Chapter 138
Lily POV
Pain. That was the first sensation that greeted me as consciousness slowly crept back. A dull, throbbing ache that seemed to wrap around my entire body like a vice. My limbs were stiff, heavy, like they weren’t mine. I tried to move, but a sharp ache lanced through my wrists and ankles.
I groaned softly, my head pounding. Darkness surrounded me, thick and suffocating, making it impossible to tell where I was.
Where was I? What happened?
My eyelids fluttered, struggling against their own weight as I fought to open them. Darkness enveloped me, so complete that for a terrifying moment, I wondered if I’d gone blind. The air was musty and stale, with an underlying scent of damp earth and decay.
Had I met Kai yet? Was I at the eastern outskirts of the pack territory? My mind felt foggy, thoughts slipping through my grasp like water through fingers.
I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. That’s when I realized—my hands wouldn’t move independently. They were bound together, tight enough that I could feel the bite of rope against my wrists. My ankles, too, were secured, and something was covering my mouth, pressing against my lips.
Panic surged through me, clearing away the last of the fog. The cab ride. The wrong turn. The driver removing his mask p>
. The face that had turned to look at me, the one that had filled me with dread, belonged to Lucas. Lucas Steele, Alpha of the Golden Moon Pack. My ex-boyfriend.
My heart pounded violently against my ribs as the memory crystallized. The smirk on his face as he’d reached back toward me. The pinch in my arm before darkness claimed me.
Lucas had kidnapped me.
Panic surged through me p>
Think, Lily, think!
I needed to stay calm. I needed to get out of here.
As if summoned by my realization, a door creaked open somewhere to my left. Light spilled into the room—not bright, but enough to make me wince and close my eyes against the harsh brightness. I could hear footsteps approaching, the sound of boots on what seemed like a wooden floor.
I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the dim light. Gradually, shapes formed in the gloom. I was in some kind of room. The walls were unpainted. I was lying on a narrow cot against one wall, my hands tied in front of me, ankles bound together.
I made out a silhouette of a man standing in the doorway. As my eyes adjusted further, his features came into focus.
Lucas stood over me, looking exactly as he had when he’d rejected me over six months ago—ruggedly handsome with his chiseled jaw and blue eyes. But there was something different now, something hard and cold in his expression that sent chills down my spine.
He reached down and hauled me into a sitting position, his grip unnecessarily rough. I winced but refused to make a sound behind the tape covering my mouth.
“Look who’s finally awake,” he said, his voice carrying that same smooth confidence that had once attracted me to him. Now it just made my skin crawl. “I was beginning to think I’d given you too much of the sedative p>
He studied me for a moment, seeming pleased with whatever he saw in my glare. Then, without warning, he ripped the tape from my mouth in one swift motion.
The sting brought tears to my eyes, but I channeled the pain into anger.
“What the hell, Lucas?” I spat, my voice raspy from disuse. “Have you completely lost your mind? Untie me right now p>
Lucas smirked, as if amused by my anger. “Now, now, Lily,” he said, brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeve. “That’s no way to greet your lover p>
My jaw clenched. “We are not lovers. You kidnapped me, you psycho p>
He chuckled. “Kidnapped is such a harsh word p>
“Oh, I’m sorry—what would you call this?” I snapped, yanking at the ropes binding my wrists. “Tying someone up and taking them against their will isn’t exactly normal behavior p>
Lucas tilted his head, “I suppose that depends on perspective p>
I exhaled. “Why am I here p>
His smirk widened, but he didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached forward and traced a finger down my cheek.
I recoiled, my stomach twisting in disgust.
Lucas sighed, as if disappointed. “I missed you, you know p>
My blood turned to ice.
“I spent months trying to get power,” he continued. “Anything I could do to make you come back home but imagine my surprise when I find out you’re running around with that bastard p>
“Are you delusional, Lucas?” I grinded my teeth in annoyance. “You rejected me. You choose my sister over me. I cried and begged but you went ahead to cast me aside because I wasn’t the chosen one. You have nothing to do with my life anuymore,” I snapped. “Let me go p>
His eyes darkened. “Oh, Lily,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “You still don’t get it, do you p>
I clenched my fists. “Get what p>
“You’re mine p>
“You’re insane p>
He laughed, the sound hollow and devoid of any real humor. “Still as fiery as ever, I see. That’s what I always liked about you, Lily. You never knew when to back down p>
“I’m serious,” I growled, tugging at my restraints. “This is kidnapping. When my pack finds out p>
“Your pack?” He cut me off, his expression darkening. “You mean that pathetic excuse for a mate you’ve been running around with? The one who can barely control his strength and put you in the hospital? That pathetic prick who killed his father p>
My blood ran cold. How did he know that about Kai?
“I’ve been watching you,” Lucas continued, answering my unspoken question. “Ever since you rejected our bond for some… damaged second-rate Alpha p>
“You have no claim on me,” I said through gritted teeth. “We dated for three years. And you rejected me first. Remember? That’s it. There was no bond p>