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99. (Luke POV)
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Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 100. Damage (Lexi POV)
As I sat there, the pricking sensation of the needle wove in and out of the flesh of my damaged fingers. Each puncture brought a sting that radiated up my arm, like an incessant reminder of the night's calamity. Beside me, Clay gripped my other hand, his thumb tracing slow circles on the back of my palm. He was there, but not really. It was as if his thoughts had carried him to a distant realm, somewhere far away from the small, sterile room where the healer worked on me.His distant demeanor wasn't lost on me. I knew he was wrestling with his own turmoil, perhaps struggling with how to bridge the widening chasm between us and Luke. At that moment, though, the physical discomfort was overshadowed by the unsettling stillness that lay between us. Clay was a rock in turbulent seas, dependable but inherently separate from the chaos. His silence weighed on me more than the sensation of the stitches pulling my skin taut.I tried to focus on the healer's movements instead, on the scent of an
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 101. (Clay POV)
Pulse pounding in my temples, my jaw clenched tight, I couldn't shake the vivid anger that surged through me. Standing in Luke's trashed apartment, the weight of my own regrets bore down on me. The resentment grew as I broke into his apartment—again. It's as if he had a flair for ticking me off in new and inventive ways. "Great," I thought bitterly, "now she gets to meet Drunk Luke too. What a grand introduction to our lives before her."The tangible tension of the moment weighed heavy on my shoulders as I surveyed the room, my eyes falling on Luke's disheveled form on the couch. I was livid, the kind of deep-seated anger that sits low in the gut and refuses to budge. I had a gnawing suspicion this would happen; the fear had been there from the start, ever since I'd first seen the way Luke handled his addiction. But to witness it unravel like this, endangering Lexi in the process, churned my insides. My hands clenched into fists involuntarily. Fuck, what I wouldn't give for five un
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 102. Home (Luke POV)
Ducking into the dense underbrush of the woods near Riverbend Apartments, I shifted back to human form. The sensation of bones rearranging and muscles contracting was oddly satisfying, an immediate stress release. I also knew I was taking a risk. Shifting wasn't allowed in the human world for a good reason, so I made it quick.Quickly dressing in the clothes I'd been carrying in my mouth, I grimaced at how they were soaked with saliva. But it was either that or run around here naked, and I'd had enough embarrassment for one day.As I approached the building, the doorman, Peter, was at his usual post. "Hey, you got any product on you?" I asked.Peter looked around cautiously before nodding. "Dude, you're in luck. I just restocked." I handed him the wad of cash that was stashed in the clothes, not bothering to count it, and in exchange, he gave me what was left of his stash. A lot, to be precise.Maybe too much.I reached my apartment only to realize I didn't have the keys. "Fucking b
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 103. Nearly Illegible (Clay POV)
The veins in my temples throbbed as I paced the living room, the phone pressed to my ear. "If neither my beta nor the current Rendon alpha wants the land, what exactly is the dispute here?" I practically growled into the receiver. The council member on the other end cited some archaic legalese that hardly made any sense. I wanted to reach through the phone and shake him. "Two days is the maximum I will agree to," I said firmly, my jaw clenching. A glance at Luke told me all I needed to know. He was wrapped in a blanket like a life-sized burrito, his eyes half-lidded and distant, his skin a shade paler than usual. The man was already dissolving into a physical hell, the first intense wave of withdrawal symptoms seeping into his muscles. My chest tightened. He was in for a rough ride, and the timing of this damn council meeting wasn't helping. Lexi walked in then, carrying a water bottle and a sense of purpose in her eyes. Looking at Luke, she approached him like a mama bear,
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 104. (Lexi POV)
Luke used to be full of life, his eyes sparkling with a reckless spirit that excited and unnerved me. Now, standing behind my reflection, his face showed the marks of physical and emotional battles, barely holding together.The change hit hard, a stark reminder of life's unpredictable shifts. Applying lip liner, I sought a touch of normalcy on a tense day. Luke, his hands shaking, fumbled with a razor by the sink.Clay intervened, his expression a blend of worry and determination. "Let me help," he offered, taking the razor from Luke's unsteady grip.With a sigh, Luke sat on the counter, exchanging a fleeting, heavy glance with me in the mirror.Watching them, I saw the depth of their bond in this tender moment. Clay's gentle handling of the razor and Luke's trusting tilt of his head was a silent affirmation of their deep trust for each other. It filled my heart, a poignant counterpoint to the morning's somberness."Luke, you might need a line or two before the meeting," Clay said, ch
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 105. My Own Worst Enemy (Luke POV)
In the parking lot, our calm was just a façade. Inside, I was a raging inferno. How the fuck did my name get on that treaty? I was knee-deep in coke three years ago, but I wasn't an idiot. I turned to Trevor and pinned him against his truck. "Explain this shit right now, little bro," I snarled, inches from his face. Lexi reached for me, trying to intervene, but I was beyond reason. "Not now, Lex! Back the fuck off," I snapped at her. The hurt that flashed in her eyes almost gutted me, but I was in too deep. Kyla pulled her away as Clay stepped up. Trevor threw his words like daggers, "A coked-out wreck of a brother, and you blame me? Fuck off, Luke. You created this mess." Blind rage consumed me. I swung at Trevor, intent on wiping that smug certainty off his face with my fist. Clay reacted immediately. His hand clamped on my arm like a vice before my fist connected. "NOT HERE!" His voice thundered, loaded with the authority of an alpha pushed to his limit. I jerked back violentl
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 106. (Clay POV)
We finally made it back to the pack house. As we pulled up, the healer was waiting, syringe in hand, ready to administer something to keep Luke under while they worked on his arm. Trevor and I carefully carried him into the med bay, Luke's body occasionally twitching and fighting against the drowsiness.Once inside, the healer instructed us to secure Luke to the bed. "We can't have him thrashing about," he said, his tone clinical but not unkind. We fastened his legs and his uninjured arm, ensuring he wouldn't injure himself further during the procedure.As the healer manipulated the broken bone back into place, Luke let out a blood-curdling scream, even through the meds. It was a sound that cut straight to the heart, raw and painful. He didn't wake, but he clearly felt it on some level.Beside me, Lexi nearly crumpled, her body trembling with each of Luke's muffled cries. I knew she didn't want my touch, but hell, I couldn't stand there and do nothing. I wrapped my arms around her, pu
Rival Alphas: Dance of Desire 107. Good Spot (Lexi POV)
Seeing Luke lose it in the parking lot was heart-wrenching. I had only wanted to help, to be the calm in his storm, but he screamed in my face, telling me to back off. Kyla's hands pulled me away, and I watched, helpless, as Luke lunged at Trevor. Clay grabbed his arm, and then the sickening sound of Luke's bone cracking filled the air. He was like a wild animal, a torrent of pain and anger, thrashing against everything and everyone, even himself.When Clay knocked him out, a mix of relief and anger surged within me. I understood why Clay did it, but seeing them resorting to physical force to subdue one another was jarring and painful.Now, in the bath, with Luke awake and clumsily joining me, clothes and all, water spilled everywhere. But in that moment, none of it mattered. I needed him close, needed to feel that he was still Luke, that this aggressive, pained version of him wasn't permanent.I nearly laughed when Clay jokingly warned Luke about getting his cast wet. The cast was al
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