LOGINKatlynThe next day, the morning sun offered no warmth as I sat rigidly in the passenger seat of Lukas’s sleek black sedan. The silence between us was heavy, thick, and very much suffocating.I glanced sideways at him, watching the unyielding line of his jaw. Usually, a car ride with Lukas was a battlefield of witty banter, infuriating smirks, and relentless, arrogant teasing that never failed to send my blood pressure soaring. I used to pray for quiet—I used to think there was nothing I wanted more than for him to leave me alone and act like a normal, distant boss.Now, having gotten exactly what I wished for, the quiet was torturous.He hadn't said more than three words to me since we stepped out of the estate. No clever retorts, no sharp side-glances, no teasing comments about my outfit or my attitude. He treated me with a polished, freezing politeness that felt like a slap in the face. The playful spark in his eyes was completely gone, replaced by a wall of ice. And as much as
Katlyn The sad, distant smile Lukas gave me before walking away left me with a sense of disappointment in myself.I stood frozen on the edge of the stone porch, the chilly night wind whipping my hair wildly across my face, but I barely even felt the bitter cold biting at my skin.My eyes were glued to the exact spot where Lukas was standing in the shadows near the tree line. That smile… it wasn’t from the arrogant, smirking billionaire boss I was so used to dealing with. It was a look that made my stomach do a violent, painful flip.He was intentionally staying away from me. He was standing thirty yards away in the dark because he had seen the paralyzing terror in my eyes when his beast took over, and he was keeping his distance so he wouldn’t scare me any further.And the worst part was that I had caused it. My own panic had driven him into the dark.I stood on the cold porch, clutching my arms tightly as several severely injured guards were carried past me toward the medical wing.
I couldn’t just let her leave it like this.Not tonight.Frustrated, I followed her upstairs to her bedroom door, my jaw clenched so tightly that a sharp ache shot into my temple. My long strides easily devoured the hallway as my mind raced with a million questions. I wanted to demand to know why she kept building these walls higher every single day, why she couldn’t just let me hold her. I reached my arm toward the dark wooden door, my knuckles curling into a fist, ready to pound against it.But just as I reached out to knock, my hand began to shake violently.A sudden tremor rippled through my fingers. My muscles locked as a wave of unnatural heat surged through my veins. The skin stretched painfully across my knuckles, and a low, involuntary growl vibrated in the back of my throat.My wolf was clawing at my ribs.Frantic.Starving.Its sanity was slipping because the unsealed mark on Katlyn’s neck was pushing the beast inside me into a corner.I forced my trembling hand back down,
Lukas The private study was heavy with a thick, suffocating silence that not even the faint rumble of the city traffic outside could break. I leaned my hands flat on the edge of the mahogany desk, my head hanging low between my broad shoulders as an agonizing throb pulsed behind my temples."They're getting closer, Lukas," Valeria murmured, her tactical gaze locked onto my face as she paced the length of the rug. Her leather gear rustled softly in the dim light. "Rafael's men have been spotted creeping around the borders of the city, likely watching his every move to find a weakness. They know you're vulnerable right now. They know the pack isn't fully locked down yet."I didn't answer right away. I just clenched my jaw, a low, warning vibration starting deep in my chest.“Lukas... you look like death. The unsealed mark on her neck is eating your wolf alive from the inside out. I am pleading with you to let Katlyn know exactly what is at stake regarding his mental stability. She’s
Katlyn I lay flat on my back in the center of the massive, empty bed, staring blankly up at the dark ceiling. The sheets around me felt so cold, and no matter how many times I tossed and turned, pulling the blankets up to my chin, I was unable to sleep.My sleeplessness wasn't because of fear. I wasn't scared of the dark, and I wasn't scared of this giant, silent penthouse.Instead, my chest was burning with a heavy, toxic mix of anger and frustration. I was furious with myself for letting my stupid jealousy over Valeria get the best of me. I should have kept my cool. I shouldn't have let that fierce female Gamma see that she had gotten right under my skin, and I definitely shouldn't have let her see how much it bothered me that she was so close to my husband.And on top of that, I felt a deep, nagging irritation at Lukas.Usually, he was so persistent. Usually, the second I locked my door, he’d be standing right outside, his heavy fists rattling the wood as he demanded to know what
KatlynI braced myself, expecting a threat, but her next words knocked the air out of my lungs."Have you not noticed anything unusual about Lukas's deteriorating physical condition lately? You’re supposed to be his wife.”Annoyed by the constant intrusion into my personal life, I stood up from my chair, my chest heaving with a surge of anger."You know what? I am done with this," I fired back, my voice rising in a defensive snap as I glared into Valeria's cold, evaluating eyes. "Why is everyone in this damn territory so obsessively up in my business regarding their Alpha? Lukas this, Lukas that. I can't even breathe in this house without one of you jumping out of the shadows to talk to me about him!"Valeria didn't even flinch. She just stood there, her posture perfectly straight and lethal, which only made my blood boil hotter."If you are so deeply concerned about him, and if you're so worried about his physical condition," I continued, my voice dropping into a freezing, sarcasti
Katlyn I practically fell through the front door, my four-inch heels clutched in one trembling hand as I leaned against the mahogany wood to catch my breath. My lungs burned, and my heart felt like it was trying to kick its way out of my ribs.This isn't real, I chanted to myself, my mind spinning
Lukas, 29I smelled it before I even saw her.Fuck.I smelled her, the intoxicating scent of cedarwood, vanilla, and something sharp, like a thunderstorm brewing over the Swiss Alps. It was the scent of a being I had been searching for through a decade of agony.Warm, sweet, alive and mine.Mine.T
Katlyn I stepped into the elevator at exactly 8:00 PM. My heart was thundering harder than any pulse I’d ever written for a hero, and I was praying, pleading with the universe—that he either hadn't seen the drive or was too busy to open it.Heaven knows I would not survive the look on his face aft
Katlyn “Reject it!”I didn’t even look up from the tablet. I paused, then continued.“It’s a collaboration request from—”“Reject it.”I inhaled slowly through my nose, already feeling the headache brewing behind my eyes. “Sir, this is the third partnership proposal from the textile conglomerate in







