Chapter 68 – The Proposal

(Luca's perspective)

I wasn't supposed to be here.

Not lurking behind doors, not eavesdropping on conversations that had my blood boiling. But here I was. Watching. Waiting.

Quinn's voice trembled as she faced him—the man, the wolf, whatever the hell he was—threatening her. My Quinn. No, his Quinn now.

I'd heard enough.

I stepped into the room, slow and deliberate, every movement calculated to keep the anger simmering just below the surface.

"Who the hell do you think you are, threatening my mate?" I growled, my voice low but loud enough to make heads turn.

The man didn't flinch. No, he smirked—a cold, arrogant curve of his lips that sent a chill down my spine. Something about that smile…

And then it hit me.

Recognition slammed into me like a freight train.

The Echo.

He wasn't some misty, shapeless presence anymore. No dark whispers from shadows or fleeting glimpses in nightmares. He was here. In the flesh.

"Impossible," I whispered, my eyes narrowing. "How... How are you—?"

"Fully formed like a human?" He took a lazy step forward, his posture too relaxed for someone who just got called out. "Well, not quite. But close enough, wouldn't you say?"

My heart pounded, each beat filling my chest with rage and confusion. He looked real. Solid. Alive.

"This… This shouldn't be possible," I said through clenched teeth.

Cale—The Echo—grinned wider, his eyes gleaming with something dark, something ancient. "Oh, but it is. And you know who made it possible?" He tilted his head toward Quinn, who stood stiffly beside him. "She did. Just like I helped her become who she is now."

I glanced at Quinn, searching her face for some sign—anything—that she wasn't a part of this. That she hadn't… helped him. But her eyes, once so full of fire, were distant. Dull.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, my fists clenching at my sides.

"She's not yours anymore, Luca," Cale said smoothly, stepping closer. "She's mine. My Luna. My creation. And there's nothing you can do about it."

My chest tightened, the possessive growl bubbling up in my throat before I could stop it.

"Not willingly," I bit out. "She'll never be yours willingly."

Cale's smug expression didn't waver. "Willingness is overrated."

Before I could lunge at him, Ethan appeared beside me, his golden eyes flicking between me, Quinn, and Cale. He didn't say anything at first, but his jaw tightened, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He knew.

Quinn managed a weak, forced smile in Ethan's direction. It was like a ghost of the girl she used to be. The girl we both knew.

Ethan's gaze hardened as he turned back to Cale. I leaned in, my voice barely a whisper. "It's him, Ethan. The Echo."

Ethan's eyes widened briefly, but he recovered quickly, his posture shifting into that of a wolf ready for battle. Beside Cale, a handful of his betas moved in closer, mirroring the tension in the room.

It was a standoff.

Two powerful wolves against an ancient being that shouldn't even exist in this form—and his army.

"Back down," Cale said, his voice calm but laced with authority. "You're outnumbered, Luca. And outmatched."

"Outnumbered, maybe," I shot back, taking a step forward. "But outmatched? Not a chance."

Ethan echoed my stance, his body coiled like a spring, ready to pounce. I could feel the shift in the air, the electricity crackling between us. One wrong move, one breath out of place, and it would all explode.

And I wanted it to. God, I wanted to tear into him. Rip him apart for what he did to Quinn. For what he turned her into.

"Enough."

The voice cut through the tension like a blade.

I didn't have to turn to know who it was.

My father, Alpha Deacon stepped towards me, his presence commanding immediate attention. Even Cale straightened, though his smirk never fully disappeared.

"Luca," my father said, his tone sharp with warning. "Stand. Down."

I didn't move. Couldn't. My blood was boiling, my wolf clawing to get out, to protect what was mine.

But my father's hand landed on my shoulder, heavy with authority. "Now."

Reluctantly, I stepped back, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt.

"My apologies, Alpha Cale," my father said, his voice smooth and diplomatic. "My son is… territorial. Sometimes overly so."

Cale chuckled, a low, dark sound. "Understandable. Quinn is… quite the prize."

"Quinn you say?" my father's eyebrows raining in surprise.

"Yes indeed. Alpha Deacon, meet my beautiful mate and the Luna of my clan, Quinn," Cale announced proudly while he put his hand around her waist.

I growled low in my throat, but my father's grip tightened, a silent command to stay silent.

"Well, I have heard a lot about you, Quinn. I was made to believe that you were one of our human neighbours and not such a powerful goddess, Luna of a powerful pack. " My father smothered her in compliments, which made me sick, considering the profanities he made when he heard her name from my mouth. "To make amends," my father continued, "perhaps we can discuss something beneficial to both our packs."

Cale raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what would that be?"

My father's gaze shifted, landing on a woman standing beside Cale—a tall, fierce-looking beta with sharp eyes and an even sharper smirk.

"Your beta," my father said. "Is she… unattached?"

A flicker of confusion crossed my face. What the hell was he doing?

Cale's smirk widened. "Casey? No, she's not attached."

"Then perhaps," my father suggested, "we could unite our packs through a bond. Luca could take Casey as his mate and be his Luna."

My heart stopped.

The room fell silent.

Casey's eyes gleamed with interest, while my stomach twisted in knots.

I turned to my father, disbelief and fury flooding my veins. "What?" I hissed under my breath.

But he didn't look at me. His gaze remained fixed on Cale, the deal already forming between them.

I glanced at Quinn.

Her face was unreadable. But her eyes…

Pain.

And something else.

Resignation.

No.

This wasn't happening.

It couldn't be.

Not like this.

Not when I'd just found her again.

Cale's smirk deepened. "Now that… is an interesting proposal."

My fists clenched, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to keep my wolf at bay. My vision blurred with red, the beast inside me howling for release.

And all I could think was one thing.

Over my dead body.