Chapter 8 Where is Lucy

The last time Kyle had seen his half-sister was years ago, when she confessed her affair with their brother. The memory alone disgusted him, nearly enough to exile her from the pack entirely.

But he hadn't.

He'd convinced himself she'd been seduced, manipulated-maybe even victimized. That had been easier to accept than the truth. Still, her recent request to see him, relayed through Wesley, stirred something uneasy inside him.

Did she know something?

Had she found his brother-the mad Alpha?

For twenty years, Kyle had waited. Twenty years of searching, following every ceremony, every sign, expecting his brother to return and claim his brides. But he never came. Not once had he come for the girls Kyle had taken. And worse, he never came for him.

Yet havoc followed. Chaos that wore the face of his brother.

Teenage girls, vanished. Young, unmarked, under eighteen. Plucked from their homes like ripe fruit. Kyle had tried to stop it. He'd tried everything.

But it hadn't been enough.

Veronica still had the power to steal his breath with her elegance. Effortlessly so. Her royal blue dress shimmered under his golden chandelier, sculpting her curves like it had a purpose. Her silver hair was looser now, paler, almost ghostly. For a split second, Lucy flashed through his mind.

Where was she? She should've been back from school by now.

"Step*-sister," Kyle teased with mock politeness.

"Half*-sister," Veronica snapped. "We share a father."

She clearly didn't want to be here. And the fact that she had seen both brothers today was taking a toll.

"Yet you're so different. And not aging, by the way. A part of me wishes you weren't really Father's child. I thought he only accepted you because he wanted his way with your mother."

Kyle hadn't meant to be cruel with his words, but cruelty was second nature around Veronica. He hated her, hated her mother, hated what they reminded him of. He tried to live far from them, emotionally and physically.

But he was their Alpha, her brother

Veronica didn't bite. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She came with a mission, and she'd see it through.

"You're arrogant," she said quietly. "And ignorant."

Kyle raised a brow. "Rhyming now, are we?"

"Kyle!"

"Alpha Kyle," he corrected, voice deep and cold with command. Her posture stiffened instantly.

"Brother," she said with a defiance that only made him angrier. She stepped close enough for him to feel her breath. Her heels made her nearly eye-level. "You can be a royal pain in the ass, but you need to stop chasing shadows. The elders of your pack are scheming. I overheard a meeting-something about the missing girls. And as much as it'll bruise your pride to admit it, your brother has nothing to do with them."

Kyle turned away sharply, fists clenched. He couldn't look at her without wanting to lash out. He marched over to the bar in his living room, poured a shot of whiskey, and downed it.

"Hmm," he sighed, letting the burn settle his rage. "Are you still sleeping with him?"

"Excuse me?" Veronica hissed.

He turned, deadpan. "What? Just because you're engaged now, doesn't mean you stopped fancying your brother. Come on, Veronica. You're not here out of some noble sense of justice. You're here because you're still trying to save him from me. You know I've been searching for him. You know I've been taking his brides. And guess what? I still have the most recent one. And I will make her mine-body, spirit, and wolf."

That information was given to Veronica so that she could pass it on to his brother.

Her face twisted in disgust, but he wasn't done.

"So go ahead. Tell him. Tell him I'm coming. And that this time, he doesn't get to hide."

Veronica laughed-a cold, mocking laugh that made his jaw tighten.

"You think Kain's afraid of you? You think he even cares? He'll rip your heart out before you get within ten feet of him. You're wasting your war on the wrong enemy. I'm telling you-the elders are your problem. Do you even know about people selling their wolves?"

"The fact that you still overestimate him is... sad." Kyle's eyes narrowed, ignoring Veronica's last sentence. "I can smell him on you. Faint. But it's there. You saw him today, didn't you?"

Veronica took a careful step back.

He noticed.

"Go to hell," she spat. "My fiancé is outside. If you try anything, I swear-"

"Oh please," Kyle rolled his eyes. "I don't need you to find him. I'm getting closer every day. But this isn't just about finding him anymore. When I do... I'll kill him. Publicly. Before the pack. And return the girls-all of them."

Veronica shook her head, eyes full of disdain. She had hoped, hoped he might finally see sense. But Kyle was as stubborn as Kain. And now she had to consider what she didn't want to: maybe this was no longer her fight.

"Fine," she said, voice flat. "I'm leaving."

And she did. But Kyle stood there a while longer, the echo of her heels in the hallway replaced by silence, and the ticking in his head that always came before something snapped.

He watched Veronica disappear into the shadows, her perfume lingering like a bitter reminder of everything he wanted to forget. His fingers twitched at his sides, the urge to have her dragged back and broken until she spilled his brother's location was nearly overwhelming.

He needed a distraction.

"Wesley!" he roared, the sound bouncing off the stone walls like a command from the heavens.

The man appeared in seconds, shoulders square, eyes low, already anticipating the Alpha's temper.

"Where's Lucy?"

"She's not back yet," Wesley answered, cautious.

Kyle turned sharply. "Not back yet? And you didn't think to go looking for her? Do you understand she's not just a student to me? She's the thread I'm dangling in front of my stupid brother, and if she snaps-"

"I'll find her," Wesley cut in, jaw tightening. "I'll bring her to you."

Kyle exhaled hard, pacing. The moonlight made the veins in his arms look like rivers about to burst.

"And bring her flowers," he said suddenly, almost like the words surprised him. "Tell her it's an apology... for not picking her up myself."

Wesley's brows twitched. Flowers? Seriously? But he nodded. He'd give her the flowers. Might as well hand them to her before dragging her by the hair to the mad Alpha.

"Yes, Alpha Kyle."

The drive to the university was silent, save for the pounding thoughts in Wesley's mind. If she was gone, he was screwed. Perhaps if she surrendered herself to Kain, he would appreciate her sacrifice, respecting her for understanding what was at stake the longer she was at Kyle's.

One leap and he was over the school fence as the gate was bolted and the school dark, just a few bulbs powered by solar energy fought to keep the school alive.

The grounds were quiet, soaked in shadows. He moved quickly, scanning every corner, one lit window. And then he heard it.

Music.

Beautiful, precise. The piano's voice dancing in a way few could master. He followed the sound and there she was-Lucy-alone in the music room, her fingers moving with discipline and passion, the kind that belonged to someone born to play. She was lost in it, unaware of the world around her, vulnerable.

He almost smiled at the sight, but remembered she was an enemy.

He moved toward the window, just as the security guard's flashlight swept across the grass.

"Who's there?" the guard shouted.

Wesley ducked behind a tree on reflex, grinding his teeth.

"Shit." Wesley muttered.

He watched silently as the guard knocked on the glass and told Lucy to leave. She didn't argue, only looked crushed. She gathered her things slowly, like someone clinging to the last breath of something sacred.

Perfect. She was coming to him on her own.

He slipped back over the fence and waited in his car. She appeared a few minutes later, her face half-covered in the darkness, expression tight with frustration and disappointment. He honked at her, his headlights blinking to get her attention.

She hesitated, squinting at the car and sighed in relief as it was familiar and walked over. When she saw him behind the wheel, the hope in her face dimmed.

"Errrm sorry I thought it was..."

"Kyle?" he said, blunt. "He sent me."

She nodded though with lots of tumult on her face, agreeing to follow him as she had no choice. She opened the door and got in without a word, her body tensing like a coiled spring.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke. "I know you hate me. I'm trying my best. That's all I'm-"

"Lucy, shut up."

She turned her head sharply. "What is your problem with me? Are you in support of the mad Alpha? Everyone hates him!"

He chuckled once, low and dry. "Not everyone. I don't like him either. I'm just the guy who's going to make sure people like you don't screw up the pack."

Her stomach dropped. "People like me?"

"You know who I mean."

"No," she said quickly, eyes wide now. "Are you... Are you taking me to him?"

Her fingers fumbled with the door handle. Locked. Of course.

Wesley looked at her, amused. "Relax. Kyle still has plans for you."

She stared straight ahead, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"But don't get too comfortable," he added after a moment, turning onto the dark road back. "I've got my eyes on you, and very soon, I'll take you to your rightful owner."