You Knew This Was Coming.

- Aria

Luca stood frozen in the middle of the room like he couldn’t believe I’d actually said it. Then his expression shifted.

“Of course,” he muttered. “Now that you’ve secured your place with the twins, you want out.”

I blinked at him. “Secured my place?”

He scoffed. “You’re the mother of the future Alpha. The pack won’t dare push you aside anymore. You’re finally safe, so now you’re brave enough to play the victim?”

My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “That's what all the nasty women do. They get what they want, then they threaten to leave like it’s going to scare their mate straight.”

I let out a loud, furious laugh that probably sounded a little crazy. “You really think this is a bluff?”

Luca paced the room like he couldn’t stand still. “Aria, you signed up for this. You knew this marriage was about duty, commitment, and sacrifice.”

“No,” I shot back, “I knew what the Council demanded. I knew what the bond forced. But don’t you dare stand here and talk about sacrifice like you’ve bled even a drop for this family.”

His eyes snapped up, instantly sharp and intense. “I’ve sacrificed more than you’ll ever understand.”

“No. I’ve sacrificed sleep, sanity, dignity, and two years of pretending to be happy next to a man who won’t even look at me.”

He stepped closer. “You think I never looked at you?”

My voice came out low and shaking as I spoke. "Not the way a husband looks at his wife. Definitely not the way you look at Ivy."

Something dark rippled through him. “Don’t bring her into this.”

“Why? Feeling guilty?” I challenged. “Every wolf in this pack knows the only reason you married me was that I got pregnant and forced your hand. They all whispered that Ivy was always your real choice. You never wanted me. And I’m done waiting for you to change your mind!”

Luca’s wolf was pushing at the surface now, his scent roaring with fury. “That is not true!”

“Then what is?” I yelled back. "Seriously, what's the truth? All I've seen for two years is a man who wants nothing to do with me!"

His jaw was clenched, and he looked desperate, like he was dying to say something but couldn't let it out.

I shook my head. “That's what I thought.”

I turned away, refusing to let him see me cry. “Just… go back to her. Go back to whatever life you've been living that makes you happier than this one. I’ll handle the Council tomorrow.”

A muscle in his jaw tightened. “I am not discussing this with you right now.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Fine with me. There's nothing left to discuss.”

His fists clenched at his sides. “You’re not ending our bond, Aria. I won’t let you.”

“Watch me.”

He slammed his palm against the doorframe and moved fast to grab my wrist.

My wolf instantly went on high alert. I hated him for knowing exactly where my weak spots were.

“Luca… let go of me.”

His other hand shot out and gripped my chin. “You really think you can leave me? You think you can just walk away from us?”

I tried to pull away, but he was way too strong. “Go ahead and watch me.”

His inner wolf just took over. It was pure, uncontrolled instinct, fueled by something primal and clearly broken inside him.

He took two steps, backed me into the wall, and his mouth crashed onto mine in a frustrated kiss.

“Stop—” I gasped against his mouth.

He kissed me more fiercely, acting like losing me was the last breath he had. Even though every part of me was yelling to push him off, my body totally betrayed me and remembered that night we had sex.

“You can’t walk away from this,” he murmured against my neck. “Not from me.”

He stepped closer, and I could feel the heat radiating off him.

And before I even realized it, his hands were on my waist, and my fingers were tangled in his hair. The room spun into something reckless and wrong but painfully familiar.

The bond snapped shut around us like a jaw. For a split second, it was like we were real mates, and the past two years had just been a bad dream.

Silver whined in my mind, confused. “Aria, he’s our mate.”

“He’s not,” I thought back, shoving him away. “He’s not our mate. He never was.”

"You really want to sever the bond with him?"

"We have to."

But Luca was so insistent that my determination just faded away.

"Stop fighting me," he growled, pinning my hands to the wall.

"Or what?" I shot back. "You'll force me again?"

Saying that out loud was a mistake. Because the very next thing I knew, he shoved me right onto the bed. My head bounced off the mattress as he climbed on top of me.

I glared up at him. "You don't get to touch me anymore. You lost that right a long, long time ago."

He didn't back down. Instead, he lowered his face to mine, and I could see the war waging inside him.

"Why pretend you're scared? You've already done this. It's not the first time."

"I'm not pretending anything!"

He was a breath away from my lips. "Then prove it."

"What?"

"Tell me you don't want this."

And I couldn't. Because a small, stupid, pathetic part of me did want it. I wanted to feel wanted for once in my life.

I tried to shove him off, but he was a rock. "Luca, get off me."

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Make me."

Before I could make a move, he lowered his head and gently bit my neck. Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to make me gasp.

The wolf inside me was a total mess, whining like crazy. She missed him. She wanted her mate.

"I hate you," I repeated, my voice cracking.

"I know," he said again, his hands tracing the curves of my waist.

He kissed me again, and this time, I didn't fight him.

The kiss was desperate and messy, all rough biting and licking. It wasn't about love but about something darker, more primal. It was about ownership and territory, a desperate attempt to reclaim what had been lost.

His hands roamed my body like he was trying to memorize me again. His touch was both familiar and foreign, a ghost of what we once were. My body responded against my will, arching into him, while my fingers gripped his shoulders.

It was wrong. So, so wrong. But it felt so right.

He kissed me like he was starving, and I was the only thing that could satisfy his hunger. His hands were under my shirt, tracing the skin of my stomach, and I shivered.

"Luca," I breathed.

He growled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through my entire body.

He kissed me harder, and I knew I was lost.

I was drowning in him, totally overwhelmed by the feel and the taste of him. Nothing outside this room mattered. It was just him, me, and this intense heat between us. I started feeling that familiar, deep ache in my core, remembering the heat that got me stuck. I didn't want to feel that fire again.

He unbuttoned my pants, and I lifted my hips to help him. As his wet lips kissed my stomach, I grabbed his hair. I was completely at his mercy, and I absolutely hated myself for it.

But this wasn't a forced heat. It was my own body that betrayed me, responding to the one man I should hate.

I pulled away, gasping for breath. "Luca, we can't."

He didn't stop. "We already are."

His fury spiked, and so did his lust. He grabbed my wrist way too hard, feeling like he was about to completely destroy me. Pain was hammering through me, so I used pressure points to make him release his grip, but it wasn't enough.

He spun her around using his hold and immediately pinned me to the bed. I yelled and tried to kick out, but he got his hand around my throat.

"I said, that's enough."

He completely ignored me. My shirt came off, and he began kissing my collarbone, his hands exploring my body. I couldn't help but moan, letting my head rest on the pillows.

"Let go of me."

"I won't." He pressed against me, letting my smooth skin against his calm him down. "Time for a little payback."

"What are you doing?"

"What goes around comes around."

"Huh?"

Releasing my wrist, he shoved his hand between my legs to cup my pussy. He badly wanted to slide two fingers into her wet heat, but he held back just enough. He moved his middle finger up my slit, rubbing it against my clit. "Tell me you want this, Aria."

The only reply was her loud breathing and the small movement of her thighs. "That won't work."

He made himself freeze his hand, fighting a battle he was quickly losing as his fingers got wet with my desire. "Say yes," he demanded. "Tell me you want this. Tell me to make you come."

Luca was back on top of me, and I could feel his cock was hard and ready against me.

Then there was no time to talk because I was too busy coming. I yelled out, and he cursed. He didn't pause, keeping the orgasms coming so intensely that I had to push my forehead against the headboard to stay up. I barely noticed him moving a hand from my pussy until his knuckles brushed my ass.

He spanked me, and I yelped.

I couldn't believe this was the same cold, distant man who'd ignored me for a year. This was a side of him I'd never seen—possessive, demanding, and completely in control.

He spanked me again, harder this time. "Tell me you want me."

"Luca, stop," I gasped.

I shook my head, refusing to give him the satisfaction. But my body was betraying me again. I could feel myself getting wetter with each impact.

He spanked me again, harder than before. I could feel the sting on my skin, but it was mixed with a strange pleasure.

He leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. "Tell me you want me."

I hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I want you."

He rewarded me by slipping a finger inside me, and I gasped.

"More," I begged.

He obliged, adding another finger, and I moaned. He moved them in and out, hitting a spot inside me that made me see stars.

"Luca," I breathed.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you," he demanded.

"I want you to fuck me," I said, my voice barely audible.

He didn't need to be told twice. He pulled away for a second to shuck off his pants, and then he was back, positioning himself at my entrance.

He pushed into me in one smooth thrust, and I cried out. He was big, stretching me in a way that was both painful and incredibly pleasurable.

He started moving, setting a punishing pace. Each thrust was harder than the last, and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge.

"Luca," I cried out.

"Cum for me, Aria," he commanded.

And I did. I came hard, my body convulsing around him. He followed me over the edge, spilling himself inside me. Then he collapsed on top of me, both of us breathing heavily.

For a moment, we just lay there, with our bodies all tangled up once it was over. I can feel his breath fanning my neck, his hand resting on my stomach as if he'd never let go.

I quietly slid out of his arms, putting some distance between us.

Last night was a mistake. It wouldn’t happen again. And the next time we touched would be in the Council chamber… when I ended us for good.

*****