جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

Layla POVAiden was curled in the corner of my office with one arm tucked under his cheek. His backpack sat carelessly on my desk. His dark hair had fallen across his forehead the way it always did when he slept.I crouched beside him and stayed there for a moment just looking at him.Six years old. The best and most frightening thing that had ever happened to me. The reason every careful measure, every quiet deliberate choice of the last seven years had been worth making.I pressed a hand to his cheek gently. He stirred but didn't wake. His breathing stayed slow and even.I straightened, pulled his office blanket over him, and went to find Travis.He was still at his desk. Travis Martin left last, arrived first, and treated every hour in between like a military operation.He looked up when I came in with the expression of a man who had been waiting."You're back," he said."I'm back." I sat down across from him. "Thank you for the bail. Start deducting it from my salary immediately

Layla POVDraven.He was standing beneath the willow tree across the road, naked from the waist up.Even from this distance, I knew he had run all the way from his pack through the woods. Sweat glistened on his olive skin.Why was he here? At this hour?And directly between us stood the hospital's head of security.The former rogue Gamma. Mr. Clyde.The same male who had told my son that he looked like his father.My heart lurched into my throat before I'd taken a single step.Did Draven find out about Aiden?Maybe this former rogue worked for him.Why else would he come here at such an early hour?I forced my feet to keep moving. Forward. Normal pace. The badge swung at my chest, the morning air cooled on my face, everything ordinary on the outside while my mind ran through every terrible possibility at once.Maybe he was just passing through. This was a coincidence.Please… let it be coincidence. "Good morning, Doctor Wallace." Clyde's voice sounded even.I couldn't answer. My ga

Layla POV"You look well," Carla spoke at last."You too." For another long moment we just looked at each other across seven years. The table between us felt much wider than it was.Then I let my gaze drift around the restaurant. Laughter rang in my ears now from the past. The sound of me, her and the girls the last time we hung out here. We'd been loud and careless, spilling into the outdoor seats like we owned the place. The LongClaws kids had watched us with part disdain and part fascination. Those days were another life now."How have you been?" I asked."I'll get to the point." She took a sip from her mug and set it down, then leaned forward slightly. "Did you bring the jewelry?"The question startled me. Did Draven not tell her about the interrogation?Or she already knew and was testing me."I don't have it anymore," I said.The look that crossed her face was almost a smile. "Of course you don't.""Carla–""Don't,” she cut me off with an edge. "Don't you dare say my name li

Layla POVHe didn't say anything else.He just parked, got out of his car, and rolled up his sleeves while peering at the engine with the same intensity he brought to everything. Then he got to work. I couldn't protest.Instead, I stood to the side and watched his hands move over the parts while telling myself that I was simply waiting for a verdict on my car.That's all I was doing.He had always had good hands. I had never forgotten that. No matter how hard I tried to. Strong. Perfectly shaped fingers. Hands that moved with intention rather than habit. I watched them now and could not stop myself from remembering what it had felt like to have him touch me. The surprising warmth of his caress. The way he had tilted my chin before kissing me.Seven years, Layla, I told myself. That was seven years ago.My heart didn't care about the timeline.He straightened. "Alternator."I blinked quickly, praying he didn't catch me staring."Alter... Is it bad?""It has to go to the workshop

Draven POVI made a careless U-turn and drove back toward the grocery store where she'd insisted I drop her off.The things she said stayed in the car with me. Sitting in the passenger seat where she'd been only moments ago. The words had been precise and aimed at exactly the right places.You were fine with the entire pack believing Carla was the one for you. You never once set them straight.I tightened my hands on the wheel.It had felt like a punch to the gut when she'd said it. Even now, it still stung like hell.She knows nothing. She didn't know that I had no choice. That I was bound by duty to act the way I did.But she wasn't wrong. And knowing this made my chest heavier than it had been before I asked.George was the only one who knew I had no interest in Carla Voss. He was the full extent of my courage seven years ago. One person. My best friend, who I had sworn to secrecy and used as a go-between. I'd asked him to keep the secret. Meanwhile, the pack talked, the elders