Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
I crossed to the window, staring out at the city below. Lights flickered in the distance, the streets calm and quiet, but the restlessness inside me refused to settle. I wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. Sleeping without her wasn’t natural. It never had been. The first night she’d stayed over, tangled in my sheets, I’d known that was how it was supposed to be.
Without her, the bed was too big, the silence too loud, and everything felt wrong. There was no reason for us to be apart, and yet there I was, staring out at the city like a man exiled from his own life and it was my own damn fault.
I unlocked my phone again and sent a basic text, knowing full well it wasn’t going to be enough. Not even close. Two words—Come home. That barely scratched the surface of what I needed to say, but doing nothing was worse.
I glanced at the empty doorway, still hanging slightly ajar, a reminder of her departure. She had thrown it open so hard that I was fairly sure the doorknob had left a dent in the drywall. The thought almost made me smile, if not for the situation.
A soft rasp on the doorframe broke the silence as Lucian shuffled in, his steps silent despite his size. He was dressed similarly to me, in a black tank top and sweats, his usual casual look that only highlighted the sharp edges of his frame. His dark eyes scanned the room, looking for the aftermath of the argument. He seemed just as surprised as I was that there wasn’t one.
"We’re going to make this right," he said quietly as he stepped further into the room.
His tone wasn’t a question, it was a statement of fact. I glanced at him, meeting his dark-eyed stare. "I know we will.”
His expression didn’t shift, but there was a flicker of understanding that didn’t require words. It was the kind of silent exchange we’d perfected over the years.
Lucian wasn’t just someone to watch out for, he was someone you couldn’t afford to look away from. Tall and solidly built, with a sharp angular jaw and jet-black hair that always gave him an effortlessly commanding air, he didn’t have to assert his authority. He simply was. He was ice-cold and calculating, the embodiment of control. Beneath that icy surface was an absolute loyalty.
His unwavering dedication to our inner circle wasn’t something anyone else would dare to question. He didn’t say much, but when he did, every word mattered. I knew we weren’t just going to make it right.
We were going to make it how things should have been and needed to be.
“How do you want to play this?”
I turned back toward the window, my gaze fixed on the city lights below as they blurred into an indistinct haze, offering no clarity. “I’m not sure yet.”
Lucian didn’t press, didn’t push for answers. He just stood there, his presence steady, grounding me in a way I didn’t acknowledge aloud. My chest tightened as my thoughts drifted back to Autumn, to the way she’d looked at me before she left. The pain in her eyes had gutted me.
I had to do this just right.
She was mine, and nothing, not even her own doubts was going to change that. She fit into my life so seamlessly, it felt like she’d always been meant to be there. My family adored her, and my friends did too. What she didn’t realize yet was the lengths I’d go to, to keep her by my side.
It was time she understood.
Long past time
.
CHAPTER FOUR
My suitcase was open on the bed, meticulously organized with perfectly folded clothes I was still undecided on. The dryer buzzed downstairs, signaling the last load, and I made a mental note to grab it when I was finished. My fleece robe clung to my still-damp skin, the soft fabric a small comfort as I paced back to the closet, trying to figure out what else to pack.
It shouldn’t have been so hard to pick out a few outfits for a single weekend, but Daniella wasn’t all that descriptive about what we’d be doing. She was a nature girl, so if she wanted to go hiking and I only had leggings and slipper boots, that would be a problem. Whatever she had in mind, I desperately needed this little getaway.
The past two weeks had been a relentless battle to avoid any possible run-ins with Wilder or his friends in our small-ass city.
Despite not crossing their paths once, he was still everywhere, in every corner of my head and deep inside my chest. What surprised me most was that he hadn’t shown up at my house. In fact, he’d made zero effort to reach out. He had to know he was blocked, and there hadn’t been a single peep unless you counted flowers. Each arrangement was different and accompanied by a note that the florist had probably debated reporting to the authorities or at least a shrink.