Chapter 2
Lucius stood in the middle of the pack hall, surrounded by silence.
The fire crackled in the corner, but no one spoke. Not yet. His father Alpha Kaelsat at the end of the long oak table. Big. Cold. Sharp eyes. The kind of man who didn't believe in second chances.
Lucius didn't sit. He knew better.
"Where were you last night?" Kael asked, voice low but cutting.
"On patrol," Lucius said simply.
Kael leaned forward. "Don't lie."The room tensed.
Remi shifted uncomfortably beside the fireplace. His eyes didn't meet Lucius's. That traitor.
"I wasn't lying," Lucius said again, slower this time.
Kael stood. "You crossed the barrier. Lucius clenched his jaw. "For what?"
Kael didn't blink. "A scent. A girl. A vampire."The silence hit harder than a slap.
"So it's true," Kael said. "You were with one of them.Lucius didn't answer.
He didn't need to. His silence said everything.
"You're not a boy anymore," Kael said. "You're the heir to the Bloodmoon Pack. Your bloodline carries the strength of centuries."She's not what you think exactly,what I think," Kael snapped. "A bloodsucker. A threat. A curse."
Lucius's eyes darkened.
But before he could speak again, Kael turned away.
"There's a meeting tonight," he said. "Neutral ground. The Council wants to talk peace.
"Peace?" Lucius repeated.
Kael's voice was tight. "It's a trap. The vampires are planning something. You're going."Why me?
Kael turned back, his gaze like ice.
"Because if you really touched one of them… you better clean it up.
That night, Lucius stood under the broken archway of the old train station. The place was empty, half-covered in vines and moonlight. Smoke floated in the cold air.
Neutral ground. Except there was no such thing in a war this deep.
He could smell them before they arrived. That sweet, iron-slick scent of vampire blood.And then he saw her.
Esperanza.
She stepped out of the shadows like she owned them. Dark eyes, black coat, that same stillness that made his heartbeat twist. She saw him too.
Their eyes locked for just one second too long.
He looked away first. She didn't.
She stood beside a tall vampire dressed in silver. Her uncle. He was Council. Dangerous. Dead serious.
Kael hadn't come. Just Lucius, and Remi behind him, arms folded like a guard dog.
The vampires spoke first.
"We came to talk peace," the silver vampire said. "But only if the wolves are honest." Lucius said nothing.
He wasn't here to talk peace. He was watching Esperanza.
And she was watching him.
Lucius," she said quietly. "Why are you really here?
"Same reason as you.
"No, she whispered. "You're lying.
He didn't answer.Is this your idea of peace?" her uncle said suddenly.
Lucius turned just in time to hear the click.
Too late. BOOM.
An explosion rocked the station.
The blast came from behind. Glass shattered. Metal screamed. Smoke burst through the open doors like a living thing.
Screams. Shouts. Chaos. Lucius spun.
Something was moving through the smoke fast, violent. Claws. Fangs. Red eyes.
Not wolves.
Not vampires.
Rogues.
Someone had set them up.
Remi was already down, blood leaking from his side. Esperanza's uncle was thrown against a pillar, unconscious.
And Esperanza She was cornered.
A rogue beast charged her, sharp fangs wide, claws aimed at her throat.
Lucius didn't think. He moved, Fast, Too fast.
He slammed into the rogue mid-air, teeth bared, claws ripping through fur. Blood splattered the cracked concrete. The rogue yelped, then dropped.
Lucius stood over Esperanza, chest rising, blood dripping from his shoulder.
She stared at him."You
"Get up," he growled. You're bleeding Move!
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the smoke. More rogues were spilling in from the back wall. Someone had set a trap—someone who wanted both wolves and vampires dead.
"This way!" she shouted, dragging him toward the old subway tunnel.
They ran down the dark, wet hallway. His body was on fire. His shoulder throbbed. His vision blurred.
But he kept moving.Until his knees buckled.
And he fell.He woke up warm,Too warm,He blinked,Silk sheets,Dark curtains,A marble ceiling.
This wasn't home.
He tried to sit up but pain screamed through his chest. His shirt was gone. His shoulder was bandaged.
He heard soft footsteps. Then she was there.
Esperanza.
She leaned in the doorway, arms crossed. "You're awake."
"Where…?" he croaked.
"My house."
His blood ran cold.
"What the hell, Esperanza?"
"You saved me," she said simply. "I owed you."
"You kidnapped me."
"You passed out."
He tried to stand again. She didn't stop him. But the pain dragged him back down.
She walked to the side of the bed and sat beside him.
Too close.
Way too close.
"Why did you save me?" she asked.
Lucius stared at her.
"Why did you save me?" she repeated, softer this time.
His voice was low. "Because I didn't want to watch you die."
She looked at him like she didn't know whether to be angry… or afraid.
"I could get killed for hiding you," she whispered.
"Then let me go."
"No."
Their eyes locked again. The air between them shifted. Her breath caught.His heart jumped.
She reached for the edge of the bandage on his shoulder, fingers brushing his skin.
"You're healing fast," she whispered.
"I'm a wolf."
"You're still bleeding."Not the worst thing I've felt," he said, eyes not leaving hers.
"And what's the worst?"
"Wanting something I'm not supposed to."
Her lips parted.The moment held.
Too long. Too heavy.
And then Her door burst open. "Esperanza!
Her father. His voice was cold, furious.
"Where is he?"