LUCAS POV After spending hours on the phone with everyone I knew who could help me with this trial, I finally managed to push it back by one day. It wasn’t as much time as I would’ve liked, but I couldn’t afford to complain. Having just one extra day meant we needed to travel nonstop, which made me anxious, especially for Lila’s health. I kept a close eye on her, making sure she was doing well. She looked different, stronger, more confident. There was a glow to her, her cheeks fuller, her dimples showing again, and her hair looking shinier and healthier. Most noticeably, the clothes I had bought for her seemed to fit better. She had regained some weight, and it suited her. The way she carried herself now was different—more assured, more at ease. Seeing her like this made me feel relieved. She deserved to feel safe, to feel whole again. As we traveled, I handled important pack business over the phone, keeping everything in order while we were away. Even then, I couldn’t help but n
Lila let out a slow breath, eyes fluttering open to the dim glow of dawn seeping through the curtains. Her body ached—not from pain, but from the lingering sensations of the night before. She stretched slightly, her muscles sore yet satisfied, a warmth curling in her chest at the thought of Lucas. The way he had held her, the way he had whispered assurances against her skin. A rare moment of vulnerability between them. But as she turned, reaching out across the bed, her fingers met nothing but cool sheets.She sat up, a frown creasing her brow. Gone. Again.Swinging her legs over the edge, she rubbed at her temples, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. She should have known better than to believe Lucas would still be there when she woke up. It wasn’t in his nature to linger, not when there were things to be handled. Yet, disappointment sat heavy in her chest.Pulling on a loose shirt, she padded out of the room, her senses sharp despite the remnants of sleep clinging to her. Voic
The Road Trip & Jake’s Comfort :The plane touched down smoothly, and within minutes, they were off the runway and on the road. Lucas took the wheel, his focus unwavering, while Jake lounged in the passenger seat. Lila sat in the back, exhaustion creeping up on her.Jake turned, catching the way her eyelids drooped. "Get some rest, Lila." She huffed. "I can’t. My mind won’t stop." He reached over, fingers brushing hers. "You worry too much." Lila wanted to argue, but warmth spread from his touch, and her body betrayed her. She curled up slightly, her head resting against Jake’s shoulder."We’ll handle this," he murmured. "Close your eyes." Lila hesitated—then, for the first time in what felt like days, let herself rest.Arriving at the Server Location When Lila opened her eyes, the car had stopped."We’re here," Lucas said.She straightened up, her heart hammering. The old building loomed ahead, its worn brick exterior unchanged since the last time she was here.Jake whistled. "Charm
Lucas’s Ruthless Promise "There’s a chance they tampered with them," Lila admitted. "If they had time to plant a message, they could have planted something worse." Lucas’s hands tightened on the wheel. "If they did, we’ll handle it." His voice was cold. Too cold. Lila turned to him, something sharp curling in her stomach. "Lucas—" "No one does this without consequences," he said, his tone dangerously low. "They want to play games? Fine. But they’ll regret it." The raw promise in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. For the first time, Lila saw it—not just the controlled, strategic leader but something darker beneath it. Jake shifted in his seat, watching his brother with an unreadable expression. “Lucas, you’re scaring me,” Lila said, her voice barely a whisper. “This isn’t just about the servers anymore, is it?”“It hasn’t been for a long time,” Lucas replied, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “They crossed a line. They’ll pay for it.”“But what if they’re just trying to scare us
"Tell me everything." Lila's voice cut through the morning stillness like a blade. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her eyes locked onto Lucas and Jake. Lucas hesitated, but she didn’t give him the chance to stall. "No sugarcoating, no half-truths. Just tell me what happened." Jake exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Your impersonator screwed up. Big time." Lila’s stomach twisted. "What did they do?" Lucas met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "They tried to hack into Rikkard’s systems." The words sent a chill down her spine. Rikkard wasn’t just a threat—he was the kind of monster who didn’t forgive. If someone had attempted to breach his security, there would be consequences. Deadly ones. "And?" she pressed, her voice tighter now. Jake grimaced. "They failed." Lila inhaled sharply. Of course, they had failed. Rikkard wasn’t someone who let his systems be easily accessed, let alone infiltrated. Lucas’s jaw clenched. "Now he’s hunting fo
The drive back was tense. Lucas remained absorbed in legal documents, barely speaking. Jake tapped his fingers against the car door, occasionally glancing at her. Lila, however, couldn’t stop staring at the screen in front of her. The message from the impersonator—the one hidden in the server—mocked her. She had memorized every letter, every space, every possible pattern. Yet, it refused to make sense. She frowned. “Lawrence,” she murmured. Jake shifted. "What?" Lila exhaled, shaking her head. "I don’t know. It just keeps standing out to me." Lucas finally looked up. "You think he’s real?" Lila bit her lip. "I think if he is, he’s in just as much danger as we are." The car slowed as they approached their destination. Jake stretched. "We should probably focus on surviving this trial first." Lila smirked. "What, you’re not confident?" Jake grinned. "Oh, I am. I just like having backup plans." Lucas shut his laptop with a click. "Then let’s make sure we don’
Lila barely noticed the sound of the front door opening. Her fingers moved feverishly across the keyboard, her mind racing as she pieced everything together. The moment she cracked the final sequence, her breath caught in her throat.“Lila?” Lucas’s voice snapped her out of her trance. She turned sharply, heart still hammering. He stood in the doorway with Jake beside him, both looking exhausted but alert.“You’re back.” Her voice was hoarse from lack of use.Jake raised an eyebrow. “You sound surprised. What, you think we were gonna let the lawyers handle the trial while we ran off on some mission?” Lila blinked. “You mean… you didn’t?” Lucas sighed, rubbing his temple. “It was a formality. The trial was never going to be a real issue. We were more concerned about what you’d find while we were gone.” His gaze sharpened as he took in the state of the room—papers scattered, multiple monitors running different analyses, lines of code flashing on the screens. “And judging by the look o
LILA POV I told them about Arika—what little I could remember. Honestly, there wasn’t much, and what I did recall wasn’t great. Arika had always been trouble.She was three years older than me and never missed a chance to make my life miserable. I still remember the relief I felt when she disappeared and never came back. But now, staring at her face on the screen, I felt uneasy. The same way she always made me feel."Is she a hacker too?" Jake asked."I don't know… but she was good at taking things that weren’t hers," I admitted. I remembered how she used to steal from everyone in the orphanage, always shifting the blame onto others. More often than not, I took the fall. She enjoyed watching me struggle."I'll have my men look for her," Lucas assured me. I nodded, but deep down, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to track her down."But for now, you need rest," Lucas added firmly. "You’ve had a long day, and I won’t hear another word about it."I narrowed my eyes at him, tempted to argue. B
The locket in Arika’s hand glinted one last time in the fading light before she tucked it into the folds of her coat, her fingers twitching as though the cold no longer bothered her—just the past that still clung to her skin.But Lila wasn’t finished.Not yet.She turned slowly, like a predator toying with a rival too confident for her own good. “You know,” she said conversationally, her voice laced with honeyed venom, “for someone who prides herself on good taste, I’m surprised you didn’t notice the warning signs.”Arika’s head tilted. “What signs?”Lila’s smile was all razor-edge charm. “Oh, just that Salicus was riddled with diseases. Biochemical ones. I should know—I left him with a few.”The blow landed with precision. A flicker of something passed through Arika’s expression—a stutter in her breath, a twitch at the corner of her mouth. She masked it quickly, but not quickly enough.“You’re bluffing,” Arika said, voice clipped.“Am I?” Lila stepped closer, letting her words drip.
Lila’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. That sentence—so personal, so venomous—stuck in her like a blade wedged between ribs.Arika didn’t wait for her to recover. She turned and walked slowly toward the edge of the clearing, her fingers brushing the frost-covered rail of a long-abandoned cargo lift. The silence between them thickened.“I had a guest once,” Arika called over her shoulder, too casual. “You might know him. Salicus Grante.”Lila’s body snapped to attention.The name landed like a hammer.“You’re lying.”Arika looked back, one eyebrow raised. “Am I?”“Salicus is dead.”Arika gave a mocking little shrug. “Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night? Or just what you hope is true?”Lila took a shaky step forward. Her pulse thundered in her ears. “Where. Did. You. See. Him.”“Here. There. Doesn’t matter,” Arika said. “He’s a wanderer. A very persistent one. Had a few... interesting stories about you, too. I see where you get your taste in men.”Lila’s hands
Chapter Title: Blood Tides and Buried Truths"You look older than I imagined. The cold's not kind to you, huh?"Lila’s voice cut through the air, sharp as shattered ice.Arika smirked, slow and poisonous. “And you still greet people like you’re handing out ultimatums.”“I only greet the ones who fake their deaths and sell lies for a living.”Arika’s eyes flicked down her nose, unfazed. “Still bitter, I see. At least that hasn’t aged.”The wind between them twisted, biting through cloth and bone alike. They stood ten paces apart in the heart of the abandoned clearing, surrounded by cracked concrete and frost-covered crates. The silence of the ruin only emphasized how violently the past clawed its way into the present.“You died,” Lila said, voice low now. Controlled. “That’s what they told me. What you let them tell me.”“They weren’t wrong,” Arika replied smoothly. “Not entirely.”Lila scoffed. “You faked your death and vanished. What else was I supposed to believe?”“That I had a rea
The cold gnawed at Lila’s exposed cheeks as she emerged from the warehouse’s side exit and stepped into the clearing.A vast, open yard stretched before her.Flat, white, endless.The area must have once been the central cargo bay—a wide slab of cracked concrete now buried beneath ice and powdery snow. Massive tracks were etched faintly beneath the layers, ghost-lines of long-dead machinery. Here, where shipments had once been loaded, goods transferred, and orders barked, now only wind howled and silence ruled.She stepped forward slowly.Her boots sank with every crunching step, leaving deep impressions behind her. The expanse was so open, it felt vulnerable. Naked. No cover. No shadows to slip into. Just the broad chest of the clearing exposed to the grey sky overhead.Lila exhaled through her nose, eyes scanning left to right, then back again.No movement.No signs.And yet her pulse wouldn’t slow.Something didn’t add up.If this was Arika’s meeting point, where the hell was the e
The snow swallowed their steps as they began to move again.None of them spoke.The world had gone eerily still, as if holding its breath. Lila led the way, eyes narrowed against the wind, with Jake close behind her left shoulder and Lucas covering their right flank. Their boots crunched against the crusted snow, the only sound in an otherwise dead landscape.With every step forward, the forest behind them shrank, consumed by the encroaching white.“This is madness,” Jake muttered under his breath, his voice muffled beneath his scarf. “Visibility’s garbage. We’re tracking straight into open ground. Arika wants us blind.”“She wants a meeting,” Lila shot back, not looking over her shoulder. “And I’m not turning back.”Lucas scanned the tree line one last time before sighing. “Yeah, well, if we die out here in the snow, at least it’ll be poetic.”The wind howled in answer.Their pace slowed as the ground sloped downward, snow now knee-deep. Every few steps, one of them stumbled. Lila’s
Lila froze.The crimson dot shimmered against her coat, small but deadly. Her breath caught in her throat, her muscles wound tight. Not a single sound echoed behind her—no footsteps, no shouts, no signs of the guards or her brothers intervening. Just that quiet, icy stillness and the whine of wind over rusted steel.Where are you, Arika? she thought, pulse hammering.She didn’t raise her hands. She didn’t flinch. Instead, she stared up at the ridge. “You’re not going to shoot me,” she said, her voice even despite the cold in her spine. “If you were, you already would have.”A long beat of silence. Then a laugh—faint, hollow, metallic.The laser dot vanished.Lila exhaled slowly. Her hand dropped to her side, fingers brushing the outline of her weapon, but she didn’t draw it. That would only escalate things. She was here for answers, not war. Still, her unease grew by the second. Not because of the target on her chest.But because her wolf was silent.Utterly.Painfully.Silent.Why ar
Through the Snow:"You're seriously doing this now? In this weather?" Jake's voice was low but taut, his breath misting in the cold air.Lila didn’t flinch. "The message said tomorrow. It’s already morning. Waiting is not an option."Lucas glanced toward the gray sky, his jaw flexing. "Visibility’s down to nothing. If this is a trap—""Then I’d rather spring it on my terms," Lila cut in, her arms crossed beneath her coat. The biting wind whipped strands of her dark hair across her face, but she stood her ground at the mouth of the estate garage, eyes fierce beneath the gloom."You’re making a mistake," Jake muttered, zipping up his jacket. "We could wait an hour. Maybe the snow will break."Lila turned to him. "Or maybe Arika will take the servers offline in that hour. We don’t know what she’s capable of anymore. We can’t afford to gamble."The heavy garage doors groaned open behind them, revealing three armed guards preparing the convoy. The steel-blue SUV at the front revved to life
Lila's fingers twitched restlessly against her thigh, the room tightening around her as the conversation spiraled deeper into familiar but no less agonizing territory."If you come," she said, her voice breaking against the lump in her throat, "if either of you are seen—Arika could destroy everything. She won't hesitate, Lucas. You don't know her like I do."Lucas exhaled sharply through his nose, leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees. His gaze cut into her with razor precision, but there was no anger there. Only relentless, painful patience."I know you think she's a monster," Lucas said slowly. "But even monsters hesitate when they have something they value."Jake nodded, standing just behind Lucas like a second pillar of quiet strength. "She won't destroy the servers. She’s desperate for them. She made that clear when she sent you that message.""You’re wrong," Lila whispered, shaking her head. Her heart banged painfully against her ribs, desperate to be heard. "You’re both w
The clock ticked forward, dragging them closer to sunset, closer to whatever fate waited at the abandoned harbor.---"You’re not going alone," Lucas said flatly, his voice sharp enough to slice through steel.Lila flinched at the force of it but said nothing, fingers tightening around the hem of her jacket."I second that," Jake added, stepping in front of her, effectively boxing her between them. His expression was grim, his posture bristling with protective energy. "This isn’t up for negotiation, Lila."She opened her mouth to argue but found no words ready on her tongue. Their eyes burned into her, filled with something fiercer than anger—fear. Not for themselves. For her."I have to go alone," she whispered hoarsely, but it sounded weak even to her own ears.Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, a living wall of defiance. "Over my dead body."Jake didn’t speak this time—he didn’t have to. His glower said it all.Lila bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood, frustr