Leah's POV
The sun bled out over the coastal city as Darren gunned the motorcycle through the weaving crowds, the traffic shuttling around us like a frantic pulse. I clung to him, my helmet pressing into his back, my arms locked tight around his waist, feeling the heat of his body sear through me. The sky was a mess of red and orange, spilling over the buildings like a wound, and the sea's salty stink mixed with the exhaust choking the air. Last night clawed at my mind—his hands, his mouth, his desperation sinking into me after years of waiting. We'd fucked all night, a brutal, beautiful collision that tore past every fantasy I'd nursed in the dark. It played over and over in my head, a sad, desperate reel I couldn't stop watching—every thrust, every whispered curse, every moment I'd surrendered to him. Thinking of it, I tightened my grip, my fingers digging into his leather jacket like I could claw the memory into permanence.
He pulled the bike to a stop by the sea, the engine's growl dying as dusk draped over us, heavy and thick. We shed our helmets, and I followed him onto the beach, our hands tangled together, the sand cold and gritty under my boots. The waves roared in the distance, a low, relentless snarl that barely touched the noise in my skull. We walked, silent, the weight of last night hanging between us like a noose.
Then this little kid - some scrawny thing with a sand shovel - stumbled into my leg, nearly toppling over. His wide eyes flicked up at me, scared, his tiny hands trembling as he clutched that stupid shovel. Pity twisted in my gut, sharp and unexpected, and I bent down, scooping him up. He squirmed, his little body rigid with fear, shaking like I was some monster about to eat him alive. Before I could say a damn thing, his mother stormed over, her face a cold mask, and snatched him from my arms. He reached for her, wailing, his cries cutting through me like a blade. She shot me a look - pure ice, no words - just turned and walked off, leaving me standing there, heat crawling up my neck, embarrassment and something darker pooling in my chest.
Darren slid up behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist, his breath hot against my ear. "Can we have children too?" he murmured, soft but dead serious.
I twisted to face him, caught off guard. His eyes were steady, no trace of a joke, just this raw, naked want staring back at me. My throat tightened, and I dropped my gaze, sand blurring under my feet.
He tugged me closer, his chest pressing into mine. "What, Leah? Does the idea of a human kid - some quiet life with me and him - scare you that much? Away from all the werewolf shit, isn't that what you've always wanted?"
I kept my head down, lips sealed. The words wouldn't come - just sat there, heavy and useless.
He leaned in, his mouth brushing mine, soft at first, then harder. "Leah, I owe you a child. Hell, you owe me one. Time we settled up."
I broke free, stumbling back two steps, my breath ragged. "Darren, I can't…"
He grabbed me, yanking me back into him, his grip bruising. "What can't you do?"
"I just…" My voice cracked, barely a whisper, drowning in the waves.
His eyes darkened, despair carving lines into his face. "Why? Leah, I love you. Been in love with you since the first goddamn time I saw you. I can't breathe without you. I've given everything for you. Now I can give you whatever you want and..."
I turned my head, staring at the sea, the horizon swallowing itself. "Darren, don't do this. Don't…"
He closed the gap, kissing me hard, over and over, his lips relentless. "Why? Tell me why. Say it... say you don't love me, say you never fucking did, not for a second. Let me die inside and be done with you!"
Tears burned down my face, and I shoved at his chest, weak, useless. "No, Darren. Please…"
Then Liam was there, out of nowhere, shoving Darren off me and pulling me into his arms. Darren hit the sand hard, sprawling there, looking small and broken for once. Liam's hold was tight, protective, his voice a growl as he snarled at Darren, "What the fuck is wrong with you? She said no! Can't you hear, you bastard?"
Darren scrambled up, fury twisting his face. "She's my woman! This is between us - me and her!"
Liam stepped forward, fire in his eyes. "She's my boss! Your shit with her is my shit too! I'm warning you! Touch her again, and I'll fucking end you!"
Darren glared, cold as stone, then turned those hopeless eyes on me. Guilt slammed into me, heavy and suffocating. I'd never repay him - not for the blood he'd spilled, the years he'd burned for me. My chest ached, and I pushed Liam off gently, stepping over to Darren. I offered my hand, pulling him up, and he crushed me against him, his arms a vice. My face pressed into his chest, his heartbeat thundering - alive, fierce, a rhythm I hadn't felt pulse through me in too damn long.
"Boss!" Liam's voice cracked behind me, raw with hurt.
I burrowed deeper into Darren, hiding from it. No answer, just silence.
"Leah!" he shouted, desperate now.
"Go back, Liam," I whispered, face still buried. "Go back to Talia. Stay out of my mess."
His boots crunched away, anger in every step, leaving me alone with Darren and the waves.
He drove us back to his rental house, the motorcycle's roar filling the quiet. The second we were inside, he shoved me onto the bed - rough, no hesitation. The mattress creaked under me, shabby and worn, and he was on me, tearing at my clothes, his hands demanding, crazed. I didn't fight it. I lay there, silent, taking it like the coast takes the tide - unyielding, enduring. His breath was harsh, his body heavy, pinning me down as he thrust into me, abusive and wild. Pain and heat twisted together, and I stared past him, eyes locked on the broken window where moonlight spilled in, bathing his scarred skin in silver.
Darren finished hard, a shuddering release, his weight collapsing onto me. I thought it was over, my body limp, but then he flipped me facedown, pressing me into the sheets. He started again, from behind this time, his grip bruising my hips, his need unrelenting. I bit my lip, swallowing the ache, letting him take it all. I couldn't give him the love he craved - couldn't rip my heart open like that - so I gave him this instead, my flesh, my submission. The full moon hung outside, glaring down like a judge, and in the distance, I swore I heard them - werewolves howling, their cries clawing at the night.
He kept going, relentless, his scars catching the light with every move. My mind drifted, tangled in last night's echoes - how he'd held me like I was his salvation, how I'd let him believe it. The kid on the beach flashed through my head, that scared little face, and Darren's voice asking for a child. A human child. A life I couldn't picture without blood and fangs tearing it apart. Liam's despair lingered too, his loyalty a chain I didn't deserve.
Darren growled low, finishing again, his body slumping beside me. I didn't move, just lay there, staring at the ceiling, moonlight painting shadows across the room. My skin burned where he'd been, my breath shallow, and I traced the edge of a scar on his chest with my eyes. He'd fought for me - killed for me - and here I was, still hollow, still caught between him and the world I couldn't escape.
"Leah," he rasped, voice thick with exhaustion, "I love you."