CHAPTER 2
1244 Words
Liam
She was calling again.
Lyra.
It was the tenth time tonight since I left to attend to Evelyn.
And now, as I sat in the back of my car, smoke curling from my Cuban cigar, my thoughts wandered. Today was our third wedding anniversary, but I refused to go home.
My conscience gnawed at me relentlessly. My wolf, Aries, the i***t, kept growling at me. I knew what he wanted, but I was not going to change my mind.
The thought alone made me shudder. Never again. I had let Lyra fool me once, had let my guard slip, and been blinded by my base desires.
I had almost let that guard slip again when I saw her tonight dressed in that red lacy lingerie—the one I had gifted her on our honeymoon. The color made her fair skin glow as if it was lit from within, and beneath the lace, her curves were barely concealed...
I'd been hit with her scent, a summer blend of jasmine and peach, although somewhat lighter than before.
For a second, the only word in my head is…mine.
It was the scent that pulled me back to our intimate moments, when we were both teetering on the edge of orgasm, lost in a tangle of heat, desire, and pure lust. It was the same scent that had clouded my mind, five years ago, when I'd walked into his father's office, and that scent had hit me like a ton of bricks, tantalising and intoxicating.
My wolf, Aries, usually a very taciturn being, had gone crazy at the scent, prancing around in excitement, the anticipation of finally meeting our mate for the very first time.
And when my gaze had settled on the beautiful brunette who was perched on Alpha Stone's desk, watching me with a curious tilt of her head, I knew with a certainty that she was my mate.
I almost drowned myself in the memory. For a moment, I wasn't the man seeking revenge. I wasn't the alpha drowning in resentment. I was just Liam.
But I knew this was just a ridiculous dream.
A dream that I had been coldly and ruthlessly yanked out of on the day I was notified to claim my sister's body.
Elena.
My little princess. Beautiful, smart, and kind Elena, with a smile that could melt even the most corrupted heart.
She would force Aries, my wolf, to listen to her wild fantasy when she was happy and whisper secrets to him when she felt down. I thought life would be as stable and peaceful, forever.
When she'd gotten her wolf, Elena had been unstoppable, always eager to shift and go for a run in the woods. I usually accompanied her, the two of us spending hours in our wolf form while I taught the basics of being a wolf.
However, my duties to the pack had slowly eaten into the time we spent together, and we went for our runs less and less.
On the day she disappeared, she'd begged me to go on a run with her, but I had pack duties to attend to and couldn't go. I'd promised her we'd go another day, and she had gotten upset. I'd thought nothing of it at the time, but little did I know...
I never expected that the next time I would see her would be to identify her dead body one year ago.
The body lying on the morgue's table had horribly mottled, split skin from being in the sea for a while, bruises covered her entire body, and scars that would never heal were everywhere.
As if that were not enough, the coroner had informed me Elena had been pregnant at the time of her death.
Fuck!
A wave of bitterness and fury raw in my chest.
I used all my connections, all my strength, only to find that all the evidence pointed to Alpha Stone: Lyra's father, my mate's father. The same alpha lauded by all the packs as the epitome of alphahood and a great philanthropist was the same bastard who killed my sister.
Big. f*****g. Mistake.
In less than six months, I had worked subtly behind the scenes and turned his life into a hell on earth, and I was still not done. I had destroyed his life, his business, his pack, and his health.
I would also destroy the person he loves the most: his precious daughter, Lyra.
That day, when I returned home, I opened the door, and the warm yellow light spilled into the hallway. Lyra, as usual, opened her arms wide, waiting for my hug. I stared at her face and this home I once swore to protect.
At that moment, they seemed like false angelic illusions, bright and pure, while I stood in the abyss, wanting to drag them all into the mire with me.
Then I knew that neither of us could return to the fake, peaceful past.
I would never love her again.
I hated her.
My phone rang again, pulling me back to reality.
Still her.
Gritting my teeth, I pressed reject.
"Take me to Evelyn's." I instructed my driver, Chris.
In no time, the vehicle peeled away from the grounds.
*
Lyra
I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Liam did not come home last night. Groping for my phone, I squinted at the screen when suddenly it rang. I immediately scrambled out of bed, my heart rate speeding up.
It was the hospital.
"Ms. Montrel," a nurse said, her voice rushed, "your father is having a seizure."
My heart dropped, and my legs went weak. Oh no...no. This couldn't be happening now.
This wasn't the first time my dad was having a seizure. Thanks to an accident that left him severely wounded to the extent his wolf had been unable to heal him fully, he'd been plagued with these seizures that kept on getting worse, defying every treatment they tried.
"Is he okay now?"
"I'm afraid not. He needs to be moved to the ICU immediately to be prepped for emergency surgery."
"Okay. He should be moved then. I—"
"He can't be moved, ma'am," the nurse cut me off gently. "The surgery costs five million dollars, and the hospital can't proceed without a deposit."
My heart sank to my stomach.
Five million dollars?! Where the hell was I going to get that? I barely had a few thousand left in my account as the bills had depleted the last of it.
"Okay," I said, swallowing hard. "I am on my way with the deposit. Just give me a couple of minutes."
I got ready in no time and rushed to the hospital.
When I arrived, they handed me a clipboard to sign. After doing that, I emptied my bank account, depositing the last of my funds. Then I followed as they wheeled my father to the ICU. He looked so pale and fragile.
I cried and prayed to the Moon goddess to save him.
When the surgery began, I stepped outside, planning on using the spare time to call the one person who could help with the remaining money.
Liam.
He was the only name that came to mind after I racked my brain.
He picked up on the third ring.
"Hell—" I started, but he cut me off. His tone was harsh and cold as he barked. "What do you want, Lyra?"
- Writer
