Claimed by the Alpha's Love (Tori and Lucas) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Tori’s POV:

63%

I left William Sullivan still standing alone in the corridor.

There was something about the pain in his eyes that didn’t align with Susan’s accusations.

William didn’t strike me as a man who would carelessly destroy his family or betray those he loved. The dignity in his bearing, even when

confronted with such raw hatred, suggested there might be more to the story.

No one mourns that deeply for something they didn’t truly value.

I shook my head slightly, pushing these thoughts aside.

Whatever had happened between the Sullivans and Shepherds was their private tragedy, not my business to unravel. I had enough complications in my own life without adding someone else’s decades-old heartbreak to the mix.

Lucas was scanning the crowd when I slipped back into my seat beside him, his eyes immediately finding mine. “Everything alright?” he asked,

his voice low.

“Yes,” I replied. “Just needed some air.”

The remaining auction items passed in a blur of polite applause and mounting bids. I tried to focus, but my thoughts kept returning to Susan

Shepherd’s tear-filled accusation: “You made our daughter die.” The raw pain in her voice had been unmistakable.

By the time we left the auction house, night had fallen completely over Moonhaven.

The drive home, the city lights streaming past as we wound our way through the elegant streets.

Once inside his home, Lucas’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, his expression shifting minutely. “I need to take this,” he said, stepping

away into his study.

I nodded and headed upstairs. The evening had been more taxing than I’d anticipated. Between the attention from other guests, the

extravagant gift from Lucas, and overhearing the Sullivan-Shepherd conflict, I felt emotionally drained.

In the master bedroom, I carefully removed the crystal necklace, setting it on the nightstand. I took a long shower, letting the hot water wash away the tension from my shoulders.

By the time I emerged, wrapped in a soft robe, Lucas still hadn’t returned pstairs.

I could hear the low murmur of his voice from his study, the tone serious and measured. His mood seemed to have darkened considerably.

I slipped into bed, the sheets cool against my skin.

The digital clock on the nightstand read 11:43 PM. I tried to read, but the words blurred together as exhaustion crept in. Eventually, I turned off the lamp and lay in darkness, listening to the distant sound of Lucas’s Moice.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, the bedroom door was opening, casting a thin wedge of light across the floor. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even, feigning sleep as Lucas moved quietly round the room.

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Chapter 157

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I felt the mattress dip as he sat on the edge of the bed. His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face, the touch so gentle it made my heart ache.

“I know you’re awake, little wolf, he whispered, his voice tinged with amusement.

I opened my eyes to find him watching me. My pulse quickened, memories of our intimacy from the previous night flooding back.

The intensity in his gaze made me suddenly nervous.

“Why did you take the necklace off?” he asked, glancing at the crystal picc resting on the nightstand.

“Oh,” I touched my bare throat, “I always take jewelry off when I shower. Force of habit.

Lucas reached for the necklace, the silver links catching the moonlight. needs to be worn continuously to provide its full benefits,” he said, his voice low.

I nodded and sat up, turning slightly so he could fasten it around my neck His fingers brushed against my skin, lingering perhaps longer than

necessary.

“You paid at least ten times what it’s worth, I murmured as the familiar weight settled against my collarbone. “I should definitely get my moonstone’s worth by wearing it.”

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