178 Baited by Blood
178 Baited by Blood
Lucian
The moment we touched down on Steel Corp’s helipad, I called Jennifer Clearwater and asked her to prepare something
for Darian, Denis, and me. Her voice on the other end was tight, uneasy.
“Alpha…” she said, hesitant. I picked up on the fear immediately.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, already feeling the edges of my calm fray. “Is my wife okay?”
“Yes, Alpha. Luna Mara is fine. But… please, Alpha, call her.”
She didn’t elaborate. That was unlike Jennifer. Something had definitely happened.
I ended the call and immediately dialed Mara. It was close to midnight-I just hoped she was awake.
“Hello?” a female voice answered.
It wasn’t Mara.
“Who is this?” I demanded, my tone sharper than I intended.
“It’s Tiffany. Please hold-she’s in the bathroom.”
The tension in my chest eased a bit. I waited, barely breathing.
Then Mara’s voice came through. “Lucian.”
I finally exhaled.
“I called Jennifer to prepare something for us-we’re on our way home-but she told me to call you. What’s going on?”
She paused, then let out a sigh. “We’re at the Nighthorn Mansion.”
That stopped me. “You went to the mansion without telling me?”
“There wasn’t time,” she said. “Please, Lucian. Just come here. Don’t go to the house.”
I went still. “Why?”
“Chase knows where we live. He sent a letter. To our house.”
For a moment, the world narrowed to those words. I forced myself to stay focused.
“I’m on my way,” I told her, then hung up and moved fast.
Darian and Denis were already waiting by the car.
“We’re going to the Nighthorn Mansion. They’re there,” I said quickly.
Darian’s brows furrowed. “Did Mara tell you why?”
I nodded as we got into the car. Denis pulled out of the lot, tires squealing slightly.
“Chase knows where we live,” I said.
“Damn it,” Darian muttered from the backseat.
“What’s with this guy?” Denis asked.
Darian’s voice hardened. “We need to bring in Northwood. Or at least find a way to get to Chase through him.”
“We will. But for now, we focus on the audit,” I said.
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Darian sounded frustrated. “Why the audit, when Chase is escalating?”
“Because Chase isn’t just obsessed-he’s strategic,” I said. “He hates the Nighthorns. If he’s working with Daniel Northwood, this whole thing-the financial discrepancies, the push for a merger-it’s a setup.”
I looked back at Darian. “They thought they could ruin Steel Corp. Daniel was confident because he thought the company would fall into your hands-and that Martha had convinced you to merge. He didn’t know the company was mine. When he found out… he looked like he’d been betrayed.”
Darian’s expression darkened. “And mother?”
“She played her part. Probably promised Daniel you’d be easier to control. But she didn’t count on me being the one in
charge.”
“So you really think Winston’s Corp did all that just to force a merger with Steel Corp?” Denis asked, his tone low and skeptical. “And Martha helped them?”
I nodded. “Not intentionally. All she cared about was silencing Alaric Moongrove-paying him off so he wouldn’t expose
her. She didn’t care what else came with the deal.”
Denis let out a long whistle. “This is some twisted s**t. We don’t know who’s playing who anymore. We’re flying blind. None of us were trained for this kind of game.”
He wasn’t wrong. We were warriors, not corporate spies.
“So what now?” Darian asked, his voice steady. He didn’t seem shaken by the idea of his mother being involved. Maybe he’d already accepted that when it came to Martha, anything was possible.
“We wait for the audit,” I said. “If it proves Winston’s Corp is dirty, we arrest every director. Whether or not they lead us to Chase, we cut off one of his arms. If Winston’s is a tool of his, we cripple his operation from that angle.”
No one spoke after that. The weight of the truth-or our best version of it-hung in the car as Denis drove. He didn’t seem in any hurry, maybe because Keisha was staying with her family until the wedding. He probably didn’t want to return to an empty home. I’d already decided he could stay at the mansion for as long as he needed. The left wing had more rooms than we used anyway.
By the time we reached the Nighthorn Mansion, Austin was waiting at the entrance.
“Mara must’ve told him we were coming,” I said, stepping out.
Darian caught up with me. “Do you mind if I crash on your side of the house?”
I smirked. “You’re welcome anytime. I doubt Tiffany wants anything to do with the right wing anymore.”
Austin approached. “Beta Darian,” he said, “Luna Mara asked us to prepare a room for you and Miss Northwood in the left wing. Should I have Jason move your things?”
Darían glanced at me, then nodded. “Yes. Thanks.”
We moved quickly through the halls. I didn’t bother knocking-I opened the door and walked in.
Mara and Tiffany were on the couch, relaxed. Emma wasn’t with them, so I guessed she was asleep in the bedroom.
Mara’s face lit up when she saw me. She got up and wrapped her arms around me. I pulled her close and kissed the top of
her head.
“I’m home,” I murmured.
She breathed in and rested her head against my chest. “I’m glad you’re home.”
We pulled apart, and I gestured for Denis to sit. Darian and Tiffany were already wrapped up in their own reunion. I didn’t
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say anything-even though part of me wanted to tell them to get a room.
Instead, I settled onto the loveseat, and Mara sat beside me. Her presence grounded me.
“I asked the kitchen staff to prepare something for you,” she said.
I smiled. “Good. I’m starving.”
Then I looked at her, serious now. “What happened?”
She didn’t say a word. Just stood, walked into the bedroom, and came back with an envelope.
She handed it to me.
The weight of it in my hand already told me it wasn’t just a warning.
It was a threat.
And it had reached our doorstep.
I examined the envelope slowly, noting the Mistwood stamp pressed neatly on the corner. A hotel address was typed beneath it, crisp and deliberate. Chase was baiting us. He wanted us to find him-or think we could.
I opened the letter. My eyes scanned the text, and my blood turned cold.
He knew about Mara’s pregnancy. He mentioned it directly. Then, in the same breath, he warned her to tell me to back off. Stay out of his business. But right there, printed clearly, was the name and address of a hotel in Mistwood.
He was playing a psychological game.
I closed my eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to quiet the storm behind my eyes.
“What is it?” Darian asked, clearly impatient. He was still fired up. I wasn’t. I was tired. Frustrated. Hungry. Mostly, I was do
I started laughing.
Not because it was funny-because it was maddening.
“This guy,” I said, my voice dry, “he’s not just a psycho. He’s strategic. He sent Mara the letter to upset her, to provoke me. He knows I’m an Alpha-I won’t ignore a threat to my mate or my unborn child. He’s banking on that. And now he’s given us a trail. He’s dangling a Mistwood address like a carrot.”
I pulled Mara close to me and kissed the side of her head. She hadn’t said a word, but I could feel the tension in her body. I needed her to know I was calm, even if I wasn’t.
“He wants me to follow it. He’s counting on me acting out of rage,” I said.
Denis held out a hand. “Let me see.”
I passed him the letter. He read it, his brows tightening, and then handed it to Darian, who stared at the page like he
wanted to rip it in half.
“What the f**k is this guy’s deal?” Darian snapped. “Why not just tell us what was stolen? Let us fix it and be done with it.”
I didn’t answer. My head throbbed, and the day’s weight was pressing hard against my spine. The last thing I wanted was to spiral down Chase’s rabbit hole tonight.
“Let’s eat and get some sleep,” I said finally. “We’ve been running all day in Goldenpeak. We’ll deal with this in the morning
when we have clear heads.”
They both nodded. No arguments this time.
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+8 Points >
Thirty minutes later, dinner arrived. We ate in tired silence, and one by one, they drifted off to their rooms. Mara and I were finally alone.
I wanted her.
But my body said otherwise.
I reached into my pocket and felt the soft lace of her underwear-the same one she’d “accidentally” left on the armchair. I’d planned to tease her. Maybe even punish her a little.
Not tonight.
Tonight, I just needed to breathe.
We showered quietly, moving around each other in gentle silence. When we slid into bed, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. No words. No plans. Just warmth.
Cuddling her would have to be enough-for now.
But tomorrow?
Tomorrow, I intended to blow the lid off everything.
And I was done playing nice.
