Lucas' POV
I was stunned. Completely paralyzed.
When my deceased Beta, Basil, was alive, I had promised to look after his sister. If he were here now, he might be able to forgive me for the way I'd treated her.
I rose, facing Josephine. "You're free to go now. Jorah will be in touch. Don't ever set foot in my pack again."
Josephine lifted her head, defiant. "There won't be a next time, Alpha Lucas."
After she left, I felt a gnawing unease settle deep within me. Why did Josephine's visit bother me so much? Perhaps it was because she was pregnant.
I needed to be with Leah. The doctor's orders be damned—I had to go to her now.
Just as I was about to leave, Gean Lee walked back in, casually wiping his hands with a handkerchief, as calm as ever.
"So?" I demanded.
"His Highness Leonard is asleep now," he said, placing a small, switch-like device on the table.
"And what's that?" I asked, frowning.
"It's a microchip. He had it implanted under his skin to communicate with his prototype soldiers," Gean replied.
"Are you serious?" I couldn't believe it. Leo was a mad scientist, but this was beyond even my wildest imagination.
"I don't joke, Alpha Lucas," Gean said, his tone flat.
"Wait. If it was inside him, how did you get it out?" I asked, suspecting I wouldn't like the answer.
"I removed it. Without any surgical instruments, I had to use my hands," Gean replied matter-of-factly.
"You're crazier than you look."
"I get things done, Alpha Lucas," he stated. "That's my job. It's nothing personal."
I realized then that I needed him on my side. My work required more grown-ups, not teenagers who ate paper.
Just at that moment, Jorah's scream echoed from upstairs.
"Ah! She's gone! Damn it! Where is she?! Wake everyone up! Leah's gone!"
What?! I charged upstairs, finding Jorah standing in my wife's empty bedroom.
Jorah looked pale. "I'm sorry... Alpha... I... I fell asleep... She must've gone out the window... I checked the surveillance—Finn took her away!"
"You had one job, Jorah!" I snarled. "Where is Leah?! Where is my wife?!"
Dr. Monk stepped forward. "Alpha Lucas, you need to see this."
"I don't have time for this, Doctor!" I shouted. "In case you haven't noticed, my wife is missing!"
"Alpha Lucas, your wife is pregnant," he said quietly.
"What?!"
"Her report is in. She's pregnant with a child," he said slowly.
I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. My pregnant wife had run off with a lethal machine.
"Alpha Lucas, congratulations!" Dr. Monk said excitedly.
I couldn't respond. I just sank onto the bed.
"Did I say something wrong?" Jorah whispered to Gean.
Gean sighed. "Leah's pregnant and she ran off with Finn. Think, Jorah. Think."
"What?!" Jorah jumped up. "Leah's pregnant with... Finn's child?!"
"Gean, I need you to take over. Bring Leah back," I commanded, my voice low and seething. "Do whatever it takes."
Leah's POV
I nestled my head against Finn's shoulder, drifting off into a restless sleep.
When I finally stirred awake, the sight before me was eerie and unsettling. A dilapidated shrine perched precariously on a cliffside, enveloped by a swirling veil of darkness. The wind howled through the skeletal cracks of its crumbling walls, a haunting melody that sent a shiver down my spine.
"What is this place?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"This is home," Finn replied, his voice a low murmur.
Inside the shrine, Finn gently lowered me to the ground and kindled a fire. The warmth began to seep into my bones as he wrapped a blanket around me and settled down beside me. I leaned into him, feeling the solid comfort of his arm around my shoulders.
For a lingering moment, we simply sat in silence, pressed against one another, the only sound the soft crackling of burning charcoal. I glanced up, the firelight casting a glow on half of Finn's flawlessly handsome face, while shadows cloaked the other half in mystery.
"This isn't a temple for the Moon Goddess," I whispered, my eyes scanning the grotesque, broken statues that cluttered the shrine.
"No," Finn said softly. "It's a human shrine, built by those who believed in an afterlife."
"Is there…is there an afterlife?" I asked, my voice barely a tremor. "Will we meet again?"
"There is no afterlife," Finn said, lowering his head. His words were laced with bitter sorrow.
I couldn't shake the memory of what Leo had told me. "His mother was a whore," he had said. "I strangled her to death before Finn was born. Had to cut him out myself."
If I had endured the same cruel fate as Finn, I wouldn't wish for another life either. Sometimes, I wasn't even sure I wanted this one.
I pressed my face against his chest, seeking solace in his embrace. He held me close, then bent down to kiss the nape of my neck, igniting a trail of fire across my skin. Pregnancy had made me so sensitive, I couldn't resist him.
Finn's lips wandered slowly down my neck, drawing soft, silent moans from deep within me. Gently, he laid me on the ground, his body hovering over mine. I bit my lip, a torrent of ecstasy and shame flooding my senses.
"Finn, don't," I whispered, turning my head away so he wouldn't see the flush blooming on my cheeks.
But Finn cupped my face, forcing me to look into his eyes. His sudden dominance thrilled me, a new and intoxicating side of him. I thought he would kiss me, but he merely gazed into my eyes and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing... Finn, don't..."
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Finn's voice was cold, cutting through the silence. The icy edge in his eyes sent chills down my spine, making me tremble.
"You're thinking about your husband, even though you're here with me," he continued, his voice a low growl. "Is that why you don't want to have sex with me?"
"No, Finn... It's not that," I pleaded softly. "I'm here with you. That's all that matters."
I was teetering on the brink of breaking down.
"But I want all of you," he said, his eyes blazing with an intense desire. "I want you to be mine. I want you, right now."
For the first time, I saw raw anger and burning desire simmering in his gaze.