Marco's POV
Watching Lara walk away lit a fire in my chest I barely managed to contain. Every instinct screamed at me to follow her, to pull her back into my arms, to erase the hurt in her eyes and replace it with the warmth she used to give me so freely. But I stayed where I was, my fists clenched at my sides, because this was not the time for selfishness. Not when the world around us was quietly sharpening its claws.
My love for Lara would have to wait.
Her safety could not.
The reports on my desk were damning. Too many disappearances. Too many pack members gone without a trace. Scouts vanishing at the borders. Messengers never reaching their destinations. This was no coincidence, and I was not foolish enough to deny the truth. They were sending me a message.
Give up Lara.
Or watch my pack bleed.
