Chapter 0279

Lucas Adler

“She adores him.” Athena tells me.

I saw that clearly myself.

Dorothy—Charlotte—was too young to access her Hunter abilities yet.

To her, he was just the man who rescued her.

But to me, he remained a walking time bomb.

I refused to let her anywhere near that threat.

“Would you let your own boys near someone you considered dangerous?” I countered. “I saw your reaction when Alexander stood between me and the Rogue. He was holding your two squirming infants. He placed them directly in harm’way.”

“Of course I wasn’t happy about it.”

“Yet you kept your composure.”

She frowned at me.

It was a frown of confusion, not anger.

If it were anger, that subtle crease between her brows would have reappeared.

I was surprised it hadn’t shown earlier when I pointed a gun at her.

Even Brianna had reacted as if tasered.

“I’m sorry she did that to you.”

An apology was the last thing I expected from her.

She was proving more unpredictable than I initially thought.

Perhaps she was exactly what the Lycans needed.

Maybe she could be the one to maintain order among them.

“You have no reason to apologize. You might resemble her, but you weren’t the one who slit my family’s throats while they slept. You didn’t take my baby girl and hand her over to damn humans.”

She nodded, her gaze flicking toward Sebastian in the distance.

She gave him a slight, almost imperceptible shake of her head.

“You knew he was watching, didn’t you?” she asked quietly.

“Yes. And he’s not the only one. Two more are hiding in the trees over there. An older woman is observing me from her bedroom window. That couple down there pretending to be on their phones. Plus several others.”

Her eyes widened as I smiled.

“I wouldn’t be much of a Hunter if I couldn’t identify potential threats,” I mused.

“Are you part Witch?”

“Hell no.” Why did everyone jump to that conclusion?

It wasn’t magic.

It was a gift honed and developed over generations of Hunters.

We came preloaded with instinct, and everything we learned was passed down.

She nodded, a small smile touching her lips.

Her soul seemed to glow brighter as well.

She turned away from me. “I need to go check on something.”

I watched her walk away.

She was an odd one.

So different from other Lycans.

Powerful, too, but only if her Lycan side didn’t sabotage it.

“Alright then, Blondie, let’s hear it. You’ve been staring at me for the past hour.” He had been inching closer even after Athena signaled him to stop. “See anything interesting?”

“You really think you’re something special, don’t you?”

“Nah,” I brushed past him and winked. “I know I am.”

I ducked before his fist could connect, easily evading the subsequent punches.

They always led with a punch, always aimed at the face.

Why were pack Wolves so predictable?

I yawned as he threw another wild swing at my head.

This time when I ducked, his fist accidentally connected with his mate’s forehead.

He really should pay more attention to his surroundings.

Her feet flew up higher than her head as the impact sent her stumbling backward.

Her brown eyes widened in shock from the sudden blow.

Her body hit the ground with a sickening crack, the sound of something breaking.

“Mal—Brianna! Brianna, talk to me! Are you okay?” Sebastian dropped to his knees beside her, flustered and horrified that he’d hurt his own mate.

She groaned as a bruise rapidly bloomed on her forehead before beginning to heal.

I watched her leg snap audibly back into place.

“You made me hit my fucking mate!” Sebastian growled, lurching back to his feet and leaving Brianna moaning on the grass.

“Can’t say I’d ever hit a woman. But then again, it wasn’t me who clocked her in the forehead, was it?”

He snarled at me, fury radiating from him.

“Maybe you should use your eyes and ears more, Blondie. Pay attention to what’s happening around you. And maybe tell her it’s not smart to stand right behind people. You never know what might come flying your way.”

“Wanker!” he snapped, helping Brianna sit up.

I shrugged. I’d been called far worse, especially by those staring down the barrel of my gun.

Did I intend for him to hit her? No.

Did I enjoy it? Maybe a little.

“Go tell your leader,” I mused. “I didn’t lay a hand on either of you. Sounds like a you problem.” I spat on the grass and turned toward the packhouse.

I had already missed years with my baby girl.

I wasn’t about to miss another moment.