The softness in her tone caught him off guard. It was a subconscious call, a whispered admission that she was aware of his presence. Lucas's heart skipped a beat as he wondered if she was truly awake or simply dreaming of him.For a moment, he hesitated, torn between the desire to stay and the risk of shattering the illusion. Her unexpected tenderness tempted him to linger, to see if she would say more, but he knew better. He decided to leave before the spell was broken.As he turned to leave, Lila's sleepy voice halted him. "Where are you going?" she asked, her words barely above a whisper.Lucas froze, his back to her. He didn't dare turn around, fearing what he might see. "I'm just going to...check on some things," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.There was a pause, and for a moment, Lucas thought he'd gotten away with it. But then Lila spoke again, her voice a little stronger this time. "Don't go."The words hung in the air like a challenge, and Lucas felt his resol
"You don't know what you're talking about," she told him, feeling overwhelmed by her emotions. It had been weeks since she had seen him. It felt like she had finally found a part of herself that had somehow gone missing."I don't?" he questioned, watching her darkly. "Then tell me, Lila. Why must you keep pushing me away? Why do you keep ignoring me? Why do you hate me so much?" he pushed. "I want to know everything."She could burst into flames at that moment as her darkest memories flashed in front of her eyes, reminding her of all those years she had to spend orphaned and nearly homeless. The sense of loss she felt then made it seem like her life had ended and there was nothing left for her to live for.It made her feel so alone, deserted, lonely, and insignificant because the only people she mattered to were gone forever. It shattered her devastatingly. No matter how much she tried to be strong on the surface, her darkness always found a way to seep through.She wanted to yell at
His breath hitched, and his hands roamed down her body, gripping her waist firmly. “You push me away, and then you pull me back in. You’re driving me insane.”“Then let me fix it,” she whispered, arching against him. Her lips found his neck, her teeth grazing his skin as she fought the overwhelming hunger inside her.Lucas groaned, his grip tightening. “Tell me you won’t disappear after this. Tell me you won’t shut me out again.”She hesitated. A part of her knew she always ran, but she didn’t want to think about that now. She just wanted him, only him.“Right now, all I know is I need you,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.His gaze darkened. “That’s not enough.”She flinched at the intensity in his voice. “Then make it enough,” she challenged, her nails digging into his back, silently begging him to close the space between them.Lucas let out a deep, shaky breath before capturing her lips again, his kiss demanding, possessive. His hands slid under her shirt, his finger
"Lila, you awake?" Jake's voice cut through the haze in her mind. Lila barely moved, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts tangled in the events of the past. The sheets were cool against her skin, the silence of the room pressing in around her. A shadow shifted by the door. "Come on," Jake continued, his tone lighter. "Don’t make me check if you’re breathing. That would be awkward for both of us." She sighed, rolling onto her side, meeting his gaze. "I’m breathing." Jake smirked, stepping into the room. "Good to know. But judging by that look on your face, you’re either plotting my murder or contemplating the mysteries of the universe." Lila didn't answer. She wasn’t sure she had an answer. Jake sat on the edge of the bed, too close for her liking, yet she didn’t move away. His warmth, his presence—it was a reminder that she wasn’t entirely alone, even if she wanted to be. "You slept longer than usual," he observed. "Want to talk about it?" She let out a short laugh
Jake’s voice was soft, careful. "Does it hurt?" Lila glanced down at her cybernetic arm, fingers curling slightly as if testing its weight. "No," she murmured. "Not really." He reached out, hesitating just before touching it. "Can I?" She tensed. No one had asked before. The doctors, the engineers—they had handled it like a machine, something separate from her. But Jake… he asked. Lila gave a small nod. His fingers brushed over the metal, gentle, exploring. "It’s warm," he noted, surprised. "It adjusts to my body temperature." Jake hummed thoughtfully. "That’s… kind of amazing." She didn’t answer, too focused on the way his touch made something in her chest tighten. He wasn’t looking at her arm with pity, wasn’t treating her like something broken. For some reason, that made it harder to breathe. "You know," he continued, voice light, "you could totally use this as an advantage. Punch someone, and they’d never see it coming." Despite herself, Lila huffed a small l
Chapter:The Jake, with his companion nestled close, providing nourishment, felt an unparalleled joy. He envisioned repeating this ritual daily, a constant source of anticipation. Lila was the center of his universe, his personal sun, radiating warmth and contentment. Yet, a shadow lingered. He recalled the previous day's painful exchange between Lila and Lucas, his brother. Lucas appeared shattered, a sight that caused the Jake considerable unease. He felt a strong urge to discuss this with Lila, to understand her reasons for rejecting Lucas. However, he hesitated, wary of jeopardizing the fragile trust she seemed to offer him. He knew that pushing her too hard could cause her to retreat further into herself. After the Jake finished feeding Lila a specially prepared breakfast, designed by the chef to be richer and calorie-dense to aid her wolf's rapid recovery, he inquired about her readiness. The meal, however, had made her drowsy, an unfamiliar sensation. She responded with a y
Lucas fixated on the monitor, his gaze unwavering as Jake positioned her for the camera. His body tightened, a dull ache pulsing within him as Jake's fingers gently separated her delicate folds, revealing her completely. He understood Jake's intentions. Jake had sensed his inner turmoil, his carefully constructed composure crumbling. Though he usually excelled at masking his emotions, presenting a stoic facade, Jake possessed an uncanny ability to perceive others' true feelings, and he saw right through him. Jake was also aware of his tense exchange with Lila the previous day. His actions were a gesture of support, and despite his reservations about Jake pushing their shared companion too quickly, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the screen as Jake displayed her before the camera, ensuring every detail was visible. He groaned, a sensation of fullness building within him, almost painful. The scene before him felt surreal, like a dream unfolding, because he had f
Lila's New LifeA week passed quickly, and Lila's existence in the brothers' residence settled into a consistent pattern. Each morning, she would awaken to find Jake bringing her breakfast. He would engage her in conversation and spend some time with her before departing for his work. Upon his return in the evening, he would dedicate the remainder of the night to being physically close to her and conversing with her. She was acclimating to this routine, which, for the moment, was acceptable. Jake required her complete focus and consideration whenever she was awake. The remaining hours were spent in a state of light sleep, particularly after she took her medication. On the nights following Jake's departure, Lila consistently sensed an unseen presence within her room, observing her and occasionally making physical contact. She was always aware that it was Lucas. He consistently visited her during the darkest part of the night and departed silently, like a phantom. On certain occasio
Frostbite and Fireworks:"“You sure you’re not walking me into a trap?”Lila’s voice cut through the storm, low and razor-sharp, carried on the wind like a blade tossed by fate."Would I waste this much time just to kill you?” Arika replied without glancing back, her silhouette a blur through the thick curtain of snow. “Don’t flatter yourself.”"You’ve done worse for less."Lila adjusted the grip on her sidearm beneath her coat, every muscle coiled. “And you still haven’t answered how you got the servers out of here without leaving a trail.”"You'll see.”It wasn’t a tease. It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise laced with something darker—familiar, dangerous, and maddeningly vague.The snowstorm howled around them like a feral thing, wind battering exposed skin and biting through layers as they trudged deeper into the derelict port grounds. Long-dead cranes loomed like rusted sentinels, skeletal and forgotten. The place reeked of salt, decay, and memory.Lila kept scanning—trees, rooft
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