Chapter 8

Rowan POV

Watching the hockey star talk with someone, my thoughts slowly drifted away.

The sight of them together made something ache quietly inside me.

Maybe if my parents were still here, I could have had moments like this too. Maybe I could have been held in their arms and told that everything would be alright.

I swallowed and looked away.

I let myself imagine what it would feel like to have someone waiting for me, someone who would worry when I was hurt and pull me into their arms without asking me to explain why I was hurting.

Then I shook my head.

Those were things I could only imagine now.

“Alright, let's go protect your things.” Drake closed the door and slipped a small bottle into his pocket before walking around the car.

I watched him for a moment before opening the passenger door and getting inside. “Your brother gave you that?”

He glanced at me. “The bottle?”

I nodded.

“Something for the wolfsbane.”

“Oh.”

I buckled my seatbelt and looked through the windshield.

Drake got into the driver's seat and started the engine. The cocky hum of the Lamborghini filled the parking lot.

My fingers tightened around the strap of my medical bag.

Five minutes.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time. Five minutes had already passed.

“Drive faster.”

Drake turned his head slightly. “Were you not the one admiring my brother's car a few minutes ago?”

“That was before my ex decided to become a criminal.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Relax. We'll get there.”

“You don't know Lucas.”

“And you do?”

“Unfortunately.” I sighed and leaned back against the seat.

My mind immediately went to the Moon Gem stone.

I couldn't let Lucas touch it, could touch anything else, maybe.

But not that.

My mother had placed it in my hands the day she left this world and made me promise to protect it.

I closed my eyes briefly. Please don't let me be too late.

Drake glanced at me again. “You're really worried about that jewelry.”

I opened my eyes. “It isn't just jewelry.”

“What is it?”

I hesitated.

There was something in his voice that made the truth climb to the tip of my tongue. .But I turned away before I could let it out. “It's complicated.”

He didn't push.

The car sped out of the parking lot and I watched the buildings blur past the window.

I checked my phone again. Then I muttered under my breath. “Lucas, you better not touch my parents' things.”

Drake's hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

“Trust me,” he said calmly. “If he touches them, he'll have more than you to deal with.”

“Yeah, like you care about me.”

“Whatever makes you happy, Rowan. Just remember you owe me one.”

“Yes, I know.”

He glanced at me before turning his eyes back to the road. “Should I guess where you live?”

I chuckled shyly. “Oh, sorry. Yeah, my house address is…”

I gave him the address and settled back into my seat.

The car fell silent again.

Neither of us spoke for the rest of the drive. I kept checking the time on my phone while Drake drove with his eyes fixed on the road.

When we finally arrived, I stared through the windshield.

Something felt wrong.

This was my house. At least, it was supposed to be. My gaze moved toward the front yard and my heart dropped.

The flowers I had carefully planted along the walkway were crushed into the soil. Broken stems were scattered everywhere and some of the pots had been knocked over.

My hand flew to the door handle. “Lucas!”

I threw the door open and jumped out of the car.

I stormed straight toward the door, leaving Drake behind as I reached for the handle and flung it open.

The smell hit me first. The entire room stink of high percentage of alcohol.

Then my eyes landed on the couch.

A dirty man was sprawled across it with an empty bottle hanging loosely from his hand. His clothes were a mess and his hair was disheveled as he wiped his face with the back of his hand.

“Lucas?”

He lifted his head and let out a hoarse laugh. “Haha... you finally came back, Rowan.”

His eyes wandered over me before he raised the bottle. "Go get me a bath now.”

My jaw tightened. I could feel my patience slipping away. “Are you out of your mind? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Lucas's smile disappeared. He grabbed another bottle from the table and hurled it against the wall.

Crash!

I flinched as glass exploded across the floor.

“Don't you ever shout at me again, Rowan!”

His voice was thick with alcohol but there was nothing weak about the anger behind it.

He pointed the broken bottle in my direction. “You murderer son of a bitch.”

My fingers curled into fists.

“Get me a new drink now.”

“Where is the jewelry, Lucas? Where is the goddamn jewelry?”

“Ahhhh, you want it?” His lips twisted into a drunken grin. “Come suck my dick” He staggered to his feet and pointed mockingly at his trousers. “It’s hidden right here.”

My stomach turned. “Lucas, I will ask you one more time.”

I stepped closer, my fists tightening at my sides. “Where is the jewelry?”

“Come get it like a good boy. It's inside my treasure. Have a taste, Rowan.”

I shoved him away as he reached for my arms. “Go meet the same person you were fucking yesterday. My patience is running thin.”

Lucas's face twisted with rage. He grabbed the bottle and hurled it across the room.

Crash!

I flinched hard.

For a heartbeat, the room disappeared.

The sound of shattering glass dragged me somewhere else entirely.

Back to the day I lost my father. My breathing grew shallow as my fingers trembled at my sides.

Not again.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Not again.

I felt a hand yank my hair. 'Bastard, you have no right to talk to me like that. If I tell you to obey me, you obey me. Now bend down like the dog you are and let me have some fun.”

My vision grew blurry as he dragged me toward the scattered pieces of broken glass.

I stumbled, barely managing to keep my balance as my feet scraped against the floor.

Lucas staggered behind me, his drunken grip tightening around my hair. My heart pounded violently against my chest.

The broken glass glittered beneath the dim light. I knew exactly what he intended to do.

Panic surged through me as I struggled against his grip. “Lucas..."

“Shut up and let me do what I want. You can get the jewelry after that.”

He shoved me to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my hand as several pieces of broken glass pierced my skin. Blood immediately began to seep from the cuts as I stared at my trembling fingers.

My breath caught in my throat. “Lucas...”

Lucas slowly loosened his trousers, his expression twisted into something I barely recognized. “Weren't you all that bold over the phone? Let's see how bold you can be now.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

This wasn't the Lucas I knew.

Even when we had serious fights, things had never gotten anywhere near this.

Everything felt different and it felt terribly wrong. What happened to him? Was there a truth I’d been kept from?

“Lucas, what exactly is going on?”

“Nothing, Rowan.” His eyes remained fixed on me as a disturbing smile crept across his face. “I just want you to learn something after this beautiful experience.”

He lunged at me before I could react.

I scrambled backward but he was already on me, his claws extending as his fingers tore through the fabric of my clothes. “Lucas, stop!”

I pushed against his chest with everything I had, but my strength was nothing compared to a half-transformed werewolf.

He barely moved.

His claws caught against my shirt again, shredding another piece of fabric as I struggled beneath him.

Panic flooded through me. This wasn't the Lucas I knew.

This wasn't the man I had argued with countless times or the person I had once trusted enough to let into my life.

This was someone else. A monster wearing his face.

I fought harder, twisting beneath him and trying to get enough distance to escape, but his grip only tightened. “Lucas, please!”

He ignored me. My heart hammered against my ribs as the last of my strength began to disappear.

The room blurred around me and the broken glass scattered across the floor seemed to shimmer beneath the light.

I couldn't understand how everything had gone this wrong.

How had the person I once knew become someone I was now terrified of?

“Lucas...” My voice cracked.

But he didn't stop as his rod slowly protrude my entrance.

A thunderous roar suddenly shook the room. “Get the hell off his body!”

That was the last thing I heard before everything went dark.

In a flash, Lucas's weight lifted and I heard a crash against the floor.

Then there was shouting. Someone was calling my name.

I tried to open my eyes but they felt impossibly heavy. My fingers twitched against the cold floor as I fought to hold on to consciousness.

Who was that?

The voice sounded angry.

But it was strangely reassuring too. I wanted to know who had come and to believe I was finally safe.

But the darkness was already pulling me under. Please... don't let him touch me again.

That was my last thought before everything disappeared.