The car started with a roar, Luca's radio coming on as it did.
He backed down the driveway, putting a hand on my thigh as we drove off.
"It was a good party," he said.
"I think the girls really liked their gifts," I added.
He nodded in agreement.
I watched his hand as it sat stationary on my thigh, his focus now on the road in front of him.
His mom's not fifteen feet away anymore, I thought.
A few moments passed before I could gather enough courage to reach out and take his hand in mine, beginning to slide it up my thigh.
I watched as his jaw clenched and he shifted in his seat, though his eyes stayed forward.
The hem of my dress rode up as our hands moved farther up my leg.
I pressed my hand to the back of his as I spread my legs, exposing myself.
God, I'm glad it's dark out, I thought.
Luca's hand needed no further encouragement. He knew exactly where I wanted it to be.
My hand left his to grip the side edge of the seat as I felt his cool touch at my core, his index finger slipping between my folds. I held back a gasp as the pad of his index finger began to massage my clit in torturously slow, circular motions.
I moaned his name, though my voice was drowned out by the sound of the music.
He applied more pressure, gradually quickening his pace.
My breathing became more and more shallow as I pushed my head against the headrest and closed my eyes. My hips had lifted from the seat slightly, now thrusting against his touch.
"Feet up on the dash," Luca commanded.
I didn't think twice before my feet were propped up in front of me, my legs open wider.
I let out a moan as his index and middle fingers began to work in unison, massaging around the center of his attention which was throbbing with pleasure.
Luca took my clit between his fingers, encouraging near-shout that I muffled with my hand.
It wasn't until I was nearly dizzy that I had to remind myself to breath, even though I struggled to do so between the sounds that escaped me.
Legs shaking, I let out a quick exhale. My eyebrows furrowed as the pressure began to build between my hips.
Just as I felt myself begin to climax, Luca's rhythm slowed. He began to slowly run his wet index and third finger back and forth over the swollen bundle of nerves.
I couldn't even find words to beg him for the release he'd tempted me with.
"Come on, baby. Ask nicely," he teased.
"Please-"
He pinched my clit between his thumb and index finger, massaging it in an agonizing way.
"Luca, I..."
My voice faltered as it caught in my throat, my jaw dropping as the powerful orgasm came over me.
I pulled Luca's hand from between my legs, stopping the torture from persisting further, the pleasure nearly unbearable.
My body shook as I dropped my head against his arm that was extended over the console between us. Mind blank, my chest heaved as I caught my breath.
When I finally opened my eyes, I saw the inside of Luca's garage.
How did we get home already?
Luca must have read my thoughts in my shocked expression.
"Time flies when you're having fun," he said, opening his car door.
I sat there for a moment, still trying to regain composure. I could still feel the warmth of his touch between my legs.
Luca opened my car door for me.
"Steady on your feet," he said, watching me get out of the car.
I took off my heels and walked through the garage on bare feet, my legs still shaky.
Luca followed me into the house.
"Amore," he said, stopping me on the staircase up to the loft.
I looked at him and he smiled.
"You looked beautiful tonight," he said.
I could have sworn I saw a slight blush creep up his ears as he said this.
I returned the smile.
"Thank you."
I continued up the staircase to change into my pajamas.
Luca came upstairs a few minutes after I had finished to see me folding my clothes.
"Are you back to sleeping up here?" He asked.
"I was about to come down," I assured him, folding the last t-shirt and putting it into it's box.
"I think it's time you moved your things downstairs," he told me. "I have plenty of room."
I sighed, realizing he was right.
"I'll do it tomorrow," I said, following him out of the room and turning off the light behind me.
As we settled into his bed that night, Luca spooning me with one arm wrapped around my waist, I couldn't help but try to justify my reasoning for not telling him about Torrey.
It's not that big of a deal, right? I thought. Bates will be able to get us in and handle anything if it goes south.
The more I tried to justify it, the more the feeling of guilt intensified.
I finally had to rid myself of the thoughts completely-trying, as hard as I could, to sleep.
- - -
Bates was waiting for me when I pulled into the parking lot of the training fields the next morning.
Norah pulled into the parking lot soon after with Torrey getting out of the passenger seat.
"Why do I feel like I'm being ambushed?" Bates asked warily.
"I need you to take us to the Cellar," I said.
He stared at me incredulously.
"Is this a joke?" He asked.
I shook my head.
"I think my mate is there," Torrey said, wringing her hands nervously.
Bates looked at her with pity, briefly, before his attention returned to me.
"Get Luca involved," he said.
"We can't," Norah told him. "He'd flip his shit and you know it."
"You don't think he's going to flip his shit when he finds out I've gone behind his back and broken rules?" He asked her.
I stepped in front of him as he tried to leave.
"If it was your mate, wouldn't you do anything to get to her?"
He huffed and leaned in closer to me, lowering his voice.
"You and I both know what's down there," he whispered. "Maybe it's best that she not go."
"We don't know that it's him," I said.
He looked at me pointedly.
"And what are you going to do if it is?"
I sighed, looking over to Torrey.
"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it," I answered.
Bates took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"I'll take the fall for this," I assured him.
"Please," Torrey pushed.
He looked from her to me.
"This isn't going to end well."
With hesitation, he got back into his Jeep and drove us across the pack to a dirt path that led up to the shack.
We all walked over to it, watching as he opened the cellar to reveal the steel doors beneath. He leaned down, scanning his hand across the pad.
It immediately turned red and the doors remained closed.
"What the hell?" He muttered under his breath, placing his hand back down and trying again.
The cycle repeated.
"I don't understand," he said, seemingly to himself. "I'm supposed to have access to everything."
Bates pulled out his phone and placed it to his ear after dialing someone's number.
"What in the name of Lord Farquaad is going on, Lincoln?" He said. "I'm at the Cellar and my access keeps getting denied."
He listened for a moment, the space between his eyebrows creasing.
"I'm the fucking Beta," he reminded Lincoln, his tone reflecting his growing anger. "What do you mean my access privileges were revoked?"
There was further silence as he listened to Lincoln on the other end of the call.
"By who?" Bates asked.
He looked up and sighed, dropping the phone from his ear.
I followed his gaze to see Luca standing inside the dilapidated shack, walking towards us slowly before leaning against the open doorway in the back.
He crossed his arms.
Bates turned to look at me.
"Now is the part where you tell him this was your idea," he said.
Before I could utter a word, Luca cut me off with a sharp stare.
"I know exactly whose idea this was," he assured Bates, maintaining eye contact with me.
With a sigh, he turned to Torrey.
"Want to tell me why you didn't come to me?" He asked.
She gulped.
"Because you can be inconsiderate," I answered for her.
Luca's attention turned back to me.
"You're the only person standing here who can open this door, and yet you're still trying to get her to explain herself to you like she needs your permission to meet her mate," I said pointedly.
Luca gave me a blank stare before wordlessly hopping down from the open doorway to lean down next to the cellar door.
He unlocked it with his handprint and the door opened.
"Go," he said.
Torrey, Norah, and Bates all rushed forward down the staircase and into the Cellar.
Luca reached out to stop me as I followed them. He waited a few moments until everyone was gone before he spoke.
"She's my sister," he said. "I want her to be happy, but I also want her to be safe."
"Which one do you care about more?" I asked. "Because that's the difference between manipulative and protective."
"Sneaking around behind my back and breaching security measures that are in place for the well-being of this entire pack is not safe," he said defensively. "Especially given she thought it could be either of the wolves from your old pack."
"But you understand it was for that exact reason that she didn't want to come to you?" I asked. "You hate Johnathan..."
"And had she come to me, I would have told her that the holding cells are air-sealed, so there is no way she was catching the scent of anyone who was being held in a cell."
My eyebrows furrowed.
"Her mate is a guard," he told me.
I pushed past him and went down the staircase quickly.
Sure enough, Torrey was standing near the end of the long hallway in the arms of a man who had been sitting outside one of the holding cell doors.
I felt relief wash over me.
Hearing Luca descend the staircase, I turned to look at him.
"How did you even know where we were to begin with?"
"I'm a little more observant than you give me credit for," he said, standing next to me.
"You heard us when we were talking at the party," I guessed.
He nodded.
"I knew you wouldn't break her confidence," he said. "But having me finger-fuck you in the car last night to keep me from bringing it up again was an unexpected tactic."
I gulped, feeling my ears turn pink.
"That wasn't what I was doing," I said quickly.
He sighed before looking at me solemnly.
"Please don't lie to me again," he said, lowering his voice. "I want you to trust me and I'm trying to make myself trustworthy, but hiding this stuff from me doesn't help. We need to be a team."
"We're not a team," I argued. "You won't even let me make decisions as it concerns my family and my old pack."
"It's because it's your family that you can't be impartial," he said. "You think with your heart and I can't ask you to do anything but that. But, as the Alpha, I have to make decisions for the safety and security of my pack. And that requires my objectivity."
Luca took a step closer to me, putting his hand on the side of my face.
"I know you don't want anyone to get hurt," he said. "But, please, tell me when things like this are going on."
I sighed, looking over at Torrey and her mate.
"I really thought you were going to kill him," I admitted. "I know how you feel about Johnathan and I didn't think you would let her anywhere near here if you thought it was even a possibility they were mates."
"I wouldn't have," he said honestly. "I would die before I let a man like that put his hands on my sister."
"I can think of a man who feels the same way about his daughter," I whispered.
Luca's jaw clenched.
"That's not the same thing," he argued.
I shook my head slowly.
"Maybe not to you..."
I could tell I'd struck a nerve when he walked past me without another word.
Sighing, I followed him down the hallway, where everyone else was now gathered.
As I was passing a familiar door, I stopped. I looked at it warily, wondering what was waiting behind it.
My eyes darted between the door and the empty chair beside it. I looked up to see the guards surrounding their friend, congratulating him.
I glanced down at the door handle.
I knew the six-digit PIN number Luca had used. Of course I remembered it, it was the date we'd met.
My heart raced as I reached out to grasp the handle, my thumb hovering over the keypad.
My dad just wants me to be safe, I thought.
Maybe, if I could just tell Johnathan to let my dad know that I was ok, this would all end. Maybe he would listen. Maybe the two worlds I was caught between wouldn't collide. Maybe I could finally get rid of the guilt I felt for having a foot on either side of the fence.
I looked up to watch Luca hug his sister.
Maybe we could be happy.
With that final thought, I typed in the numbers quickly, hearing the 'click' as the door unlocked.
It was louder than I had anticipated, grabbing the attention of everyone in the hallway.
I briefly made eye contact with Luca before I opened the door quickly and went inside the cell. It slammed shut behind me, the room immediately drowning into darkness.
My heart was in my throat as I slid my hand across the side of the wall, looking for a light switch.
When I found it, I flicked it on.
Immediately, a spray of electrical sparks flew from the overhead light as it tried to illuminate the broken bulb.
I flinched away from them, freezing when I noticed the room was empty.
The flickering light, while not nearly bright enough to see anything clearly, was sufficient for me to see the bare concrete floor.
My eyes darted to the cot. Empty.
I know this is the right room, I thought. Maybe Luca killed him like he said he would. That's how he knew with so much confidence that Johnathan wasn't Torrey's mate-
My thoughts were interrupted by dust and concrete debris falling from the ceiling above me.
I felt my heart freeze in my chest, my blood running cold.
Gulping, I mustered what courage I had to look up.
As I did, the light hanging above fell to the floor, crashing just in front of me, the loud noise causing me covering my ears.
I walked back along the wall, finding the door.
My hand slid along the smooth, steel surface.
You idiot, of course there isn't a door handle, I thought. It's a prison cell.
Suddenly, just as I felt panic begin to set in, I felt a hand against my back.
I turned around quickly, my elbow clipping the body behind me. I felt the body's presence disappear into the darkness of the cell that was in front of me.
"Johnathan," I warned, my voice shaking.
I crouched low, squinting as I begged my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I knew they wouldn't. The room was sealed tight.
I held my breath, trying to listen to what was going on around me. But the blood rushing through my ears was the only thing I could hear.
Suddenly, I felt a hand forcefully wrap around my neck, forcing my head and body back against the steel door.
I immediately felt my body go limp, my brain feeling like it was swimming inside my skull. I was gasping for air as the hand squeezed my windpipe closed.
Mustering my fleeting strength, I reached up to claw at the arm that held me in place and I began to kick my hanging feet. I felt them connect with his torso, but he only pressed harder against my neck. The skin along his arm was leathery and peeled under my nails.
Heart pounding in my chest, I took a hand out to grab his hair and yanked it forward, hoping to pull his head into the steel door behind me. What I got, however, was a fistful of brittle hair strands that fell out into my hand.
I tried to scream, feeling helpless against the assault at that point. My lungs were on fire.
"Finally," he whispered.
As my eyes began to close, I could feel myself losing consciousness.
"I knew you'd come back for me," Johnathan's raspy voice said. "You've always wanted to."
Had I been able to speak-much less form a coherent thought over the adrenaline coursing through me-I would have corrected him.
Saliva fell from the corner of my mouth as I opened it, or maybe it was blood. I couldn't tell.
"Let me go," I choked out.
My eyes clenched shut.
Please let this be a dream, I thought.
My hands dropped from his arms, my body falling limp.
Just when I thought I would pass out, Johnathan dropped me to the floor.
I gasped through burning lungs as they filled back up with oxygen, coughing violently.
A hand pushed against my shoulder, forcing my back to the ground.
I felt the crushing pressure of his weight as he sat on my torso, the struggle to breathe returning.
"I've waited for this moment for nearly six years," Johnathan admitted, his hand running along the side of my face.
I tried to kick against his back, my legs flailing behind him.
"Get off of me," I gasped, swinging my arms violently.
He grabbed my wrists and forced them above my head.
"Now, what do we do with this mark?" He asked, running a finger along the crease of my shoulder where Luca's mark was embedded.
I felt his breath against my neck and closed my eyes tight, preparing myself for the worst.
Over the blood rushing through my ears, I didn't hear the steel door open as it was ripped from its hinges.
My eyes didn't open until I felt Johnathan's weight lifted off of me as Luca tackled him, the two of them landing on the other side of the room.
Bates's blurry face appeared above me, etched in concern.
His voice sounded a million miles away, like we were separated by soundproof glass.
I felt something against my face at the same time I saw blood spatter against one side of Bates's face.
My head turned over to one side to see Luca approaching us, his face, shirt, hands and forearms stained crimson.
My body became weightless as he lifted me into his arms.
The only thing I remembered after this were the words he whispered in my ear:
"You're okay."
- - -
Oof, y'all are gunna hate me for this but I'm taking the weekend off from posting chapters...
You'll have to wait and see what happens next on Monday morning at 8:30am EST (New York time)! Until then, don't forget to vote and comment!!
See y'all later!
MaybeManhattan .x