Chapter 6

LYRA

As soon as I was sure nobody was coming back into my room, I grabbed my phone and opened my banking app. The five hundred thousand Zade gave me sat right there in my account, and I stared at the balance longer than I needed to.

Damn. The money was real. So was the deal I’d made with him.

I couldn’t afford to waste any more time, so I pulled up the number the surgeon gave me and called him. He answered after a few rings, and I got straight to the point. We confirmed the amount, and I transferred the money while we were still on the phone.

“Payment received,” he said after checking his end. “Your appointment is in three weeks. I’ll send you the details and everything you need to know before you come in.”

“Three weeks?” I asked, just to be sure I’d heard him right.

“That’s correct. Make sure you follow the instructions I send you.”

“Yeah, okay. I will.”

We ended the call, and a few seconds later, the instructions came through. I saved the appointment in my calendar, then opened the message and read through everything carefully. There were things I needed to do before the surgery, warnings about the risks, and instructions I couldn’t afford to ignore.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew there was no guarantee the transplant would work. I also knew what could happen if I kept putting it off. I’d spent enough time worrying about whether I’d make it to the next month. At some point, I had to stop being scared and do something about it.

For the first time since making the deal with Zade, I let myself think about what came after the surgery.

If everything went well, I’d recover, get out of his penthouse, and start figuring out my life again. I didn’t know where I’d go or how I’d manage on my own, but I’d deal with that when the time came. Anything was better than depending on a man who acted like he could decide what happened to me.

I put my phone down, and a sharp pain shot through my side.

“Ah, shit.”

I pressed my hand against the spot and tried to breathe through it. The pain kept coming in waves, making it hard to get comfortable. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for it to ease, but all I could think about was the kiss I’d shared with Zade earlier.

The pain I’d been dealing with then had faded when he kissed me. I’d noticed it, sure, but I’d been too caught up in everything else to think much about it.

Now, though, I couldn’t get it out of my head.

What if it wasn’t a coincidence?

I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to make sense of it. Maybe the pain had eased on its own, and the timing was just weird. That made more sense than believing a kiss could somehow make me feel better.

Still, I couldn’t ignore how different I’d felt standing so close to him. There’d been this strange warmth inside me, and now that it was gone, I felt worse than before.

“Okay, Lyra. You’re overthinking this,” I muttered.

I eased myself onto the bed, stretched my legs out, and pulled the blanket over me. I needed rest, and sitting there trying to figure out Zade wasn’t going to help.

I’d worry about it later.

My eyes grew heavy as I settled against the pillows. I meant to close them for a minute, just long enough to let the pain settle.

Somehow, I slept off instead.

A few hours later, I was still asleep when the sound of the front door opening woke me up.

I shifted under the blanket, hoping whoever came in would keep the noise down. Then I heard Zade’s voice downstairs. He sounded like he was talking to one of the security guys, though I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Great. He was back.

I rolled onto my other side and pulled the blanket up to my chin. Whatever business kept him out all evening was none of my concern. I’d dealt with enough for one day, and the last thing I wanted was another conversation with that man.

Besides, I was still hurting, and I didn’t have the energy to deal with his attitude.

So I closed my eyes again and pretended I hadn’t heard him come in.

A few seconds later, I heard footsteps in the hallway.

They were getting closer.

I opened my eyes, ready to call out and ask whoever it was to leave me alone, but the words died before they could leave my mouth.

Something strange was happening inside my chest. A soft warmth spread through me, and the closer the footsteps came, the stronger it got.

My fingers tightened around the blanket, and I held my breath when a voice finally stirred in the back of my mind.

MATE. MATE

I blinked.

Wait. What?

The word came through so clearly that I couldn’t pretend I’d misunderstood it. My wolf was awake, and she was calling someone her mate.

I didn’t have time to figure it out. My bedroom door suddenly swung open without so much as a knock, and Zade stood in the doorway.

His eyes were glowing.

I stared at him, unable to move, while that strange warmth surged through my chest again. My wolf stirred at the sight of him, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Oh, hell no.

There was no way she meant him. Zade was arrogant, controlling, and completely impossible to deal with. Whatever was going on inside me, I couldn’t accept that he was somehow connected to it.

He stepped into the room, his expression leaving no room for an argument. When he spoke, his voice came out low and rough, almost a growl.

“You’re sleeping in my room tonight.”