Savage Bonds

The heavy bag exploded under Luka's fist, sand spilling across the gym floor. He stepped back, rolling his shoulders, sweat dripping down his chest as he surveyed the damage. "Dude, that's the fourth one this month," Jake, his best friend and future gamma, was wrapping his hands near the weights. "Dad's gonna start charging you for equipment replacement." Luka shrugged, grabbing a towel from the bench. "Tell him to send me the bill." He wiped the sweat from his face, and his muscles hummed with restless energy. Training helped, but it never completely quieted the wolf that paced beneath his skin, demanding action, demanding something he couldn't quite name. "Or maybe you should work out whatever issues you’ve been dealing with lately," Jake suggested mildly, but there was an edge to his voice that Luka chose to ignore. "I don't have issues. "I’m just fuckin bored." Luka tossed the towel aside and headed for the water station. "When's the last time anything interesting happened around here?" "You mean besides the rogue attacks that have everyone on edge?" "Those aren't interesting, they're just annoying." Luka drained half a water bottle in one go. "Three rogues get taken down, three more show up. It's like playing whack-a-mole." Jake stopped wrapping his hands and gave him a frustrated look. "People are dying, Luka. The Hendersons' youngest daughter was found torn apart two weeks ago." "And we handled it. The rogues responsible are dead." Luka was done with the conversation. "Problem solved." "Is it? Because it looks like the attacks are getting worse, not better." Before Luka could respond, the gym door opened and Lauren Smith walked in, her blonde hair perfectly styled, her workout clothes more fashion statement than functional gear. She moved like someone who'd been told she was beautiful her entire life and had never been given reason to doubt it. "There you are," she said, her voice carrying that breathy quality that most men seemed to find irresistible. "I've been looking everywhere for you." "Here I am," Luka replied, his tone neutral. Not encouraging, but not dismissive either. The careful balance he'd perfected over the past 2 years of whatever this was. Lauren's smile was radiant as she approached, her hand finding his arm with familiar possession. "I thought maybe we could grab breakfast after your workout." She leaned in and put her hand on his arm. "Can't. I've got pack business." "What pack business?" Luka's jaw tightened slightly. "The kind that doesn't concern you." Jake cleared his throat loudly. "I'm gonna go grab some water," he announced, clearly wanting to escape the brewing tension. "We need to talk, Luka," Lauren said, her grip tightening on Luka's arm. "I was thinking we could talk about us. About where this is going." Here we go again. Luka could feel his wolf's agitation spike. "Lauren—" “I told you not to even bother with this one. She is most definitely not our mate.” Onyx huffed inside his head. He had been against her since the beginning. At first, Luka rebelled, but he was beginning to agree with Onyx. He never should have started anything with Lauren. "I know you're not ready to make things official, but we've been doing this dance for months. People are starting to ask questions." "Lauren, we have talked about this. There is no making it official. I could give two shits about what anyone has to say." "That's not fair," Lauren pouted. "I'm putting myself out there, Luka. I'm interested in something serious. But you keep me at arm's length like I'm some kind of casual hookup." "Aren't you? Haven’t I made it clear from the beginning of whatever this is that I didn’t want anything serious?" The words were out before he could stop them. "Wow." Lauren dropped her hand from his arm like she'd been burned. "Good to know where I stand." "Lauren, that's not what I meant—" "No, it's fine." Her voice was carefully controlled now, but Luka could see the anger building behind her eyes. "You want to keep your options open. Can't have the future Alpha tied down to just one woman, right?" "This isn't about that." "Isn't it?" Lauren laughed bitterly. I see the way you look at them. Like you're constantly evaluating your choices, wondering if there's something better out there. Hell, you probably took Julia home the other night. That’s why you didn’t answer me Tuesday, isn’t it?" The accusation hit closer to home than he'd care to admit. She was right. He had been trying to let her down easily. “What are you going to do when we figure out we’re mates, Luka?” He heard Jake choke on his water. “Lauren, if we were mates, we would know already. You aren’t my mate.” ‘Thank the gods for that.” Onyx snarled. “You don’t know that,” she said softly. Before he could respond, the gym door opened again. Two women walked in, both in workout clothes, both clearly there for serious training rather than socializing. One of them he recognized. Elora Kane, Thomas Kane's daughter. Thomas had been the beta of the pack since before Luka was born. But it was the second woman who caught Luka’s attention. Her dark hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail that she made look sexy. A lean build that spoke of real strength rather than just a casual gym goer. And the way she moved. Damn. She was beautiful, but not in the obvious way Lauren was. This woman didn't even have to try. There was something more subtle about her, something that made him want to look longer. "—So I told Justin that if he wanted to change the patrol schedule, he needed to run it by Dad first," Elora was saying. The dark-haired woman nodded, but her attention was elsewhere. She'd spotted Lauren, and something flickered across her face. Not fear or intimidation, but something that looked almost like... amusement? Then she rolled her eyes. She rolled her eyes at Lauren Smith. Daughter of one of the most powerful alphas in the region. The gesture was so casual, so dismissive, that Luka found himself staring. Most pack members treated Lauren with respect due to her status, even if they didn't particularly like her. But this woman had just looked at her like she was nothing more than an annoyance. "Do you know her?" he asked Jake, who had returned with his water bottle. "Know who?" Jake followed his gaze to where the two women were setting up at the training mats. "Elora? Yeah, she's—" "Not Elora. The other one." Jake looked again, then back at Luka with an expression of complete disbelief. "Are you serious right now?" "What?" "You're asking me if I know," Jake stopped, shaking his head. "You know what? Never mind. We should get going. Your dad wanted to see you half an hour ago." "My dad can wait." Luka continued to watch the dark-haired woman as she began stretching, her movements fluid and controlled. There was something about the way she carried herself. He needed to know her. "Who is she?" "Luka." Jake's voice carried a warning. "Leave it alone." But Luka was already moving toward the two women, drawn by curiosity and something else he couldn't quite name. Lauren's hand shot out to stop him. "Where are you going?" "To be polite. Welcome new pack members." He shrugged her off. The lie came easily, but Lauren's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "She's not new Luka." "Then to be neighborly. Does it matter?" Before Lauren could respond, Luka's phone lit up. Dad flashed on the screen. "Ugh, God please take that," Jake said, relief evident in his voice. Luka looked at his phone, then at the dark-haired woman who was now working through what looked like advanced combat forms, then back at his phone. His father's calls were never social, and being late to whatever meeting he'd missed was only going to make things worse. "s**t," he muttered, accepting the call. "Hey, Dad." "Where the hell are you?" Alpha Thorne's voice was sharp with irritation. "I was training—" "Training can wait. Get your ass down here." The line went dead. Luka stared at his phone with a mix of annoyance and dread. His father's tone had made it clear that this wasn't a request. "I have to go," he grumbled, already heading for the door. "What about breakfast?" Lauren called after him. "No thanks," Luka replied without looking back. As Luka headed down the street, he remembered his mother's coffee. He had promised to pick it up after this workout. s**t. Moonbean Coffee was on the way. He pushed through the door, already pulling out his phone to check his mother's complicated order, when he looked up and saw her. The girl from the gym. Dark hair pulled back in a messy bun, now in a Moonbean apron, aggressively wiping down the espresso machine like it had personally offended her. A slow grin spread across his face. The universe was giving him a second chance. No Jake to elbow him in the ribs. No Lauren. Just him and the mystery girl. Time to turn on the charm and finally get her name.