76 The Lake
Mara
The lake was peaceful-almost too peaceful.
The water shimmered like glass, barely disturbed by the occasional breeze. I watched the reflection of the sky ripple, trying to lose myself in the quiet. But Theo’s words wouldn’t leave me alone. They kept echoing in my mind like a riddle l couldn’t quite crack.
Why would anyone want to kill Lucian and me?
If it was about the Alpha Mark, then Vander should’ve been a target too. Or Darian. But Lucian was the one they’d gone after-and I was collateral. Nothing more. That alone told me this wasn’t about the mark.
It was personal.
As much as I tried to give Martha the benefit of the doubt, she was still the only one who stood to gain if Lucian died. She had motive. Influence. And the kind of cold ambition that never blinked at collateral damage. But if it wasn’t her… then it
had to be Darian.
I hated thinking that.
If Lucian were gone, Darian would inherit everything-the company, the title, the power. That alone made him a suspect. And as much as I wanted to believe he wasn’t capable of something like that, I couldn’t ignore the possibility.
Ben was too easy to catch.
And he had a point: who commits a crime using their own license plate? Unless they’re trying to get caught… or set up to
take the fall.
The mastermind behind this wasn’t sloppy. They were smart. Calculated. They expected us to see the plate, find the theft
report, and close the case. But they didn’t count on Lucian investigating personally.
If Alpha Vander had been leading this investigation, Martha could’ve easily steered it. Pushed it quietly in the direction she
wanted. Swept the real threat under the rug. I just hoped-for Darian’s sake-that his mother had nothing to do with it.
Then there was that other name: Jones Danewood. A drifter. Not from here. That was a problem. If Martha hired him, she took a risk contracting someone so visible. But if she didn’t… then we were dealing with someone else entirely. Someone with reach. With backing.
My gut told me to start looking deeper-into Steel Corp’s board, Vander’s old alliances, maybe even that smug bastard Daniel Northwood. The more I thought about it, the darker the web became.
I forced the thoughts aside and bit into my sandwich. The sky was still blue. Still quiet. I hugged myself and tried to focus on the moment instead of everything that could go wrong.
Then my phone rang.
Lucian.
“Hello,” I said, smiling without meaning to.
“Would you like me to get you anything?” he asked.
I hesitated. I wasn’t good at asking for things.
“Surprise me,” I replied.
76 The Lake
+ Pointe
He groaned. “Come on, Mara. Just tell me something. You never ask for anything, and it’s starting to worry me.”
I scrambled for an answer, feeling oddly flustered. “Okay, fine. Get me something sweet that I can eat, and something cute I can keep. Something that represents… us.”
There was a pause. “I can work with that.”
I giggled.
“See you in a bit, love,” he added.
“I’m at the lake you never bothered to show me, by the way.”
He groaned again. “I was saving that for later. I’m going to kill Austin.”
D
I laughed, but I didn’t tell him Austin had actually saved me from running into Darian. That conversation could wait until I
saw him in person.
“See you soon, darling,” he said, and we hung up.
I sat there afterward, phone still in my hand, smiling like an i***t. My stomach flipped with butterflies, the air around me
suddenly warmer.
Is this what being in love feels like?
It was intense. It was wild. And it was kind of perfect.
“It’s good to see you happy,” the voice said behind me, low and heavy with pain, “but it hurts that the smile isn’t for me.”
I froze.
The one person I didn’t want to be alone with.
I turned, and there he was-Darian-walking toward me with that same look in his eyes I’d seen too many times lately: sadness, longing, and something more dangerous beneath.
I considered standing and walking away, but I knew it would be pointless. He’d follow.
“Darian,” I said flatly, my expression hard.
“My Mara,” he said gently, voice breaking around the edges.
He stopped just a few feet from me. The pain in his eyes was real, but it didn’t justify what he said next.
“Why did you fall for him so quickly?” he asked. “You don’t even know him, Mara. He’s not stable. He’s-”
“Stop,” I cut in, voice sharp. “You need to stop this, Darian. It’s unhealthy.”
He pressed forward anyway, desperate.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say how I felt earlier. I thought we had time. I thought you’d always be there. But now you’re with him. You went on heat for him. But Mara, I’m an Alpha too. You don’t have to stay. Come with me. We can leave all this behind. Me and you. Forget the pack, forget Lucian-”
I stared at him in disbelief as he continued.
“He’ll move on, Mara. Just like he did from Tina. You should’ve seen them when they were together-closer than you and Lucian are now. And look what he did to her. He only agreed to marry you because our father dangled Steel Corp in front of him. He’s manipulative. Impulsive. You’re just the shiny new toy. Wait until you lose your shine.”
“You’re his brother, Darian,” I said, stunned. “Why are you trying to destroy his marriage?”
“Because he took the woman I love,” he snapped.
* 76 The Lake
+ Ports >
I was quiet for a moment, then said, “What I felt for you… it was infatuation, Darian. I love Lucian. And if you care about me at all, you’ll leave me alone and let me live my life in peace-with my husband.”
He turned away, stalking toward the edge of the lake, and let out a guttural growl that made the trees shudder. I felt it in my bones. Raw, unfiltered Alpha rage.
He dropped to his knees and began to sob. Against every instinct, I walked over, slowly.
“My mother did this to me,” he choked out. “She did this, Mara. She pushed me to Tiffany. She made our father buy you for Lucian. I hate her for it. I hate her so much.”
His rage was terrifying-but also pitiful.
“Darian,” I said softly, “you need to calm down.”
He pulled me into a tight hug before I could react, holding on too long, too tight. I tried to pull away, and eventually, he let
He stood, wiping his tears, and I stepped back-just in case he got another idea in his head.
“I’ll wait for you, Mara,” he said, voice low and certain. “One day, you’ll see who Lucian really is. You’ll see how shallow his affection is. I don’t care if you have children together. I’ll still be here. Waiting. Ready to love you like he never could.”
His words weren’t romantic. They were obsessive.
“I’ll talk to him,” he added. “Try to get him to let us be friends again. No funny business-I promise. I just… miss my best
friend.”
I already knew how Lucian would answer that. But I said nothing.
Darian exhaled heavily, then stripped off his clothes and shifted. His wolf form disappeared into the trees, and all I could
think was:
God help whatever creature crosses his path.
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