บททั้งหมดของ Luna To Alpha Ace: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

Three weeks later, I'm standing in the empty shell of what used to be my life. The moving truck left this morning, taking all our furniture to Denver. Our house sold faster than anyone expected—James said we got lucky with a cash buyer who wanted to close quickly. Now I'm doing a final walk-through of rooms that no longer feel like home. I'm thirteen weeks pregnant now, just barely showing, and the morning sickness has finally started to ease. I should be excited about the move, about starting fresh in a new city. Instead, I feel like I'm walking to my execution. Zoe's PI friend found some disturbing information about those Chicago payments, but not enough to build a case. The money trail leads to a shell company that doesn't seem to exist, registered to an address that turns out to be a vacant lot. Whatever James was paying for, he went to great lengths to hide it. "You ready, beautiful?" James appears in the doorway of our empty bedroom, car keys in hand. He's been calling m

Three days. It's been three days since the moving truck disappeared with my mate, and I have no idea where she is. Marcus finds me in my office at the pack house at two in the morning, surrounded by empty coffee cups and crumpled papers. I haven't slept. Haven't eaten. Can barely think straight. "Anything?" he asks, though we both know the answer. "Nothing." I throw another dead-end lead into the trash. "It's like they vanished." I've called every contact I have. Traced every possible connection to James Collins. His employer claims he took a leave of absence. His bank records are locked down tight. Even his utilities have been transferred to a company name I can't track. "He planned this," I say, running my hands through my hair. "He knew I was watching, and he planned the perfect disappearance." "We'll find her, Ace." "Will we? Because right now it feels like I failed her before I even had a chance to save her." The mate bond is driving me insane. Every instinct

Three days. Three days since we arrived in Denver, I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong. Not just the usual wrong that comes with living with James—this is different. Deeper. I press my face against the kitchen window, scanning the quiet street for today's hundredth time. Nothing. Just empty sidewalks and unfamiliar houses with their perfectly manicured lawns. "What are you looking at?" James's voice cuts through my thoughts like a blade. I don't flinch anymore. I've learned not to give him that satisfaction. "Just getting familiar with the neighborhood." "Right." He moves behind me, close enough that I can feel his breath on my neck. "You're not looking for someone, are you?" My heart stops. "What do you mean?" "Nothing." But his hand finds my shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to remind me who's in control. "Just making sure you're adjusting well to our new life." Our new life. As if this move was something we decided together instead of something h

My phone buzzes at 2:47 AM. I'm already awake, staring at the ceiling and replaying Maya's words. *I know the signs. You're not alone.* James sleeps beside me, one arm thrown possessively across my waist even when I'm unconscious. He's been extra attentive since the incident with Maya yesterday, bringing me tea and checking on me every hour like the perfect husband. The phone buzzes again. I slide it out from under my pillow as carefully as possible. Two missed calls from Zoe. My heart pounds as I ease out of bed. James doesn't stir. In the bathroom, I close the door and call her back. "Lily?" Her voice is sharp, alert despite the hour. "Thank God." "What's wrong? It's almost three in the morning." "I couldn't sleep. The investigator called me with an update, and I've been up all night going through everything. Lily, I need you to sit down." I'm already sitting on the closed toilet seat, gripping the phone so hard my knuckles are white. "Tell me." "It's about

JAMES Carmen leaves with promises to call me after her next doctor's appointment. I watch her walk away from my office building, her hand resting protectively on her stomach, and feel something I haven't felt in years. Hope. Real, biological hope. For the first time since this whole nightmare started, I might actually get what I've always wanted. A child who shares my DNA. A child who belongs to me completely. The irony isn't lost on me. After years of lying about my fertility, after paying Dr. Weber fifty thousand dollars to get Lily pregnant with someone else's baby, my actual child is growing inside a woman I was using for stress relief. Life is funny that way. My phone rings as I'm driving home. Lily's name flashes on the screen. "Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling?" "Better. Maya stopped by earlier with more soup." Her voice sounds different. Distant. My grip tightens on the steering wheel. "I thought we discussed this. No visitors." "She was just bein