CHAPTER 4: THE DEVIL'S OFFER

EMBER’S POV

This morning I was a married omega trying to save her marriage with expensive lingerie.

Now I’m a soon-to-be-divorced omega who fucked the Lycan King in an airplane bathroom and let him finger me to orgasm while my husband was on the phone.

My life has become a complete disaster.

The pilot’s voice crackles over the intercom.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Anchorage. Local time is 7:43 PM and the current temperature is minus twelve degrees.”

Anchorage. Home.

The seatbelt sign dings off and passengers spring into action. I have no luggage, no coat, no plan. Just the clothes on my back and about two hundred dollars in my bank account.

I’ll find a cheap hotel, I decide. One of those budget places near the airport. I’ll figure out my next steps in the morning. Call my parents and try to explain why their daughter’s arranged marriage just imploded on Christmas Eve.

Yeah. That’ll be a fun conversation.

I stand on shaky legs, my body still feeling the aftermath of everything Knox did to me. His cum has dried uncomfortably in my skirt and I’m painfully aware that I’m still not wearing underwear because the Lycan King pocketed my torn panties like some kind of pervert.

I step into the aisle and immediately freeze.

Knox is suddenly there, blocking my path, his blue eyes locked onto mine with that same intensity that makes my heart race.

“You’re coming with me.”

I blink up at him. “I appreciate what happened back there, I do. But you’re still basically a stranger and I barely know you beyond the fact that you’re the Lycan King and you just—” My face heats. “Well. You know.”

“Fucked you senseless in an airplane bathroom?” His lips curve slightly. “Yes, I’m aware.”

“Right. That.” I clear my throat. “Look, it was... good. Really good. But it was just sex. We don’t owe each other anything.”

“I disagree.”

“You can disagree all you want, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I try to move past him but he doesn’t budge. “Excuse me.”

“Where exactly are you planning to go?”

“Hotel. There’s a Holiday Inn near the airport.”

“With what money?”

I lift my chin. “I have enough.”

“For how long?” He tilts his head, studying me. “One night? Two? What happens when that runs out?”

“I’ll figure it out. People do it all the time.”

“And what happens when Gale tracks your credit card and shows up at your door?”

My stomach drops. I hadn’t thought of that. Of course he’ll track my card. He has access to all our accounts.

Knox sees the realization on my face. “You have two choices, Ember. Walk out of here with me willingly, or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Either way, you’re coming with me.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” But even as I say it, I can see in his eyes that he absolutely would. “That’s kidnapping.”

“It’s protection.” His voice softens slightly. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ember. But I’m also not going to let you wander around Anchorage alone, broke, with your unhinged husband hunting you down.”

The scary part is, I believe him. This man I barely know, this Lycan King who just finger-fucked me while my husband was on the phone, actually seems concerned about my safety.

Maybe I’ve completely lost my mind, but I’m considering it.

“Why?” I ask quietly. “Why do you care what happens to me?”

Something flickers across his face, there and gone too fast for me to read.

“Let’s just say I’ve always been intrigued by Gale’s little omega wife. The way you smiled at those boring pack events while he ignored you. The way you’d bring us coffee during meetings and pretend you didn’t notice when he looked right through you.” His hand comes up to cup my jaw, thumb brushing over my bottom lip. “You deserved better than him. And I have a proposition that might interest you. Especially if you’re interested in making Gale Crawford’s life a living hell.”

That gets my attention. “You’re bribing me with revenge?”

“I’m offering you options.” His lips curve into a smile that’s pure sin. “The question is whether you’re brave enough to take them.”

I should walk away. Should tell him to leave me alone and handle my problems myself like an adult.

But the truth is, I’m terrified. I have no real plan, barely any resources, and Gale is probably already on his way here. I’m trying to act tough, trying to stand tall, but I’m a house cat trying to roar like a wolf. And the idea of making Gale suffer the way he made me suffer?

That sounds really, really good.

“If this proposition turns out to be something creepy,” I say, meeting his eyes with more bravery than I feel, “I’m kneeing you in the balls and stealing your car.”

His laugh is genuine, surprised. “Fair enough.”

He extends his hand. After a long moment’s hesitation, I take it. His fingers close around mine, warm and possessive, and he pulls me into the aisle. My heart is pounding. I’m literally leaving with the Lycan King. The most powerful, most dangerous alpha in North America. What am I doing?

We move through the jetway and into the terminal. Knox’s hand settles on the small of my back, and even through my shirt I can feel the heat of his palm burning into my skin.

“So where exactly are you taking me?” I ask, trying to sound casual and failing. “Please tell me it’s not some creepy murder cabin in the woods.”

“I don’t do cabins. Too rustic.” There’s amusement in his voice. “I’m taking you somewhere you’ll be safe, fed, and properly taken care of.”

“Properly taken care of.” I swallow hard. “That’s ominously vague.”

Knox glances down at me, and the heat in his eyes makes my stomach flip.

“Would you prefer I be specific? I’m taking you somewhere I can strip you out of that cum-stained skirt, put you in a hot bath, feed you something that isn’t airplane food, and then fuck you in an actual bed like you deserve.”

My face flames. “You really have no filter, do you?”

“None whatsoever.” He sounds completely unbothered. “Life’s too short for false modesty.”

We round a corner and suddenly chaos erupts ahead of us. Camera flashes everywhere. Shouting. Reporters swarming like vultures sensing blood. And in the middle of baggage claim, looking absolutely unhinged—

“EMBER! EMBER, I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!”

Gale.

He’s actually here. He flew here ahead of me somehow and is now having a complete public meltdown.

His suit is wrinkled, his tie gone, his hair sticking up in every direction like he’s been tearing at it. Logan Reeves stands behind him looking deeply uncomfortable while two other pack members try unsuccessfully to calm him down.

“We need to talk! Please! I love you! Don’t do this!”

Several reporters are filming everything, phones out, clearly sensing a major scandal brewing.

Oh my god. This is going to be everywhere by tomorrow morning. Every pack in North America will see this.

Knox’s hand tightens protectively on my back. “This way.”

He steers me toward a corridor marked “Private Access” and pushes through the door like he owns the place. Maybe he does. The Lycan King probably has access to everything.

We emerge into a quiet hallway and I can still hear Gale’s voice echoing behind us, muffled but desperate.

“EMBER! Please! I can change! I’ll be better! I’ll go to therapy!”

“He sounds stable,” Knox comments dryly.

“He’s probably been drinking with Logan.” The words slip out before I can stop them. “They do that when they’re stressed.”

Knox’s eyes sharpen with interest but he doesn’t push.

“Come on.”

We reach another door and he pushes it open, revealing a private parking area. A sleek black BMW M8 is waiting, engine purring, driver standing at attention beside it.

“Mr. Volkov.” The driver opens the back door immediately.

Knox guides me toward the car but I stop, my feet refusing to move forward. This is it. Once I get in that car, there’s no going back. I’m making a choice to trust a man I barely know, a man whose reputation includes making alphas disappear when they cross him.

But what’s my alternative? Go back out there where Gale is having a meltdown? Find a cheap hotel where he’ll track me down within hours? Who knows what he’d do when groveling doesn’t work?

“I need to know what this proposition is,” I say, looking up at Knox. “Before I get in that car with you.”

Knox turns to face me fully. The parking garage lighting casts shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more dangerous than usual. More devastating too, in a way that makes my breath catch despite everything.

His hand comes up again, fingers gentle as they tilt my chin up.

“Not here. But I promise you, Ember—what I’m offering will give you everything you need. Safety. Protection. Resources. And the chance to make Gale Crawford wish he’d never been born.”

My pulse races. “That’s still vague.”

“Get in the car and I’ll explain everything.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Trust me.”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you.”

“No,” he agrees. “But you know Gale. And you know what’s waiting for you if you walk away from me right now.” His eyes hold mine. “So what’s it going to be, Ember? Take a chance on the devil you don’t know, or go back to the hell you’re trying to escape?”

I look at the car. At the open door. At the promise of something different, something that might actually give me the power to fight back. Then I look back toward the terminal where my husband is probably still screaming my name for cameras.

The choice suddenly seems very simple.

I slide into the back seat.

Knox follows immediately, the door closing with an expensive thunk, sealing us into leather-scented darkness. The car pulls away smoothly, leaving the airport—and Gale’s public breakdown—behind us.

My heart won’t stop racing. I’m in a car with the Lycan King. Alone. After having sex with him. This is insane.

“So,” I say, my voice coming out smaller than I’d like as city lights stream past the windows. “What’s this proposition?”

Knox settles back against the seat, looking completely at ease, like he didn’t just orchestrate my escape from a very public scene. In the dim light, his eyes catch the passing streetlamps, turning them almost silver.

When he smiles, it’s pure wickedness.

“How would you feel about being my fake girlfriend for the next week?”