Chapter 0350

Lucas Adler

I stand up just before his face reappears.

Hannah stays behind me, quickly buttoning her shirt.

The guy stares directly at me.

I’m not an idiot—I know he can smell her arousal all over the air.

But he doesn’t speak.

He just turns and walks away, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

My hand instinctively reaches for my gun.

Hannah stops me.

“Don’t,” she says quietly. “It’ll draw more attention. I’ll talk to him myself.”

I grab her wrist as she tries to move past me.

“You’re staying away from him.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me, Luc.” She pulls her hand free and rushes after him.

I hear her calling his name—Ash, Owen Carter—until her voice fades into the distance.

Damn it.

If that idiot doesn’t keep his mouth shut, they’ll all think I’ve gone soft.

The Lycans will believe they have leverage over me.

I’ll become a laughingstock among other Hunters.

I need to speak with Athena or Brianna. They’re the only ones who know the truth.

I make my way out of the forest.

There’s no sign of Hannah or that bastard anywhere.

I can’t even catch her scent.

Maybe she took a different path when I wasn’t paying attention.

The hospital is closest.

I head there, hoping Brianna is alone.

Luckily, she is.

She quickly wipes her tears when she sees me and forces a smile.

“Should I get Theodore or Sebastian for you?”

“No,” I say. “It’s fine.”

“Come in, then.” She gestures me inside.

“I want to apologize,” I murmur.

Brianna didn’t deserve any of this.

She’s different from the other Lycans.

I knew she’d gone Rogue, but it wasn’t the same.

Her soul is fractured, much like Athena’s.

I just never told anyone.

And now there’s another crack working its way through her spirit.

I feel responsible.

I may not have pulled the trigger, but it was my weapon that caused the damage.

“You didn’t shoot me,” she says softly. “Zachary told me. Though for a second, I really thought it was you.”

I nod.

“But that’s not why you’re here, is it?”

I run a hand over my stubble and press my lips together.

I can still taste Hannah.

“I’m not the kind of person who asks for help. Or advice.” The words feel foreign. Almost shameful. “But you and Athena are the only Lycans I can stand.”

“Ah,” she says. “This is about Hannah.”

“How did you know?”

“It was either that or something to do with Charlotte and Zachary’s bond.” She shifts on the bed, wincing in pain.

“Hannah and I have been meeting up.” I leave it there and wait.

She smiles, then clutches her stomach with a grimace. “I wish you wouldn’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

“It wasn’t meant to be funny,” I grumble.

“Okay, so you’re meeting up. And?”

“She’s a Lycan.”

“Yeah, we established that already,” she mutters sarcastically.

“This was a mistake.” I stand to leave.

“Don’t go. Please. This takes my mind off… other things.” Her sigh is heavy with the same sadness I felt when I entered.

I stare at her for a moment before dropping back into the chair.

“So?” she prompts.

“I can’t get her out of my head. But I also can’t get past what she is. Or the problems it’ll cause.”

“I’m a Lycan,” she points out.

“I don’t want to fuck you,” I snap.

She rolls her eyes. A far cry from how she looked at me that night she showed up at my place.

If I remember right, her mate had to keep reminding her he existed too.

“Fair enough,” she says, frowning. “But you’re a Hunter of Rogues, right?”

“Doesn’t matter. If they’re a problem, I deal with it. You’ve seen that.”

“Is Hannah a problem?” She puffs out her cheeks as I shake my head.

“Then why not just claim her? She’s your mate. And from the sound of it, she’s not being forced. Yes, she’s a Lycan—but she can’t shift. What are the odds she goes Rogue?”

“What if I kill her?”

“What if you don’t? Look, Sebastian wasn’t my biggest fan either. When he marked me, it was an accident. He struggled with what I am, just like you’re struggling with Hannah. But he couldn’t stay away. In the end, you’re the only one who needs to care who your mate is. Screw everyone else.”