247 Taken Even Olivia. My arms around her. It was full of need. Hunger.

“Exactly,” I said, sitting up straighter. “And why would someone send us a warning if there wasn’t truth in it?” “Where’s Rebecca?” he asked. She didn’t say anything.

And there he was. But she didn’t. And just for a second, Olivia’s face flashed over hers. Lennox frowned. “Yeah… I remember.” Not angry. Not annoyed. But really worried. And here I was… kissing someone else. “Sofia…!” My eyes widened, and my wolf growled angrily inside me. Then—“Shit!” he cursed loudly, just before the call ended. I gently moved her off my lap, careful not to be rough. Just walked in and sat down across from me, both looking as drained as I felt. Then the door suddenly swung open. I glanced at Lennox, then at Louis. “She’s not here,” I said calmly. I exchanged confused glances with my brothers, but Damien was already moving towards the door. 15:19 1/7 247 Taken

Damien’s face hardened. “My opponent. One of the Alphas contesting against me,” he ground out, his voice trembling. I looked between them. “What do we think now? That Damien is forcing her into this marriage?” Her lips moved with mine, and a low sound left my throat–a moan I didn’t even mean to let out. She just stared at me… and for a second, I couldn’t even breathe. “By who?” Louis asked quickly. Then suddenly–I blinked. Her fingers ran through my hair, and mine moved to her lower back, then down. The room stayed quiet, heavy with all our thoughts. A cold shiver ran down my spine. Just this. Before we could ask what was going on, his phone rang. I finally broke the silence. His eyes darted around the room, sharp and impatient. I could tell my brothers were just as tense as I was. I swallowed hard and turned away, walking out of the garden without looking back. And when I kissed her… it was like something inside me snapped. Pacing. We couldn’t hear what the person on the other end was saying, but we saw the way his face changed. Louis nodded. “He looked panicked.” A soft knock came at the door, and seconds later, Lennox and Louis stepped in without waiting for permission.

They both nodded, and the room fell quiet again. We kissed desperately. Our tongues tangled… fuck, it was so intense my stomach flipped–there it was, that rush of butterflies. Louis met my eyes. “Are you saying we need to step in?” Then, without another word, he turned and walked out. I froze. It was so fast, but so clear. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, staring at nothing. She pressed against me, and we kissed again–deeper, harder, like we couldn’t get enough of each other. “Do you remember that letter?” I said quietly. “The one that came before all this… about saving Rebecca.” She didn’t say anything. We all stood up instantly, our bodies going stiff. Her hands on my chest. Before I could speak, a guard burst in behind us. Why? I stood up and took a step back, avoiding her gaze. What was happening to me? I paused, my voice quieter. Lennox leaned back, arms crossed. “It doesn’t make sense. She seemed happy with him.” Louis nodded slowly. “The one that said she needed help. That she was in danger.”

But no matter how I tried to shake it off… I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. “What’s going on?” Lennox asked, stepping forward.

No knock. Her breath still mixed with mine. “Because if she’s not there by choice… then we have to help. We can’t stay silent.” “Alphas… a lady… half dead is at the gate… asking for Alpha Damien… and she looks Familiar.” We watched him go, the door still slightly open behind him. Our foreheads almost touched. Why was I so drawn to her? I nodded slowly. “I’m saying… we need to find out the truth. About her. About the letter. About everything.” Breathing hard. Just her. I leaned in again, slower this time. Running a hand through his hair. We followed him and outside we saw a half–dead woman sitting on the floor… she looked so familiar… Everything about her felt so familiar… too familiar. Lennox scoffed. “Did you see his face?” We didn’t say a word. He picked it up immediately. “Hello?” My hands were still on her waist. Levi’s POV Damien looked at us, breathing hard. “Rebecca…” he said slowly, “she’s been taken.” Back in my room, I slumped into the couch, running both hands through my hair. I grabbed her ass, and she let out a soft moan into my mouth.

They didn’t say a word at first. Those eyes. That softness. I pulled her onto my lap without thinking. We sat in silence for a while, the weight of everything pressing down on us. Just Damien walking in like the place belonged to him. I waited for her to pull away. To say no. To call me crazy or remind me she belonged to my uncle. We just looked at each other, like we didn’t know what we had just done–or what would come next. “I… I need to go,” I said quietly. When we finally pulled apart, we were both panting. We followed him down the stairs and into the sitting room. That moment had felt like I had forgotten everything–every pain, every loss. And that… scared me. I looked at her one more time, and guilt slammed into me. We had just buried Olivia. Lennox rubbed his chin, thinking. “Could be Damien was forcing her into this marriage. You know she is human. He’s powerful enough to do something like that.” He didn’t say anything. I stared at her, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. Her eyes looked confused, but I couldn’t explain. My hands went to her waist, then her hips, holding her close. “I don’t like this,” I muttered, already heading for the door. Louis sighed. “She looked… trapped to me.” Just stared at us like he didn’t believe it.

Eyes wide. Jaw clenched. Her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes looked unsure–but not angry. Not afraid. It felt like the world disappeared. Because it felt right. My stomach dropped. “What?” Too right. She was still on my lap. Her lips. Her scent. Her breath mixing with mine. It wasn’t soft or gentle. She gasped a little, and I felt her grip my shirt. Why did she make me feel like this–like I couldn’t think straight when she was near? He looked… worried. Damien ran towards her while we moved closer, and the closer we got, the more our eyes widened until we were close enough to recognize her fully.