Chapter 3

Luca

The nightmare returned. It was the same blood and screams I could never unhear. My chest heaved as I woke up with sweat slicking my skin.

“You’re awake, baby,” a sultry voice moaned beside me. Her hand slithered down my chest. “I’ve been waiting for you to finish what we didn’t get to start… I’m starving for you.”

Her lips brushed my jaw and her hands moved lower. “I missed you,” she moaned, as she let her fingers tease her own body. She shamelessly touched herself and locked her eyes with mine.

She moaned and arched her back, letting her breasts spill from the lingerie she barely wore. Her lips trailed to my neck, her hands following suit, but I grabbed her wrist before she could go lower.

“Enough,” I growled making her flinch at the sudden change in me. I wasn’t the same man she came in with last night.

“Anthony” I called and in seconds, he appeared and bowed his head slightly. His eyes were very careful.

“Sir.”

“Get her out.”

“Yes, Alpha.” His voice was clipped, and he didn’t spare the girl a glance as he ushered her out, despite her protests.

I sat on the edge of the bed and put my hands in my hair. The pain was back and more unbearable. It was worse than it had been in weeks and it felt like I was slowly losing myself. It made my wolf restless. All because of her. Because of Lana Vale.

Fucking fate.

Of all people to be mated to, it had to be the golden daughter of the Vale family. The very family I wanted to ruin and bring to the ground.

My phone vibrated and I picked it up without looking.

“Speak,” I said.

“I heard she’s finally at your estate,” my father answered.

“She is.”

“Good. The documents are signed. She belongs to us now. Can’t believe that bastard, Mark gave her up that easily. Not that I give a shit.” He continued.

“If your confirmations are done, I’m hanging up now.”

“Don’t fuck this up, Luca,” Matteo warned, his temper already rising. “You protect her until the job is done.”

“And if I don’t?” I replied as I leaned back. “I’m not exactly known for charity.”

“Ruin this, and you’ll wish I killed you when you were born.” He snapped.

I smirked. “You forget I don’t play well with threats. You lost the right to command me years ago.” Before he could say anything else, I ended the call and tossed my phone onto the bed.

My reflection in the mirror stared back at me. My reflection was the monster everyone made me become. My pack and my people were weakening by the day. All because of a curse placed on us by something my father did long ago. He never told me the full details, and I never cared to ask. All I knew was that Lana was the key to breaking it.

She doesn’t know about the curse and about what she is. Doesn’t know what her father did either and I’m not going to be the one to tell her…not yet. Because if she ever learns the truth, she’ll run… or worse, she’ll try to end it all before the bond is complete and then we all burn.

She may be my mate but she’s also the one I’ll enjoy tormenting.

A knock hit my door.

“What?” I snapped.

Anthony’s voice trembled slightly. “Sir… the girl… she’s gone.”

Gone?

I burst out of the room, half-dressed. I stormed through the halls, questioning guards and maids with anger they knew not to test.

“Search every corridor, every room. If she escapes, I swear on the Moon goddess, I’ll rip out your throats myself!” I threatened as they all scattered.

While I headed outside, I called Mark Vale.

“I don’t play games, and your daughter is pressing buttons.”

“Watch your tone, Luca”

“No, you watch your tone. You gave her to me, remember? You seem to forget who you’re dealing with. If she’s with you, I want her back in my mansion in one hour. One.”

I didn’t wait for his response before I ended the call.

A sweet scent hit me and when I turned my head to where it was coming from, I saw a figure darting through the garden, dressed in one of the maids’ uniforms. Except….that wasn’t my maid.

I gave Anthony a single look and he understood. A few seconds later, he and two other men pinned the intruder.

“Let me go! Do you know who I am? I’ll ruin you!” she shouted, kicking and thrashing like a wildcat.

I walked toward her and her scent hit me even harder. Our eyes locked and of course it was Lana.

“Don’t look at me like that, you lunatic,” she snapped.

My men shifted uncomfortably because no one ever spoke to me like that.

“Enough. Let her go,” I ordered.

They dropped her and she straightened herself with whatever pride she had left. The stolen maid’s outfit clung tightly to her curves in dangerous ways I wasn’t too pleased with. Her breasts spilled near the edge of the fabric, and rage tightened inside me. No one should be seeing her like that.

“It’s good to know you’ve come back to your senses,” she muttered as she pushed her long black hair to her shoulders.

“I’d like to go home now,” she added, turning away. “And since you clearly won’t take me, I’ll find my way.”

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. Did she really think I was going to let her walk away?

In three strides, I had her thrown over my shoulder, one hand gripping her thighs, the other resting possessively on her ass.

“Put me down, Luca!” she yelled, pounding her fists on my back. “I swear I’ll rip your wolf heart out with my bare hands!”

I ignored her empty threats and carried her through the hallway, past wide-eyed staff who knew better than to speak. She struggled and kicked the entire way until I had had enough. I dropped her and pinned her to the wall, letting my hand grip her neck. Not aggressively but enough to make her stay still. Our faces were closer than I wanted them to be. Her breath mixed with mine and her scent….fuck I hated how much effect it had on me. I tilted her chin with my thumb, forcing her to meet my gaze.

“You need to understand something, Lana,” I whispered. “I fucking own you.”

Her honey brown eyes looked at my lips and her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to say something but she didn’t.

“You can run to the end of the world. Shit, you could go to another realm but there’s no denying that you can’t stop this and you can’t hide. Not until the bond is complete. If we don’t go through with the ritual, if we don’t seal the bond..” I leaned closer as she looked at me like she wanted to devour me. “..we both die.”

Her eyes flicked to my lips again and this time I couldn’t control myself. I crashed my mouth against hers.