Leah's POV
The rain hammered down like it wanted to drown Skagen City, the Kingdom's rotten heart, but it couldn't wash away the stench of greed and corruption that clung to every street. The Bentley parked outside the high-end strip club downtown, a birthday gift from Lycidas I'd have happily shoved back down his throat if I could.
The sleek black car gleamed under the neon lights, a mockery of everything I'd become.
I stared out the window, gloom settling into my bones heavier than the storm outside. My reflection glared back at me, eyes burning with a hatred I couldn't quench. This city - graceful and charming to the fools who worshipped it - was a cesspit of Lycans, officers, and greedy bastards chasing their next fix.
Once, I'd been pure, or at least I liked to think so. One night in this place could twist that into something ugly, something irreversible.
One day, I'd watch it all burn.
The driver opened my door, holding an umbrella like it could shield me from more than just the rain. I stepped out, my high-end leather shoes crunching through the puddles, shattering the dazzling illusions trapped in the water. Each step toward the club felt like wading through my own disgust, but I kept my stride firm, untouched by the downpour. I hadn't set foot in a place like this in years - not since Sak's Sheridan Club, where I'd been a male stripper with no past, no memory, and no one to give a damn.
The memories clawed at me now, sharp and unwelcome - the leering faces, the hands that took what they wanted, the shame I'd swallowed to survive. No one had ever offered me sympathy back then, and I sure as hell didn't expect it now.
But I wasn't here to wallow. I was here for him - Lycidas. Three months he'd been gone from me, vanished like smoke, and I knew he was holed up in the club's most secretive VVIP room, drowning in whatever top-notch depravity they served him. I'd find him, even if I had to crawl through this filth to do it.
Sak's voice hissed in my head, sharp as a blade, "What the fuck are you doing in a place like this? You shouldn't be here."
I muttered back to the ghost in my mind, "I miss you, brother. Everything that reminds me of you pulls me in."
"Don't lie to me," Sak snapped, his tone dripping with disdain. "I know you're here for him."
"Brother," I thought, trying to soothe him, "you'll always be my one and only love."
But Sak wasn't having it. "Finn, are you really in love with Lycidas? He's a Lycan. He used you, fucked you, then tossed you aside like trash. Can't you scrape together some self-respect and..."
The music hit me like a fist - frenzied, rhythmic, pulsing through the club - and drowned out Sak's voice. I stood there, calm as a statue amidst the chaos, the dancing crowd swirling around me like a pack of rabid dogs.
Girls sidled up, all curves and flirty smiles, batting their lashes at the tall, handsome stranger in the suit. I didn't give them a second glance. My eyes locked on the corner of the room, where shadows hid the VVIP entrance. That's where Lycidas was. I could feel it in my gut.
I didn't head straight there, though. Instead, I wove through the crowd toward a knot of uniformed officers, fresh off vacation and already half-drunk, their laughter loud and crude. They were here to blow off steam, and I was about to give them a target.
"Good evening, officers," I said, leaning against the bar with a casual tilt to my voice. "Can you buy me a drink?"
They sized me up, eyes raking over me like I was meat on a slab. Then they laughed - harsh, guttural sounds laced with disgust. These testosterone-drunk bastards hated anything that didn't fit their mold, and I was a walking insult to their fragile pride.
One of them, swaying on his feet, pointed at a stripper grinding on the bar. "We'll buy you a drink, pretty boy, if you've got tits and a pussy like that!"
The others roared with laughter. Another officer, smirking, stuffed a wad of crumpled one-dollar bills into my suit pocket, patting my chest like I was a dog. "Listen, you look legit. Take this startup cash, find a girl to ride your dick till you black out. Can't get it up? Buy a beer and shove it up your ass - call it a night!"
They cackled again, feeding off each other's venom. I stayed cool, letting their words slide off me like the rain outside. One of them, a wiry prick with a mean glint in his eye, leaned closer when he saw I wasn't budging. "What, you here to start shit? If your asshole is itching for a quick fuck, take it to the human world. Don't fuck up our fun."
I tilted my head, voice low and edged with mockery. "Oh, I thought you lot had balls. My mistake. Guess I made you feel... insecure."
That did it. Two of them lunged, grabbing me by the arms and slamming me against the bar. Pain flared as one yanked my hair, snarling in my face. "You piece of shit! Fucking slut! You've got some nerve, provoking us. Won't leave when we tell you? Perfect. Tonight, you're our fucking girlfriend."
Another unbuckled his belt, the leather snapping across my cheek with a sting that made my ears ring. "Use your teeth, and you're dead," he growled, grabbing my jaw and forcing himself into my mouth. A second officer tugged my pants down, kicking my legs apart, and shoved into me from behind. The violation was brutal, relentless - hands pinning me, bodies pressing, their rage and lust spilling over me like sewage.
They taunted me as they went, voices thick with hate.
"You're such a fucking male whore!"
"Enjoying this, you flirtatious little bitch?"
"Does it hurt? Scream for us!"
I didn't make a sound. I took it, every second of it, because this was the plan. My hands and feet stayed limp in their grip - not that they needed to hold me. I wasn't running. I let them use me, let them think they'd won, until I heard it - those familiar footsteps cutting through the haze.
The weight lifted. I turned my head, breath ragged, and there he was - Lycidas, towering like some avenging god. His fists flew, cracking jaws and sending the officers sprawling. They recognized him instantly - Lycan Prince Lycidas - and crumpled to their knees, whimpering for mercy like the cowards they were.
I smirked, a bitter twist of my lips. These uniformed dogs feared Lycans above all else. They'd bowed to Leah the same way.
Fools like them wouldn't last a minute against my Project Z soldiers.
Lycidas turned to me, and I switched gears fast. I curled in on myself, hugging my knees, shrinking back like a beaten pup. My hands scrubbed at my face, wiping away tears and the officers' filth, playing up the untouchable wreck. He loomed over me, his face a mix of superiority and pity - his signature look. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he demanded.
I let my voice crack, eyes welling up. "I'm sorry, Your Highness… I haven't seen you in so long. They said you'd be here, so I took a chance. Even if I couldn't get close, I just… I just wanted to see you from a distance…"
He reached for my swollen cheek, but I flinched away, whispering, "Don't… I'm dirty…"
Lycidas sighed, a sound heavy with exasperation, then scooped me up in his arms like I weighed nothing. He carried me out of the club, past the gaping crowd, his strides long and sure. I pressed against him, breathing in the reek of women's perfume and pussy clinging to his skin. A smile crept onto my face—small, sinister, hidden in the shadows of his embrace.
He didn't see it. No one did.