59 Tension 2

Mara

The moment the door closed, Lucian came to me on the couch. He didn’t speak right away. His shoulders were tense, jaw locked.

“Martha’s been stealing from us all along-using shady deals like this to bleed Steel Corp dry, Lucian growled, fists clenched and jaw tight. Rage radiated off him in waves. I could feel it thrumming beneath his skin through the bond we shared.

And I understood it. Martha’s greed hadn’t just been maniptive-it had been dangerous. She could’ve ruined him. Us.

I moved closer, gently ced a kiss on his lips. “He’s gone, Lucian. It’s over,” I whispered.

But I knew the kiss wouldn’t be enough. His fury was still pulsing just beneath the surface, barely contained.

I reached for his belt.

He caught my wrist, eyes shing with his wolf’s gold. The anger was still there-but it wasn’t aimed at me. It never was.

He guided me silently to kneel on the couch, facing the backrest. My skirt slid up as he positioned me, baring me to him. He pulled my panties to my knees and held my hips steady.

Then I felt his fingers slip inside me-followed by the warm press of his tongue against my clit. His grip on me was possessive, but reverent. He was channeling his rage, draining it through me. But it didn’t feel like punishment. It felt like

need.

I moaned, surrendering to it.

The heat built fast. Too fast.

I came hard, breath ragged and body trembling.

Then he was inside me-fast, deep, relentless. I could barely keep up with him. My fingers gripped the back of the couch. My legs shook as my orgasm dragged on, then red again without warning.

1 came again, and again.

He didn’t stop.

I

Lucian took everything I gave and gave me more in return, until I was breathless and wrecked beneath him. My chest

heaved, my limbs weak, every nerve raw.

Only then did he let himself go-pouring into me and staying there, breathing heavily as we both rode thest wave

together.

The inte had buzzed a few times, but neither of us cared.

Eventually, I stood, shaky and flushed, I reached for my panties, but Lucian caught them, brought them to his face, and slipped them into his pocket with a smirk.

His anger was gone now. All of it.

“That man almost made me lose it,” he muttered, finally pulling himself back intoposure. “Took everything in me not to throw him out.”

I picked up the files we’d been working through. My knees were still weak.

Lucian shut hisputer. “That’s enough for today,” he said. “Let’s swing by La Puerta Del Sol for dinner. Then we’ll head

39 Tension 2

home.”

He walked over and kissed me-slow, deep-and I tasted myself on his lips.

“I love seeing you fully satisfied, Mara,” he murmured.

I smiled.

Because I was.

And more than that, I was his-and he was mine.

Mary gave us a funny look when we stepped out of the office. She knew.

I smirked and winked at her. She blushed and quickly looked away.

Sweet woman. Gentle, quiet. I often wondered how she managed to survive under someone like Martha.

Pords)

Lucian took the keys and decided he’d drive. We left in one of the convertibles-top down, the wind smoothing the heat of the day from our skin. The restaurant he picked was high-end, elegant without trying too hard.

People noticed us.

They didn’t just see us-they recognized us. Some came over to greet us. A few insisted on covering our bill. The staff was unusually attentive. The atmosphere felt… respectful.

“I guess the news about you bing Alpha is out,” I said, sipping my drink. “Funny. People weren’t this generous with

Darian.”

Lucian nodded, expression unreadable. “Martha.”

That one word carried too much weight.

Martha’s presence had stained everything around her. The way she moved through people’s lives left bruises. Even here, where her name was only a shadow, people still flinched at its memory.

It made me feel sorry for Alpha Vander-for the man she’d hollowed out and shackled with her presence.

After dinner, we slipped into the car and hit the road.

Lucian drove, the top still down, the evening air cooler now, scented faintly with sea breeze and dust. We’d only gone a few blocks when something felt… off.

Across the street from the restaurant, a grey sedan had been idling. It pulled out just after we did. A few turnster, it was

still behind us.

. “That grey car is following us,” I said, my eyes fixed in the side mirror.

Lucian checked the rearview, jaw tightening. Without a word, he took a sudden sharp turn.

The sedan followed.

His hand clenched the wheel tighter. “They’re definitely following.”

“Want to stop and beat the s**t out of them?” I offered, half-serious.

Lucian shook his head. “They might be armed. I won’t risk it-not with you in the car.”

He stepped on the gas, weaving through traffic with smooth, fast movements. The car behind us picked up speed too.

Then-gunfire.

It all happened fast.

ss shattered. Thes scranched Lusion everyed left, then night, dodging these space my “Hold on he barked

And then Impact

The world exploded sideways as a truck mmed into us from the right my Panbers through me. My be snapped back. Theard screaming-tres, metal, something tearing op

And then nothing

Just silence.

A strange kind of quiet, like floating underwater

Faint voices echoed around me. shes of light. Hands.

And then the darkness swallowed it all

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