Chapter 4 Tonight, you sleep with me

It was Veronica-his stepsister. The one he'd just been thinking about. No, the one he thought about every single day since she left him for someone she loved.

There she was now, with him-the guy she had abandoned Kain for-kissing deeply, passionately, in a way that made something stir in Kain's chest: desire and fury colliding.

Without thinking, he walked back to the pink-haired girl he'd just scared off.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Want to kiss me outside for a thousand dollars?" he asked, his voice honeyed and seductive. She forgot everything he'd said before.

He led her outside, chatting casually, slowly closing the distance between them-enough that Veronica could see. Enough for her to realize it was Kain: her former lover. Her stepbrother.

It started with a slow kiss. Then it deepened-hot, hungry, almost desperate. For the girl, it was intoxicating. For Kain, it was strategy. He kissed her until her knees buckled, and from the corner of his eye, he saw what he wanted: Veronica, completely ignoring her boyfriend, eyes locked on him, seething.

"Babe? Why are you staring at them? Is something wrong...?" her boyfriend asked.

She didn't answer. Couldn't. Her eyes never left Kain-until she cracked.

"Let's get out of here!" she snapped, jumping into her car and tearing off like a storm on wheels.

Kain broke the kiss, leaving the girl dazed, breathless, clinging to him.

"Please," she whispered, "I want you inside me. I want your babies. I don't care if it tears me apart."

He shoved ten hundred-dollar bills into her hand.

"We're done. Thanks," he said flatly, then turned and walked away into the sweltering afternoon.

"No! Please-come back!" she cried after him, but he didn't even glance back.

He was finished. Ruthlessly finished.

Lucy thought, just for a moment, that Kyle wouldn't show. Maybe the date he promised was just an empty gesture meant to string her along. But she liked him-something rare, something real. And he was human. A rich human, which only added to the mystery of why he'd shown any interest in her.

She waited in the park outside her school, flipping through the stack of scripts her professor had dumped on her, silently cursing him. And still, she waited. Hoping Kyle remembered. Hoping he was different.

By 5 p.m., hunger gnawed at her. Doubt crept in. What if he didn't come? What was her plan B? She couldn't go back to her parents-or the pack. Maybe she'd sleep in school tonight.

Another hour passed.

And then another.

And then another.

Just as she stood to go back inside, headlights cut through the fading light. A familiar Porsche glided to a stop in front of her-the same one that had dropped her off that morning.

The door swung open.

And she had to fight every muscle in her cheek not to smile.

"Oh my love, forgive me. I was stuck in some ridiculous meeting. The whole time I was praying for a miracle-hoping you wouldn't give up on me," Kyle apologized sincerely. It was clear he'd had a valid reason for being late.

Lucy smiled, playing it cool. "Class ended late. I just decided to rest here for a bit before catching a bus home," she lied smoothly.

Kyle raised a brow, amused. He'd been nearby since 6 p.m., watching her wait like her life depended on him showing up. He had stalled on purpose-wanting her to truly feel his arrival. And now here she was, lying. Proud woman, he thought. It made him want to laugh.

"There's a restaurant just around the-"

A sharp howl cut through the air, freezing them both.

"A wolf?" Lucy asked, face pale. "Do we have a wildlife reserve nearby?"

"What reserve?" Kyle played dumb. "So, the restaurant-"

"I'm not hungry!" she snapped, her eyes darting around. Her instincts screamed that something was wrong. Was that him? The mad Alpha? Had he tracked her? "You know what, let's just go to your place. I'll cook."

Kyle could see the terror behind her eyes, and from her quick and almost thoughtless decision, he could tell she was petrified. He didn't tease her this time. He knew this might be about his brother, the one still searching for a bride that ran. What a silly man...

"Alright. But I'll cook."

They reached his mansion in under twenty minutes. Lucy was still shaken, her thoughts spiraling.

"What would you like to eat?" Kyle asked gently as she collapsed onto the couch, clearly lost in her own world. He even took it upon himself to take off her shoes, a gentlemanly effort Lucy had missed as she was totally engulfed in her own head.

"I'm okay, not hungry anymore. Is it alright if I spend the night here?"

Bold, Kyle thought, impressed-and overall pleased.

"Of course. But you need to eat something."

"Mac and cheese." She said, yet again thoughtlessly.

"Sorry, what?"

She gave him a hard look. "Mac and cheese."

He laughed. "Whatever suits your taste, my love."

As soon as Kyle left her to the confines of his grand living room, Lucy dashed to her room, shut the door, locked the windows, and turned off the lights. She curled up in bed, knees to her chest, tears slipping down her cheeks, sobbing like a lost child.

He's looking for me. He'll find me. She thought painfully.

A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts. She rushed to the door, hopeful that it was Kyle and her comfort food. But her face fell when it opened.

It was Wesley.

His assistant.

Creepy. Calm. Too quiet. Always watching.

"Hi," she said, uneasy.

"The master asked me to bring this to you," Wesley said, head slightly bowed. He held out a tray with a covered plate and a pack of juice. "He cooked it himself. But a meeting came up."

"Another meeting," she muttered, taking the tray.

"Yes. Another."

"Thanks. You can leave now."

It sounded like an order. Wesley didn't take it kindly. He just stood there, one brow raised.

"I said you may-"

"Leave?" he interrupted with a laugh. His eyes roamed over her, something dark flickering in them. "Do you realize you're a walking corpse?"

She froze.

"What...?"

"The Mad Alpha will find you. And when he does, your blood will cleanse the pack. Do you realise how selfish you are? People will die because you refused to give into the ceremony."

Although Wesley was against his master's habit of going against the ancient ceremony, yet he accepted it because Kyle sent the girls back home, which made no difference as their parents would force them back into the ceremony, or the Mad Alpha would go brutal on the Red Moon pack, and every other pack he could lay his hands on.

He never told Kyle about this anyway.

The tray slipped from Lucy's hands-but Wesley caught it effortlessly, setting it on her bed like nothing had happened.

"You should go back to him, Lucy. Maybe he'll forgive you. But I won't let you drag my master into your curse. I won't let you put his life at risk."

It hit her like a slap.

Wesley was a werewolf?

How had she missed it? The scent was unmistakable now. Had Kyle known? No, he couldn't have. Wesley wouldn't risk exposure if Kyle was human. But he was loyal-too loyal. Too Protective.

He had definitely informed the mad Alpha. Lucy was sure of this.

She had to escape.

When Wesley finally left her, she reopened the window she'd locked. Made a plan. Rolled and tied her bedsheet to the foot of the bed. Slipped it through the window. She'd climb down and vanish into the night.

Simple.

She was halfway through when her door slammed open.

She nearly screamed.

Kyle stood there, shirtless, expression stormy, hands on hips.

"What are you doing?" His voice was sharp, cold.

Lucy backed up, panicked, scratching the back of her neck, trying to think. Her eyes drifted to the shadows playing across his muscles, making him look even more intimidating.

"Why aren't you eating?"

She followed his gaze-food on the bed, bedsheet trailing out the window.

"I was... I am... The food was... I was just... err..."

"Trying to run away?" His voice was full of disgust. "You asked to stay here. Why would you try to run?"

"Because... I was scared?" she offered, voice trembling.

He shook his head and stepped forward until they were nearly chest to chest.

He's going to kiss me, she thought, heart racing.

But instead, he grabbed her wrist.

"Tonight," he said darkly, "you sleep with me."