Chapter <b>144 </b>


    Lucien’s POV


    Two weeks ago.


    Her scent still haunted me. Even after all this time, I could recall with perfect rity the unique blend of wild honeysuckle and mountain rain that was distinctly her–the Omega who was meant to be mine.


    I stood at the floor–to–ceiling windows of my penthouse suite overlooking the sprawling cityscape of Prague, swirling an expensive whiskey in a crystal tumbler.


    My reflection stared back at me–silver–gray hair cropped short, piercing green eyes that rarely revealed emotion, the tailored suit that spoke of power and wealth.


    As Alpha of the ckspire Pack, thergest underground werewolf organization in Eastern Europe, I had everything most wolves could ever want.


    Except her.


    Two years ago, I’d been conducting business in a small town on the outskirts of my territory <b>when </b>I caught that intoxicating scent. Following it led me to a broken–down motel where I found her–dirty, exhausted, clearly on the run.


    The moment our eyes met, I felt it. The mate bond snapping into ce with such force it nearly brought


    me to my knees.


    She’d given a false name-“Emma“-but everything else about her had been genuine. Herughter, her intelligence, the way she’d curl against me in sleep.


    <b>For </b>three weeks, I kept her hidden in my private cabin, telling myself it was for her protection while I figured out what to do about the unexpected mate the Moon Goddess had thrust upon me.


    I’d never believed in mate bonds. Never wanted one.


    My entire existence was dedicated to expanding ckspire’s influence, transforming our pack from underground operators to legitimate power yers on the global stage.


    A mate–especially an Omega with no connections or power–was aplication I couldn’t afford.


    Yet I found myself drawn to her in ways I couldn’t exin. She was different–stubborn, educated, with a spark of defiance that suggested she came from more than the nothing she imed. I caught myself imagining, just briefly, what it might be like to have her by my side permanently.


    Then reality intruded. My engagement to the Alpha daughter of the Carpathian Pack had been arranged for years–a strategic alliance that would double our territory and give us ess to crucial shipping


    routes.


    The meeting to finalize the contract couldn’t be postponed.


    <b>+15 </b><b>BONUS </b>


    I’d brought her to my main residence, intending to keep her separate from my business dealings. A mistake. She must have overheard my conversation with my fiancée and advisors.


    “The Omega is a temporary distraction,” I’d said coldly when my fiancée questioned me about rumors of <b>a </b>woman staying in my home.


    <b>“</b>Mate bond or not, she’s nothing more than biology’s cruel joke. Our alliance is what matters.”


    When I returned to my quarters that night, she was gone. Not a trace remained except a small silver wolf charm she’d always worn around her neck, left pointedly on my pillow.


    I’d searched, of course. Discreetly deployed my best trackers. But she had vanishedpletely<b>, </b>as if


    she’d never existed at all.


    The irony wasn’t lost on me–I, who prided myself on controlling everything in my domain, couldn’t


    locate one runaway Omega.


    The Carpathian alliance fell apart weekster when my fiancée found her true mate. I told myself it <b>was </b>for the best. Yet in quiet moments like this, I wondered what had be of her.


    My thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of my phone.


    Natalia Thompson’s name shed on the screen. I sighed. Natalia was useful–beautiful, ambitious, and conveniently unconcerned with emotional attachment–but her timing was impable in all the wrong


    <b>ways</b><b>. </b>


    “Natalia,” I answered smoothly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”


    “I have a proposition that I think will interest you greatly,” she purred, her voice dripping with that particr brand of calcted seduction she always employed.


    <b>“</b><b>It </b>involves ckwood territory.”


    My interest piqued immediately. The ckwood Pack was legendary in North American werewolf circles -old money, massive territory, imprable security. Breaking into that market had been on my agenda for years.


    “I’m listening.”


    <b>“</b>You know I had a… history with Alpha Alexander,” she continued. “What you don’t know is that I’ve been gathering intelligence. His pack has something we both want–control of the northeastern shipping corridor and influence with the North American Council.”


    “And you believe you have a way in?” I asked, setting down my ss and giving her my full attention. “Better than that. I have insider information and a n that will destabilize his leadership. All I need is


    <b>2/3 </b>


    your resources and expertise.”


    As she outlined her scheme–surprisingly thorough and <b>vicious</b><b>–</b>I found <b>myself </b>smiling. This could be exactly the opportunity I’d been waiting for.


    x