LOGINLUCA——Okay. I need to be honest with myself for exactly one second.She was fucking beautiful in that silver dress.Not just beautiful like pretty or attractive or nice to look at. No. Beautiful in the way that hits you in the chest without warning and knocks all the air out of your lungs. The kind that makes you forget what you were about to say and why you were pretending to be calm in the first place.I was not expecting it to mess with my head like that.I chose the right dress. That much was clear. It hugged her in all the places I pretended not to notice and moved when she moved like it was loyal to her body alone. For a moment I just stood there looking at her like an idiot and thanking every instinct I had ever trusted.Then she opened her mouth.And reminded me exactly who I was dealing with.Getting her to the date felt like walking beside a loaded weapon that could go off emotionally at any second. I tried to tease her. Tried to make her smile. Tried to lighten the mood t
KIKI——Luca takes my hand like it is the most natural thing in the world and for a second I consider biting him just to feel in control again.Instead I let him lead me outside.Big mistake.Because the place he brings me to is… ridiculous. Soft lights strung between tall trees. Water flowing somewhere nearby like it was hired to be romantic. A table set just far enough from everything else that it feels private without being creepy. Flowers. Candles. The whole dramatic fantasy package.I stop walking.“You cannot be serious.”He turns to me with that stupid calm face that makes me want to throw something expensive. “What. You do not like it.”“I feel like I walked into a movie trailer,” I say. “Is this the part where you say something poetic and I pretend I am not emotionally constipated.”He laughs. Actually laughs. Like a normal person. “Relax. No poetry. I promised myself I would not traumatize you tonight.”“Wow. Growth,” I deadpan.He pulls out a chair for me. “Sit down before
KIKI—-Rejecting him felt like the only thing I still had control over.It was the one decision that belonged to me. The one line I could draw and say this far and no further. I opened my mouth ready to say it again properly this time but Luca did not let me finish. He kissed me like the words offended him. Like my rejection was something he could silence with his mouth.And it worked.I hate that it worked.The kiss was not gentle. It was not sweet or patient. It was claiming. Demanding. The kind of kiss that steals air and leaves your thoughts scattered on the floor. I had to shut my mouth because my body betrayed me and leaned into him before my brain could catch up.Now what.Now I am back in this room staring at walls that feel closer than before and angrier at myself than I am at him.I hate this room.I hate how quiet it is. I hate how it smells like nothing. I hate how everything here reminds me that I am trapped in a life I did not choose with a man who looks at me like I al
LUCA—-The way I explained the whole date thing to Kingsley was clean. Logical. Almost noble. Anyone listening would think I was acting out of love or patience or some sudden emotional growth.The truthHe would never suspect the real reason behind my decision.There was too much happening at once. Jackie plotting. Gabriel breathing down my neck. Rogues moving in the shadows. A kingdom watching every step I took like I was one wrong move away from starting a war. I did not have the luxury of time. I did not have the patience to slowly convince Kiki that fate was not her enemy.So I needed speed.Win her over fast. Get her attached. Get her settled. Get her to stop fighting the bond long enough for me to breathe again.Then maybe I could deal with the mess she had dragged into my life.HarshYesBut honestWith Jackie and Gabriel back in the picture Kiki was a liability whether she liked it or not. Those two did not play games. They destroyed lives. And while she owed me nothing emoti
LUCA—-I still cannot believe she actually tried to reject me.Reject me.The thought circles my head like a blade that refuses to dull. I am the Alpha King and yet she looked at me with fire in her eyes and said my name like it was something she could walk away from. Like I was optional. Like fate itself could be argued with if you spoke loudly enough and stood your ground.What the fuck.I walked her back to her room because anything else would have ended badly. I could feel it in my bones. My control was stretched thin and if I stayed near her any longer I would either beg or break something. Possibly both. Neither option would end with her staying.The way she looked at me when she said she hated the goddess did something ugly to my chest. Not anger. Not pride. Fear. The kind that makes a man reckless.So I did the only thing I knew how to do before losing control and doing something that would make Kiki hate me enough to actually finish that rejection next time.I went to the tr
KIKI——“I have been looking everywhere for you.”The voice hits me before the scent does and my body reacts before my mind can catch up. I turn and there he is. Luca. Standing at the edge of the garden like he owns the air, the ground, and apparently my peace of mind.He closes the distance in three long strides and before I can step back he pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss to my forehead.Again.What is this man’s obsession with my forehead I think, stiff in his hold while my heart betrays me by speeding up like it has a mind of its own.His arms are warm and solid and entirely too secure. It feels dangerous how easily he fits around me, like my body recognizes something my head refuses to accept.I glance sideways and see Gabby frozen a few steps away pretending she does not exist.Luca looks at her once.Just once.She bows so fast I almost miss it and disappears like she was never here.Of course she does.“I asked you to rest,” he says, his voice low and controlled like







