Mag-log inDamian's POVIt had taken every ounce of my humility to make the drive down the dusty road leading toward the edge of town. I did not like coming here, any more than I liked having to grovel at my brother's feet. But it was necessary to do this, as the Alpha of the pack.Up ahead, the gates and tall walls of Lucas's biker clubhouse rose out of the landscape. More like biker shithouse, I thought to myself.I knew coming here was a massive risk. Lucas has always hated my guts, and he probably hates me more now that we both know he's just an illegitimate son, and his men weren't exactly known for their warm hospitality toward anyone who wasn't their boss. But I didn't really have a choice. Everything was falling apart, and if I wanted to save what was left of our family's legacy, I had to swallow my pride.I pulled the car to a stop near the main entrance, turned off the engine, and stepped out onto the gravel. Instantly, half a dozen armed guards stepped out from behind the gates, the
Lucas's POVJax didn't say a word. He tossed his rifle to the side, letting it crash against the floorboards, and stepped out onto the open floor."If you want to die with your hands empty, Lucas, that's fine by me."I descended the rest of the stairs, landing on the cold concrete floor of the lower hall. The rest of the crew backed away, forming a wide circle around us. Nobody dared to draw a gun. The old club rules still meant something to these men, even in the middle of a mutiny.Without another warning, Jax lunged forward. The fight quickly turned into a bloody one as we both drew on our wolf strength. Jax threw a wild punch that caught me across the jaw, snapping my head back. I absorbed the blow, drove my shoulder into his midsection, and slammed him against a thick steel support beam."Is that all you've got, Jax?!" I yelled, driving a brutal short hook into his ribs. "COME ON, YOU TRAITOR!"Jax grunted in pain, his eyes flashing yellow as his claws partially extended. He let
Lucas's POV I woke up with Amelia beside me. At some point during the night, we had fallen asleep facing each other, close enough that I could feel her warmth against me. When her eyes opened, she smiled, and for a moment, I simply watched her before asking the question that had been bothering me since the mountains. "You're really not scared of me? Or are you just pretending because you don't want to hurt my feelings?" She smiled lightly, then trailed a finger over the bridge of my nose. "How can I be scared of you when you look this cute?" I blinked, then actually gaped at her. Cute? There wasn't a single part of me that could reasonably be described as cute. "Nothing about the fact that I shifted into the monster that made you pass out and brutally killed a man in front of you was cute, Wildcat." She pretended to think about it before her finger returned to the little crease between my brows. "I didn't faint because of you. I fainted because the pressure in my head bec
Lucas's POV Later that afternoon, I heard Amelia strolling through the house. There was something almost childlike about the way she moved from one room to another, opening doors, looking around, and occasionally letting out a quiet sound of amusement whenever she discovered something interesting. She had asked me earlier that morning if she could look around before I left. I had agreed, mostly because I knew she would probably do it anyway, and I had spent the rest of the morning dealing with the aftermath of the attack. There was no way Ronan's men could have known exactly when, where, and how to strike unless someone had given them accurate information. They hadn't stumbled upon us by chance, they'd gotten information from someone who had known about our trip for the Sun-Root. That meant there was a leaking lip amidst us and I needed to find out who it was. During the investigation, we had also confirmed exactly who had attacked us. I had managed to snatch a piece of clothing
Lucas's POV Amelia reached for the cup, stared at it for what seemed like forever, then at me, before finally raising it to her lips. The first sip made her entire face twist. I almost laughed. But she swallowed and took another, then another. Every swallow seemed to offend her entire existence. Her nose wrinkled, her eyes watered, and she grimaced like she was drinking poison, but she didn't stop, until the cup was completely empty. Then she slammed the cup down so hard, like it could somehow prevent her from taking the next round. I looked at the empty cup, then at her, and pride filled my chest. "Good girl." She made a disgusted face. "That was horrible. I hate you!" "No, you don't." I retorted and she glared at me. But despite the exhaustion in my bones, the blood still seeping through my shirt, and the memory of seeing her collapse in the middle of that battlefield, I couldn't help but smile. She was alive, she was here, and she had drunk every drop of the medicine that
Lucas's POV For a dreadful moment, I could only watch her body sway. Amelia's hands were pressed against her mouth, her face drained of color as the world seemed to spin around her. My first thought was that she had fainted because of me, because of what she had just seen. The monster I had kept hidden from her was standing right in front of her, covered in blood that wasn't even mine. Maybe she was terrified of me now. But none of that mattered when her knees buckled. I moved. She crumpled before I could reach her fully, and I caught her against my chest with my forelegs before she could smash her head against the rocky ground. Then I heard her heartbeat. It was slow, but still there. Relief tore through me as I looked down at her small body nestled against my enormous form. She had no business being here. She had no business anywhere near this fight, and yet, somehow, she had been brave enough to throw herself into the middle of it just to buy us time. I couldn't even be a







