t eyes, Vincent's threat, "You'll pay, Kane!" Cassian's text burns in my mind: Bring Voss to me, or your secret's out. If Cassian knows about my kid, I'm done. Luka, the werewolf I was

, just those eyes cutting through me. "Yeah? Thought I'd be meaner?" I mutter, wiping blood. The wound's deep claw marks-Jaxon's doing, I bet. My fingers brush his skin, and my wolf hums, making me pull back. "Stop staring." "Like what?" he asks, leaning closer, his breath warm. "Like you saved my life?" My heart skips, and I hate it. Enemies turning to lovers? That's a fairy tale, not my life. I wrap the bandage tight, avoiding his eyes. "You're a job, Voss. Don't think otherwise." He laughs, then winces. "Too late, Kane. You picked me over your friend. That means something." I stand, tossing the bloody gauze in the trash, my cheeks hot. The apartment feels small with him here, his presence everywhere. I pace to the window, rain streaking the glass, and check my phone. No new texts, but Cassian's threat lingers. He knows about my baby, or he's close. Luka's supposed to be dead, not on my couch, and I'm supposed to be loyal, not doubting everything. "Why'd you do it?" Luka asks, voice quiet. "Shoot your friend, not me?" I freeze, Elena's face flashing-her tears, her pain. We were kids together, sneaking out, her laugh my whole world. I loved her, almost more than friends, until hunting pulled us apart. Now I've hurt her, and the guilt's heavy. "Don't," I say, voice sharp. "You don't get to ask." "She's my sister," he says, sitting up, ignoring the pain. "I get to ask. You two were close, right?" My throat hurts. Close? That's too small a word. Elena knew me before I was hard, before revenge took over. Friends to lovers, nearly, until it broke. "She's a hunter," I say, looking away. "She'd have killed you. I had to stop her." "That's not all," Luka says, standing, blood or not. He's close now, too close, his warmth pulling me in. "You picked me. Why?" I spin, pushing him back, but my hands stay on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. My wolf howls, and I'm lost in his eyes. "Because I'm stupid," I snap, stepping away. "Because my wolf's messing with me, and you're-you're not what I expected." He grabs my wrist, gentle but firm, and my breath catches. "What am I, then?" I pull free, heart