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I black out.
When I come to, my head's a ringing gong. Concrete digs into my back, cold and unyielding. The taste of iron floods my mouth, and I realize my lip is crusted over with blood, though I can't remember when I got hit. I blink against the dim light bulb swinging overhead, casting shadows that play tricks on my eyes.
"About time," grunts a voice across from me.
Luka.
My wrists burn, metal cuffs biting into skin. I yank at the chains securing me to the wall, but they don't give. Panic claws up my throat, sharp and urgent.
"How long have I been out?" I ask. "Where's Aisling?"
"Separated us," he says, his tone flat. That's Luka—never lets his guard down, not even chained to a damn wall.
"Dammit." I kick at the floor, frustration boiling over. My mind races—Aisling alone, vulnerable. I should be there, guarding her back. "I can't believe I let them take her."
"You didn't 'let them' do anything, man," he says. "You fought like a motherfucker--like someone who's claimed his mate. I can smell it all over you...you fucked her through her heat, bit her. More than once, I would guess."
"I can't protect her," I mutter. "Fuck...fuck me."
Luka's chains clank as he shifts, the sound a harsh whisper against the concrete walls. The dank air is thick between us.
"Look, Finch," Luka starts, his voice low and serious. "She's got herself in deep. You couldn't have stopped this."
"Yeah?" I grunt, still feeling the ache of spasming muscles from when they tased me before dragging my ass into this cell.
"She's in trouble with Mr. Solace...in deep with whatever Caius Rossi's brewing. She can't shake it off by skipping town. Even if she runs to the ends of the earth, Pacific City's shadows are long."
I consider that, the cold truth settling in. Aisling's always been too bright for the murky depths of our world. But now, her light's caught the eye of every shark in the city.
"Then what are you suggesting?" My voice comes out rough, like gravel underfoot. "I can't just let her go. It doesn't work like that...and I won't."
"That's not what I'm saying," he says. "We just need to make sure she's not standing alone."
"By doing what? Starting a knitting club?" I scoff, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
But Luka's not laughing.
“Be serious, Finch. That girl is trouble,” he says, his voice scraping the air between us.
I blink hard, trying to focus on his face, not the throbbing agony behind my eyes. "I am serious," I say. "When it comes to her, I'm really fucking serious. So lay it on me, Luka."
"One man won't be enough." Luka shifts, and the chains rattle, a harsh grate of metal on concrete. "She's gonna need a pack."
The word 'pack' hangs heavy, loaded with the weight of a hundred implications. It's not just about strength in numbers; it's about loyalty, about shared breaths and blood.
It's about fucking her...and I try to damp down the alpha rage that wells up in my chest at the prospect of Luka being with her, too.
Ofanyone touching her.
"You should shut your damn mouth," I mutter. "This is just about you fucking her, huh?"
"Absolutely not," Luka says with a bored sigh.
"I can take it," I say. "For her--"
"You're tough and all, Finch," he continues, watching me like he's reading the fight left in me. "But you can't do this solo."
I'm on my feet before I know it, feeling the pull of metal against my wrists. "What the fuck does that mean?" I snap, venom lacing my voice as I strain against the cold iron. Every muscle strains, cords standing out on my neck as I try to reach him, to make him understand without needing to spell it out. She's under my skin...she's in my head, invading every thought.
