Liv POV
The violent, intoxicating jolt of electricity from his knuckles brushing mine paralyzed me. I stood frozen on the marble step, my traitorous body leaning into the sudden, overwhelming flare of *winter-bitten cedar and ancient leather*.
Kaelon didn't let go of the suitcase. Instead, he effortlessly lifted the battered bag as if it weighed nothing at all. He descended the remaining stairs with slow, deliberate strides, setting the luggage down on the final step. It effectively barricaded my only path to the foyer.
I forced my trembling legs to move, descending until I was standing just one step above him.
"Thank you," I forced out, my voice cold and brittle. "Now, what exactly are you doing?"
He didn't answer immediately. He stepped into my space, his massive frame casting a dark shadow over me. The sheer force of his Alpha aura wrapped around my throat.
"Running away from what you truly want, little wolf?" he rasped, his voice low enough to vibrate directly into my bones.
The shameless implication of last night hit me like a physical blow. Heat flooded my cheeks. "I am not running from anything I want," I snapped, though my racing pulse completely betrayed my words. "I am leaving."
A dark, knowing gleam flashed in his steel-gray eyes. He could hear my erratic heartbeat. He knew exactly what his proximity was doing to my wolfless body.
Without another word, he picked up the suitcase and walked toward the underground garage. I followed, desperate to reclaim my belongings and get out of his suffocating territory.
The garage was a massive, freezing cavern of polished concrete and fluorescent lights. My red Ferrari Portofino sat in the corner, a glaring reminder of Aaron's hypocrisy. Kaelon popped the trunk, tossed my bag inside, and slammed it shut.
I didn't wait for him to speak. I yanked the driver's side door open, threw myself into the leather seat, and jammed the key into the ignition. I just needed to hear the engine roar to life. I needed to escape.
I turned the key.
*Click.*
Nothing. No roar. No hum. Just a pathetic, dead click.
Panic seized my chest. I twisted the key again, harder this time. *Click. Click. Click.*
Kaelon stepped up to the open car door. He didn't look surprised. His broad shoulders blocked out the harsh garage lights, and his intense gaze pinned me to the seat. The air between us grew impossibly thick, heavy with his suppressed, predatory urge to simply drag me back upstairs.
"Look at me, Olivia," he commanded, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.
I refused. I stared straight ahead through the windshield, my knuckles turning stark white as I gripped the steering wheel. My pride was the only thing I had left. I wouldn't beg the man who had just claimed me in the dark and humiliated me in the light.
"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth, frantically twisting the dead key. "It'll start."
Silence stretched between us, tight as a wire about to snap. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, the terrifying struggle of his inner wolf fighting for dominance. But then, the atmospheric pressure suddenly shifted. He took a step back. Without a single word, Kaelon turned and walked away, his heavy footsteps echoing into the shadows until he was gone.
I slumped against the steering wheel, a pathetic sob tearing from my throat. I was trapped.
A sharp tap on my window made me jump.
I whipped my head around. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a sharp black suit stood outside my door. I cautiously rolled down the window.
"Miss Holcomb," the man said, his tone polite but entirely professional. "I am Dante, the estate's driver. It appears your vehicle has suffered a severe electrical failure."
He gestured toward a massive, black armored SUV idling silently a few yards away. "The Alpha has instructed me to take you wherever you wish to go."
I stared at the imposing vehicle. I had no other options. No pack, no family, and a dead car.
"Fine," I whispered, my voice hollow.
I stepped out of the Ferrari. Dante swiftly retrieved my suitcase from the trunk and loaded it into the back of the SUV. I climbed into the cavernous backseat, the heavy door shutting behind me with a solid, vault-like thud.
As Dante slid into the driver's seat and the engine purred to life, I sank into the plush leather. I thought I had finally escaped Kaelon Blackwood. But as the SUV rolled out of the underground garage and into the pale morning light, the terrifying truth settled over me.
