'm not going back to being weak."

Something flashed in his eyes. "Weak? You think accepting a mate makes you weak?"

"I think giving someone that kind of power over you makes you stupid." I moved behind my desk, needing the barrier. "I learned that lesson the hard way. I'm not learning it again."

"You've been hurt before."

"That's none of your business."

"It is now." He placed both hands on my desk, leaning in. "You're mine, Amara. The bond doesn't lie."

"The bond can go to hell." I met his eyes. "You want to hire me? Fine. Ten million, six months, strictly professional. But the mate thing? That's not happening. Ever."

We stared at each other. The air between us was thick with tension and that damned bond pulling tighter.

Finally, Lucian straightened. "I don't give up on things that belong to me."

"I don't belong to anyone."

"We'll see." He headed for the door, then paused. "One more thing. You've been invited to the Shadowmoon Pack's annual business gala this weekend. Are you going?"

My blood went cold. "How do you know that?"

"I know everything, Amara. It's how I stay alive." He glanced back. "I'm attending as well. Business with your former Alpha. I'll see you there."

He left, and I sank into my chair, hands shaking.

Shadowmoon Pack. Damien. Sera. Maybe even Kai, though he'd be eight now. Old enough to have forgotten me completely.

I'd built an empire in three years. Created security software that Fortune 500 companies fought over. Made myself powerful and untouchable.

I wasn't the broken Luna anymore.

Maybe it was time Damien saw exactly what he'd thrown away.

I picked up my phone. "Valentina? I need a dress for Saturday. Something that will stop traffic."

"Amara, darling, all my dresses stop traffic on you."

"I need this one to cause a car crash."

Saturday night arrived too quickly.

I stood in front of my mirror in a dress that was probably illegal in several states. Deep crimson, almost blood-red, with a neckline that plunged to my sternum and a slit up my thigh that ended somewhere dangerous. My hair was swept up, showing off diamond earrings that had cost more than Damien's car.

I looked expensive. Untouchable.

The pack house was lit up like a palace. The same building where I'd spent five years being invisible. Where I'd been called inadequate and weak.

I stepped out of the car and immediately felt eyes on me. Every conversation stopped.

I walked up the steps with my head high, heels clicking against marble.

The ballroom was exactly as I remembered—crystal chandeliers, polished floors, pack members dressed in their finest.

I'd barely made it through the door when I felt him.

Damien.

His Alpha presence washed over the room. I turned slowly, and there he was.

He looked older. Tired around the eyes. Still handsome in that cold way, but something had dimmed. Sera was on his arm in a gold dress that tried too hard.

His eyes swept the room and landed on me.

Confusion. Then shock.

He left Sera standing there and walked straight toward me, cutting through the crowd.

When he reached me, he just stared. Up close, I could see the lines around his mouth, the gray at his temples.

Then he smiled. That same cold, superior smile.

"So you've finally come back," he said, loud enough that people turned to look. "I knew you wouldn't last long out there. You were always too weak to make it on your own." He looked me up and down. "I'm in a good mood today, Amara. Act appropriately, and I might consider taking you back. We could use a decent babysitter for Kai."

The ballroom went silent.

Everyone was watching now, waiting to see how the pathetic former Luna would respond to her Alpha.

I smiled.

It wasn't a nice smile.

"Tell me, Damien," I said, my voice carrying across the quiet room. "Does your mistress know you're this delusional? Or is that something you save just for special occasions?"

His smile froze.