Chapter 89

Lauren

My breath came in sharp gasps, my chest rising and falling as I leaned against the cold brick wall of the alley. The distant wail of sirens still echoed through the city streets, but they weren’t close enough to matter—yet.

We finally stopped running, ALexander and Liam huffing next to me.

My hands trembled as I stared down at them, at the deep crimson staining my fingers, my nails, the spaces between them.

Blood.

Not mine.

Not mine.

I’ve never hurt… anyone. I was a doctor. A healer… and now. Was that man okay? Had I really… no he was breathing. But still…

I squeezed my hands into fists, but that only made the wetness worse, made the reality sink in deeper. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, so loud it drowned out everything else. The night air was cold, but I felt feverish, my skin burning like something inside me was trying to claw its way out.

“Lauren,” Alexander’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and angry. “What the hell was that?”

I lifted my head slowly, blinking at him. He was out of breath, his dark hair a mess, his expression unreadable—but his eyes? His eyes burned. Not just with fury, but with something else. Something like fear.

He seemed to be looking at me like that more and more.

Liam was the only one of us who still looked composed. He was leaning against the opposite wall, hands in his pockets, like he hadn’t just sprinted for his life after witnessing me nearly rip a guy apart. His lips curled into that familiar smug expression I wanted to slap right off his face.

“I told you,” Liam said, his voice smooth despite the adrenaline still buzzing in the air. “You’ve changed.”

Alexander turned on him so fast I barely saw it coming. He slammed Liam against the brick wall, his forearm pressing hard against Liam’s throat.

“This is your fault,” Alexander growled.

Liam raised his hands, trying to keep his cool persona but his eyes gave away his fear to the alpha’s rage. “Sure. Blame me for her losing her mind. It’s not like you were any help back there.”

“Shut the hell up,” Alexander snarled, pressing harder. “She was fine before you started messing with her, before you filled her head with whatever insane ideas you’ve been feeding her! The pills, these—”

I flinched. That wasn’t true. I hadn’t changed because of Liam. I had changed because—

Because of me.

Because I made the wrong choice.

I shouldn’t of done it, and most of all, I should have just told Alexander to begin with—but it was too late now.

“Stop,” I finally snapped, my voice hoarse. My body was still shaking, the rawness of the chase still gripping me. “Both of you. Just stop.”

Alexander hesitated, his fist curling into Liam’s shirt, hsi eyes wide. He didn’t even try to push Alexander off, like he knew he’d lose.

“Lauren,” Alexander said, his voice tight, turning back to me. “Look at yourself.”

I was looking. I just didn’t know what I was seeing.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered. “I’m off the pills. I shouldn’t be—this—shouldn’t be happening. Liam, you said this would onlyhappen on the pills! Why am I reacting like this now?!”

Liam chuckled, the sound low and knowing. “That’s the funny thing about the Moon Goddess, isn’t it?” he said. “You think you’re free, but you’re not. You think just because you stopped enhancing your instincts medicine that you’re suddenly whole? No, sweetheart. You’re still stuck in the in-between.”

My stomach twisted.

Alexander finally let go of him, shoving Liam back with one last forceful push before stepping away, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

“Explain,” Alexander demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Liam exhaled, rolling his shoulders like the whole thing had been an inconvenience more than anything. “It’s simple. She’s not finished.”

I swallowed hard. “What does that mean?”

Liam tilted his head, considering. “It means,” he said slowly, deliberately, “that you’re still in the Moon Goddess’s grasp. Your transformation wasn’t complete that night. You severed the connection early, remember? You were supposed to give it till dawn. But someone let you out the cage and well, brought you back. That’s why you snapped tonight. That’s why, for a moment back there, you weren’t just chasing him—you were hunting him.”

I staggered back, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a stone.

Hunting.

I had felt it. The rush, the need, the primal instinct to take him down. Not just to stop him—to destroy him.

A shudder ran through me.

“No,” Alexander said firmly. “That’s not happening. She’s not going down some murderous path.”

Liam smirked. “Might not be up to you.”

Alexander’s lip curled, “Liam, you are really… pushing my patience.”

Liam faltered slightly, but his chin pushed higher. “I don’t fear you, Alpha.”

Alexander took a slow, deliberate step forward, his eyes dark as the void, his presence suffocating. The air around us thickened, charged with something primal—something ancient. My pulse stuttered.

Even Liam, always so relaxed, so sure of himself, tensed.

“You should,” Alexander murmured, his voice quiet, controlled—deadly.

Liam tried to keep that smirk, but I saw the flicker of unease in his eyes.

Alexander tilted his head, watching him like a predator considering whether the kill was worth his time. “You don’t fear me?” he repeated, voice almost amused. His hand flexed at his side, like he was resisting the urge to snap Liam’s neck just to prove a point.

Then, in a voice so low it sent a chill down my spine, Alexander said, “I could rip the fear into you.”

Liam’s breath hitched.

Alexander stepped closer, the heat radiating off him suffocating, his words like a whispered promise of violence. “You like playing with fire, don’t you? Poking at things you don’t understand, acting like you’re untouchable just because you’re that elders son.”He leaned in, his voice barely a breath. “You’re not.”

Liam’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond. Didn’t move.

Alexander smiled then, but there was nothing kind about it. Just sharp teeth and the promise of something terrible. “You think I’m angry now?” he murmured. “You don’t know what I am when I’m truly angry. You don’t know what I’ll do when I stop holding back. When I suddenly don’t uphold pack rules.”

The silence stretched between them, thick as blood.

Then Alexander stepped away, his lip curling. “But keep pushing me, Liam,” he said, voice light, casual. “Keep messing with my family. And you’ll learn. The only reason you’re alive, right here and now, is because she,” his head tossed to me, “is allowing it.”

The air was thick, filled with malice when Alexander’s phone rang.

He ignored it at first, staring Liam down, but it rang again. Urgent.

Cursing under his breath, he pulled it out, glancing at the caller ID before answering.

“What?!” he snapped.

There was a pause. I could hear someone talking on the other end, but I couldn’t make out the words.

Then, Alexander stiffened.

“What?!” His voice rose, eyes flashing with something new—something worse than anger. He ran a hand through his hair, stepping away from us, the tension in his body radiating through the air like wildfire.

Liam and I exchanged a glance. Even he looked mildly interested now.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice still shaking.

Alexander turned back to us, his expression grim.

“The kids,” he said. “They’re in trouble.”

My stomach dropped.

“What do you mean ‘in trouble’?” I demanded.

Alexander was already moving. “They went into the deep woods,” he said. “The patrol found them near the shrine.”

My pulse spiked.

“That new pup,” Liam muttered, more to himself than anyone else, shaking his head. “I had a feeling.”

Alexander ignored him. He was already moving, and I was right behind him.

The kids. Abigail. Owen. My babies! Hold on!

But…what were they doing at the shrine?

The feeling that filled my chest was worse then acid