Raven:
My hand is in the air.
Anastasia's eyes go wide.
For one crystalline moment, everything stops. The room holds its breath. Anastasia pressed against the wall, her perfect composure shattered. Adrian standing behind me, waiting for me to make a move.
One punch, that's all it would take.
Eight years of humiliation could end right now with my fist connecting with her face.
Do it, Nyx growls. Make her bleed.
But then clarity cuts through the rage.
This isn't the revenge I want.
Slapping Anastasia gives me five seconds of satisfaction. Destroying everything she loves gives me a lifetime.
I lower my hand.
Anastasia's breath comes out in a rush.
I turn to Adrian. "I appreciate your concern, Mr. Lockwood, but it wouldn't be professional of me to hit Miss Harrington." I glance back at Anastasia. "I don't let emotions control my decisions."
Anastasia's face flushes scarlet. She straightens, trying to salvage her dignity even though everyone just watched her lose control.
"You're going to regret this." Her voice shakes. "Both of you."
She moves toward the door. It opens before she reaches it.
Richard Harrington fills the doorway.
His eyes sweep the scene , his daughter's tears and the mark on my cheek.
Adrian positioned between us like a shield.
He understands immediately.
"Anastasia, get to the car now."
"Father….."
"Now"
She leaves.
Richard's attention shifts to me. His gaze is cold. "Adrian, I need a moment with your assistant."
"No." Adrian moves closer to me.
" This is about pack business." The words carry weight.
Adrian's jaw clenches. He looks at me, conflict written across his face.
"I'll be right outside," he says.
Then I'm alone with Richard Harrington.
One of the men who killed my father.
He circles me slowly. "You're new to Seattle."
"Yes, sir."
"Working for Adrian." He stops in front of me. "Adrian is spoken for. Our families have an arrangement that benefits everyone. I'd hate to see someone insignificant damage something so carefully built."
"You have nothing to worry about sir, I'm just his assistant."
"Good." He reaches out and adjusts my collar. The gesture looks paternal. The threat underneath it is razor-sharp. "Then you understand your place is behind a desk. Not at private dinners. Not standing between my daughter and her fiancé."
His hand lingers near my throat.
"Lone wolves don't survive long when they forget their place," he continues softly. "Accidents happen. No one asks questions when a lone wolf disappears."
I force myself to meet his eyes. To not flinch.
"I understand perfectly."
"Excellent." He steps back. Opens the door. Adrian is there immediately, fists clenched.
"We're done here," Richard says. "I'm sure your father will want to discuss tonight."
He walks away.
Adrian turns to me. "What did he say?"
"Nothing that matters."
"Raven—"
" It's Ms. Stone. And he reminded me of my place." I gather my things. "Please can we leave now?"
*****
The car ride is silent.
Adrian stares out his window, his hands clenched on his thighs and tension rolls off him in waves.
My cheek burns. My lip throbs.
But Richard's threat echoes louder than the pain.
Accidents happen to lone wolves.
The same thing they probably said before they murdered my father.
The car stops in front of my building.
Adrian gets out and opens my door before his driver can.
"Thank you for the ride." I step onto the sidewalk. "I'll see you….."
"Let me come up, your lip needs to be cleaned."
"I can handle it myself."
"Raven… "
"Ms. Stone and I can take care of myself Mr. Lockwood."
"I know." He steps closer. "Let me do this anyway. Please."
I should say no.
But making him want me is part of the plan.
"Fine. But you have to leave immediately."
Relief flashes across his face.
I lead him up three flights of stairs. My apartment is small. A studio with a bed in one corner, a desk in another. Everything is neat but sparse. No photos. No personal items. Nothing that reveals who I really am.
Adrian looks around as I flip on the lights. He's too big for this space. Too overwhelming.
" your bathroom?"
I point to the direction of my bathroom.
He returns with my first aid kit.
"Sit."
I sit on the couch and he kneels in front of me, bringing himself to my eye level.
His fingers tilt my chin up gently.
"This will sting."
The antiseptic burns but I don't flinch.
He works in silence, cleaning the cut with careful precision. His jaw is tight. His eyes are focused on my mouth with an intensity that makes breathing difficult.
We're too close.
Mate, Nyx whispers. He's taking care of us.
I ignore her.
"Done." He reaches for a bandage.
"I don't need that."
"Humor me."
He applies it anyway, his fingers brushing my lip, my jaw, my cheek. Each touch sends heat through my body.
This is dangerous.
He sits back but doesn't leave. His eyes meet mine.
And silence stretches.
His gaze drops to my mouth. Then lower, to my throat.
"Mr. Lockwood. You should go."
"Adrian." His voice is rough. "When we're alone, call me Adrian."
"That's not appropriate."
"None of this is appropriate." His hand lifts, hovering near my face. "I shouldn't have brought you to dinner. I shouldn't have told you to hit her. I definitely shouldn't be here alone with you." His eyes lock on mine. "But I can't stop."
My pulse races. "Mr. Lockwood…"
"You felt it too.
In the elevator. In the car. Right now."
"You're engaged."
"To a woman I don't love. An arrangement between packs." Bitterness bleeds into his voice. "I can't stand being in the same room with her."
"Then why marry her?"
His expression shutters. "Because I have to."
"No one has to."
"You don't understand pack politics." He runs a hand through his hair. "It doesn't matter. What I feel for her and what I feel with you are completely different."
"What do you feel with me?"
He stares at me. The struggle plays across his face.
"Alive," he finally says. "I feel alive."
My breath catches.
"Mr. Lockwood, I think it's time for you to leave."
"Adrian."
"Adrian." His name feels foreign on my tongue. "This needs to stop. You're my boss. Whatever this is…."
His phone rings.
Father flashes on the screen.
"I should answer."
But he doesn't move.
It keeps ringing.
He swipes to answer. "Yes Father."
His voice comes through loud and furious.
Adrian's face goes cold. "I'll be there."
More yelling.
" I said I'll be there." He hangs up.
He sits there for a moment, with his phone clenched in his fist.
Then he looks at me.
"I have to go. My father wants to discuss an urgent matter."
"Of course."
At the door, he pauses.
"What you did tonight. Not hitting her. That took more strength than hitting her would have."
"It was the smart thing to do."
"You're stronger than you look, Ms. Stone."
I smile slightly. "I'm stronger than you know, Mr. Lockwood."
He stares at me like I'm a puzzle he can't solve.
Then he leaves.
I lock the door and lean against it.
That was dangerous, Nyx says.
"But we need him."
I walk to my desk and pull out my notebook. Document everything.
Richard's threat.
Adrian's confession about not being able to touch women.
The arranged engagement.
Malcolm's furious call.
I touch the bandage on my lip. Where Adrian's fingers were so gentle it made my chest ache.
He's falling for us, Nyx murmurs.
And something twists in my chest.
Guilt.
I shove it down.
Adrian Lockwood let Anastasia humiliate me. His family destroyed my father.
He's a tool. A means to an end.
That's all.
I repeat it.
But my wolf whimpers.
And I ignore her.