Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 119

< 119 Taking Control

+25 Points

119 Taking Control

Mara

I wanted to go back to the holiday house. Hide in the silence. Wait for Lucian like I was still the girl who didn’t know better. But I wasn’t that girl anymore-and Lucian would’ve hated it if I’d ignored his orders.

So, I headed to the one place I didn’t want to be.

The Nighthorn mansion.

My hands trembled on the wheel as I drove. My chest felt hollow. This day was supposed to be beautiful, but fate had other plans. Lucian tried to fix it-he tried-but this Saturday had always been marked by something darker.

The time we spent on the cliff felt unreal now. Just him and me, detached from the weight of the world.

No politics, no packs, no battles. Just love. Skin on skin. His lips, his touch. For hours, we reaffirmed

everything we were to each other.

And now he was flying into danger, and I couldn’t follow.

Fear clawed at my logic. What if he doesn’t come back? What if that was the goddess letting him say

goodbye?

“No,” I said aloud, gripping the steering wheel harder. “Get a grip, Mara.”

You’re Luna. You chose this life. This is what being the mate of an Alpha means. He protects the pack. You protect the people. You lead when he’s gone.

I repeated those words like a prayer until my heart slowed.

Lucian wasn’t alone, He had Darian. He had his father. Three Alphas. If anyone could return from Driftwake

alive, it was them.

The first gate to the mansion appeared, and I rolled down the window. The guards greeted me with the respect reserved for an Alpha. I met their gazes with the poise expected of a Luna. No fear. No hesitation. The same happened at the second gate.

When I parked, Austin, Rowan, and a handful of lower-ranked military personnel were already waiting.

At least Rowan was here.

I stepped out of the car and handed the keys to Austin. “Thank you.”

“Welcome, Luna,” he said, bowing slightly.

I nodded in return and turned to Rowan. He saluted, the soldiers following suit.

“We are at your command, Luna Mara,” he said.

I nodded. “Why didn’t you go with them?”

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< 119 Taking Control

+25 Points

Tiffany held onto me as we walked to the lounge. She refused to let go. When we sat down, she stayed

beside me like a child needing safety.

“Do you think they’ll make it?” she linked me privately, her eyes searching mine for truth.

I swallowed hard, then nodded.

I didn’t speak the words because I couldn’t. Not yet. Especially not with the confirmation I’d just heard.

Five minutes later, I couldn’t sit there anymore. My chest was tight. My brain screamed for space. I stood.

“Why are you leaving us now, Mara?” Martha asked, eyes narrowing just slightly.

I looked at her, steady but close to cracking. Not here. Not in front of her.

“I need time to strategize,” I said calmly. “To keep the city safe. Don’t come looking for me unless it’s a real

emergency.”

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