104 The Same Kind
Mara
Taking over Steel Corp wasn’t part of any plan. It dropped into my lap fast and hard-but I stepped up. I had to. Lucian trusted no one else with his legacy, and frankly, I understood why. With people like Martha lurking in the shadows, loyalty wasn’t just valuable-it was survival.
I had more to lose than anyone if something happened to Lucian. That made me dangerous in all the right ways.
The board was easy to handle-talk, posture, nod, repeat. But beneath that calm exterior was chaos. Contracts left half-signed. Projects stalled. Alpha Vander had clearly lost interest toward the end, though why, I still couldn’t figure out. Maybe boredom. Maybe arrogance. Either way, I was left with the fallout-mountains of files, endless decisions, a blinking screen I was beginning to loathe.
While I was buried in logistics and damage control, Lucian was deep in training. Not that he needed it-he was already a born Alpha-but they wanted him sharper, stronger. He trained alongside Darian and Rowan. I was glad about Rowan. Lucian keeping him as Gamma wasn’t just loyalty-it was strategy. The guy had instincts that didn’t miss.
I wasn’t allowed near military matters anymore. Alpha Vander made that clear. And it stung more than I let on. No more interrogations. No more field strategy. No more Gamma dreams. I was Luna now. That came with its own power, its own limits. Lucian still asked for my input behind the scenes, but it wasn’t the same. I’d made peace with it-mostly. Maybe this was the goddess’s plan all along.
Then the door opened, and Alpha Vander walked in-with Lacy trailing behind him.
Unannounced.
I straightened instinctively. This was awkward. Unsettling. I’d never had to deal with the man alone before. Lucian or
Darian had always buffered the tension. After what happened with Martha-her little stunt to frame me and get me cast
out-I hadn’t forgiven him. Probably never would.
Still, Vander was no fool. I suspected he knew how uneasy I was around him. He’d been trying too hard to make me feel
comfortable lately, overly polite, overly gracious. But I wasn’t buying it. His devotion to Martha ran deep. I could respect
that. I knew what it was to love someone fiercely. Lucian would go to hell for me, too.
Maybe that’s what made Vander so dangerous-love softened him only in one direction.
People often whispered that Lucian was cold. Intimidating. Hard. And he was-to the world. But with me? He was warmth and safety and patience. People didn’t see that side. They never would. I’d overheard women pitying me more than once- assuming I was miserable with such a stern man, assuming I struggled in bed because of our size difference.
I was five-seven, slim, small-boned. Tina had them all fooled-taller, curvier, louder. But they had no idea. No one had a
clue what Lucian was like when the doors were closed and the rest of the world vanished. That was mine to know.
And honestly? I liked it that way.
I stood, composed and ready, as my father-in-law and former Alpha stepped into my office.
“Good afternoon, Alpha,” I said, keeping my tone respectful.
He smiled. “You know, calling me father wouldn’t hurt. I know Aiden is still alive, but you’ve got two fathers now.”
His grin was broad, inviting. Once, that smile might’ve eased my nerves. But not after what happened at his house-the setup, the almost-expulsion, the quiet betrayal. That smile had lost its warmth.
Lucian mirrored him in so many ways-his build, his face, even the way he stood still like a storm deciding whether to
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104 The Same Kind
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strike, Alpha Vander was still a striking man, capable of holding his own beside his sons. The goddess had clearly carved their bloodline from marble and fire.
“The board tells me you’re settling in well. Running things with a firm hand,” he said, offering the compliment smoothly.
“Thank you,” I replied, keeping my smile polite.
“Is there anything you can’t do, Mara?” he asked.
I didn’t answer that. There were plenty of things I wasn’t good at-but none I’d admit in this room.
Then came the real reason for his visit.
“So, how’s the holiday going with Lucian? You two haven’t been around the mansion since that last breakfast. I’m starting to wonder if Martha was right-that you’ve moved out in secret.”
There it was. The casual dig cloaked in concern. And Lacy, sitting quietly beside him, absorbing everything. I didn’t like her being here. She felt like eyes reporting to a different queen. With Martha’s money problems surfacing, Lacy’s presence
made me uneasy.
“No, Alpha-” I stopped myself. “Father,” I added, though the word tasted foreign.
“All our things are still at the mansion,” I said smoothly. “We just wanted space. Time to bond. To do what normal couples
- Honestly, I didn’t even know Lucian could cook steak until we stayed at the holiday house.”
That caught him off guard-his eyebrow lifted slightly. Apparently, he hadn’t known that either.
“I suppose the mansion doesn’t leave much room for… playing house,” he mused, leaning forward in his chair.
Then, too casually, “Mara, I hope you and Lucian are trying for a baby?”
The question landed like a slap. My smile didn’t falter, but my spine stiffened. He said it like it was a matter of business, of legacy-not love.
“Yes, we are,” I said, swallowing my discomfort.
He nodded, satisfied. “Good. I want grandchildren. Legitimate ones. Someone to carry the Nighthorn name. And with you, I know Lucian’s children will be strong. Sharp.”
All I could manage was, “Thank you.”
But inside, I recoiled. There was no grace in how he said it. No real regard for me. Just a plan. A bloodline. A box to tick.
Wanting to shift the weight of the conversation, I turned toward Lacy. She hadn’t said a word-but she was watching.
Always watching.
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