Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 238

238 The Line in the Dirt

Lucian

Darian and I dropped Mara off at the mansion and made our way to base. She didn’t look back. Not once. Her shoulders stayed squared, her gaze steady. It was unlike her, eerily so. Normally, I’d have to reassure her, maybe promise twice over that I’d come back in one piece before she’d let me go.

But this time? Nothing.

Maybe my return from Mistwood had changed something. Maybe she finally believed I was as

unbreakable as I pretended to be. Or maybe it was the quiet confidence of knowing we had the upper hand

this time.

“Mara didn’t flinch,” Darian said, breaking the silence.

I smirked. “Reading my mind again?”

He shrugged. “She’s getting stronger.”

“Or tired of worrying,” I muttered, half to myself.

Then I glanced over. “Did you tell Tiff you were coming on this mission?”

He shook his head instantly. “Hell no. I dare not.”

“Coward,” I said with a grin.

“She freaked out when I told her I was stepping up as alpha. When she found out you were back, she looked like she could finally breathe again. Yesterday morning, before I even opened my mouth, she reminded me you were home now, so I was off-duty. Loud and clear.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You should’ve told her anyway.”

“She’ll hear it from Mara,” he said casually, but I caught the tension in his voice. He knew it wasn’t right. He just couldn’t bring himself to look Tiff in the eye and say it out loud: I’m going on a mission, and I might not

come back.

No one wanted to admit that, not to someone they loved.

The base wasn’t far from HQ, and we pulled in fast. Crates of weapons were already stacked and waiting. Rowan stood by them, arms crossed, eyes scanning inventory. Mara wasn’t kidding about stocking up, this was more than prep. This was war mode.

Denis stood nearby, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. Honestly, Rowan was more suited to Gamma. Everyone knew it. My father had kept him as Delta for one reason only: so he’d be close to Mara during the mission. I didn’t love the decision, but I understood it. I let it stand. Denis didn’t need the

humiliation right now.

Still, his face looked like he’d just walked out of a funeral.

<238 The Line in the Dirt

“What’s with the long face?” I asked.

He exhaled, slow and tired. “Tasha’s sick.”

I blinked. “So?”

He scowled. “So, I should be with her.”

“Not today,” I said, my tone flat. “Today you’re here.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but I didn’t let him finish.

Claim

“We were at Mistwood together. You got home the same time I did. And since then, you’ve been indoors, safe, with your wife,” I said, my voice low but steady. “I’m married too, Denis. Mara’s already showing. But the safety of this pack comes first, for both of us. If the pack isn’t secure, then Keisha isn’t safe either.”

I let the silence hang for a second, then exhaled slowly.

I didn’t want to embarrass him. Denis was my friend. But I couldn’t let personal fear cloud duty, not now.

And I knew what this was really about. His shift in priorities, his distracted energy… it wasn’t just worry.

It was Keisha. And Mara had picked up on it long before I did. She never liked the girl. Too much like Tina,

subtle, manipulative, strategic in her softness.

“If you feel like you should be home right now,” I said, locking eyes with him, “then you don’t belong here.

Not in this base. Not in this rank.”

He looked stunned, hurt, even, but I didn’t blink.

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