LOGIN"Lanka, if you don't cut the waterworks right now, I’m turning this car around and we're going home!"Andrew’s voice cut through the cabin like a whip. I swallowed a thick sob, trying to choke back the noise, but the hitch in my chest kept giving me away. The driver kept his eyes glued to the road, probably wishing he could shift and run into the woods to escape the tension. Andrew was vibrating with annoyance, his face a mask of dark marble."You cry if I won't let you leave. I agree to the split, and you're still leaking everywhere. What do you want from me?"He snarled the words, his hand clenching into a fist on his knee. The leather of the seat creaked under the pressure. I shrank back against the door, blinking my swollen eyes, feeling like a pup backed into a corner."I'm done, see? No more crying," I muttered, my voice thick.He let out a sharp, jagged breath. "You think this is me being angry? You haven't seen me truly lose it."Andrew shut his eyes as if looking at me was ca
Andrew’s pupils blew wide, his beast pacing just behind his ribs as he stared Julian down. One gaze was dark and infinite, hiding a blade so sharp it could carve through bone. The other was sparked with a mocking, jagged smirk—an open challenge from a wolf who didn’t fear the Alpha’s shadow.Between the silent clash of their scents, they both looked ready to tear out each other's throats.Andrew’s mouth thinned into a dangerous curve. "Lanka is my mate. If you truly value your skin, Julian, you’ll learn where the boundaries are."Julian just chuckled, a low sound that vibrated with defiance. "The moon changes every night, Andrew. Today’s status doesn't dictate where he'll be tomorrow."The meaning hit like a physical blow: today Lanka might bear the Wolfe name, but the future was up for grabs.Andrew’s jaw ticked. Vanessa, sensing the shift in the air, felt the sting of it instantly. She lunged forward, clawing at Julian’s arm."Julian! Do you really want that stray? How can you look
I sent the message and didn't wait for a reply. At that moment, Andrew was likely at the Wolfe Industries Tower, probably looming over his tech team while they babbled about their latest lunar-cycle tracking chips. He’d been pouring pack resources into that project for over two years without a single breakthrough.The council members were usually at each other’s throats about the budget, while the lead engineers scrambled to defend their work. Andrew was known for being a block of ice in those meetings, but when his phone buzzed, a quick glance at the screen made his entire demeanor shift.He double-checked the sender, and a faint, sharp smirk flickered across his lips.That one look was so out of character that the noisy boardroom fell into a dead, confused silence. The air in the room got thick with static. Andrew shot back a reply with predatory speed.[Sure.]He stood up, his voice cutting through the silence like a cold wind. "Innovation doesn't happen on a schedule. You’re all b
"I’m giving Lydiasa a ring. I’ve got things to handle this afternoon, and I’m sure you’ve got a pack to run."I didn’t wait for an answer. I pivoted toward the door, where my phone sat on a low stone console by the entryway—exactly where Andrew had left it. I kept my eyes fixed forward, refusing to look back at him. My heart was a tangled mess; a pathetic part of me was screaming for him to reach out, to say something—anything—that would make staying feel like an option.But the fear was sharper. I was terrified that if he actually tried to hold me, I wouldn't have the strength to let go.Turns out, I didn't need to worry. I made the call, and Andrew didn't utter a single word. He just stood there, a cold statue in the middle of the room. I guess all that "caring" in the bathroom was just smoke and mirrors after all.Once the line went dead, Judith was sent by Lydiasa to unlock the heavy oak doors."The Matriarch is waiting for you both in the garden," Judith said, her eyes unreadable
I let go of the door handle and spun around, fishing my phone from my pocket."Gotta give Lydiasa a ring. She can't keep us caged in here like pups."Just as I was about to hit the dial, a pair of long, strong fingers swooped in and snatched the device right out of my grasp. I looked up, locking eyes with Andrew’s dark, intense gaze. His jaw was set tight."Is being alone with me really that unbearable, Lanka?"I shook my head quickly, forced a hollow chuckle. "No, of course not."Andrew didn't buy it. His brows knitted together, swallowing the frustration that was clearly building in his chest. His voice softened, but the edge remained."Don't call her yet. Even if you do, Lydiasa isn't going to unlock that door until she’s decided we’ve 'reconciled.' You know how she is."I figured he was right. Lydiasa Hawthorne was the type to decide fates over a dinner table; a locked door was child's play for her. I nodded in silent agreement, and a heavy quiet fell over the room. Andrew was sti
"Andrew, don't."His voice was barely a rasp, but it hit me like a sucker-punch to the solar plexus, churning up a storm of sour, swelling agony in my chest. I just stared at him, my vision blurring uncontrollably as the heat rose in my eyes. I wanted to wrench my face away, to hide the wreckage of my pride, but Andrew wouldn’t let me.The hand that had been gripping my chin softened, his palm sliding up to cradle my cheek, anchoring me to the moment. I couldn't dodge him. One by one, tears broke free and tracked down my face, splashing onto his knuckles and sinking into his skin."Hey, look at me. Don't do that. I’m sorry, Lanka. It’s my fault. All of it."The tears were warm on my skin, but they seemed to scald Andrew. He flinched as if each drop was searing straight through to his heart.I didn't know he was thinking about the footage Lydiasa had sent to his encrypted link on the drive over. The video from the Grand Meridian Hall gala. He’d watched the playback of that chaotic nigh
I let out a shaky breath, pressing my face into the solid, warm expanse of Andrew’s chest. My damp hair clung to his skin, the cold droplets creating a sharp, stinging itch against his collarbone.Andrew’s jaw tightened, his pulse drumming a steady, heavy rhythm beneath my ear. "Stop the performanc
“Don’t spiral, Lanka. You weren’t hunting—you were surviving. You did what any wolf would do to protect their throat. That filth had it coming the moment he laid a hand on you!”Julian pulled me into a hard embrace, his scent of cedar and rain act-ing as a balm to my fractured nerves. Gradually, th
I recognized the voice on the other end of the line—Serena’s—and it sent a killing frost through my soul. But I couldn’t let the predator behind me sense my despair. I forced my body to go limp, leaning back into the man’s chest as if I were finally surrendering to the inevitable.My sudden shift f
Andrew hauled me into the back of the SUV, sliding in right after me.Daniel Cho fired up the engine and, with the silent efficiency of a trained sentinel, hit the console button to raise the soundproof partition. The small, enclosed space was immediately thick with the scent of the Alpha—woodsmoke,







