Chapter 82 – Amarok Emerges

The cold air pressed against my skin like needles, but I barely felt it. Quinn sat across from me, her face a storm of emotion—grief, anger, guilt. It was all there, laid out for me to see like a book with every painful chapter ripped open. In the beginning, I'd spent months trying to make her hate me, pushing her away so she wouldn't get caught in my world, but it happened anyway and it turned out she'd been drowning in her own hell.

Her eyes stayed locked on mine, unflinching as she spoke, every word heavier than the last. "Cale killed them, Luca. My parents... they're gone because of him." Her voice cracked, and she sucked in a shaky breath. "He told me if I didn't do what he wanted, you and Ethan would be next."

I felt like my heart had been yanked out of my chest and shoved back in, twisted and raw. Rage flared up so hot I could barely see straight, my vision tinged red. Cale—that twisted, power-hungry bastard—he'd taken everything from her. From us.

"So you stayed with him?" I asked, not even recognizing my own voice. It was low, hoarse, like I'd been chewing on broken glass.

Her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. Her jaw tensed, but she nodded. "I had to. He turned me, Luca. Made me into this." She gestured to herself like she hated every inch of who she'd become. "The perfect Luna. Obedient, powerful, and just the right amount of broken. But I'm done being his puppet."

Her words hit me like a hammer, but it wasn't just the pain that got me—it was the fire in her voice. She wasn't a victim anymore. She'd been forged into something sharp, something that could cut down the man who'd tried to break her.

"He's got a plan for you, for the other Alphas," she continued, leaning forward, eyes darting like she expected someone to burst through the door. "Plans that end in death. He's been working with someone, a seer. I don't know who, but they've been feeding him information. He's building something bigger than just his pack. It's a power play. He's going to make a move soon, and when he does, it'll be too late to stop him."

I'd never hated anyone as much as I hated Cale in that moment. "A seer?" My mind spun, trying to connect the dots. There was only one person who came to mind, but I didn't want to believe it. No. No way. Not them. "You're sure?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "But I don't know who it is. I've tried to find out, but he's careful. Always a step ahead."

She didn't have to say it but I know she thought I abandoned her. I didn't. I tried every damn resource to find her but Cale was always a step ahead like Quinn said. After hearing Quinn's story, I realized I was always so close to finding her every time I had a lead. But it was like he was informed that I was coming. Now everything made sense.

Silence hung between us like a blade suspended in the air. She'd been through all of this shit for years, and she'd done it to protect me and Ethan. All that pain, all that suffering—and it was for us.

"You're not doing this alone anymore," I said, my voice sharp with conviction. I walked around the the table in two long strides and knelt in front of her. My hands cupped her face, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes widened, her breath catching like she didn't believe me.

"You hear me, Quinn? I'm with you. We're going to end this, and you're not carrying it by yourself anymore. No one will ever hurt you ever again."

Her eyes searched mine, like she was waiting for me to take it back, to leave her alone with Cale. But I didn't move and she will never be alone again. If I had to carve my promise into my own skin to make her believe it, I'd do it.

Her breath shuddered, and her face crumpled. Not from weakness—from release. Years of holding it all in finally broke. Her eyes closed, and I pulled her closer, letting her rest her forehead against mine. For the first time, she wasn't carrying it alone.

And I wasn't letting her go.

Her fingers tangled in my shirt, and I didn't know who moved first—her or me—but suddenly our lips met. It wasn't slow. It wasn't soft. It was every unsaid word, every misunderstanding, lost time, every missed chance poured into one blazing moment. Fire roared through me, fierce and wild, as our kiss deepened.

I'd dreamed of this, tortured myself with it. But nothing I'd imagined came close to the real thing. She tasted like everything I'd been starving for. Our bodies pressed together so tightly I couldn't tell where she ended and I began.

Then it happened.

Heat. Sparks. A surge so intense it felt like lightning shot through my veins. I'd felt sparks with her before, but this—this was something else. It wasn't just heat; it was a transfer, like something from her flowed into me. My wolf—my wolf howled louder than he ever had before, his voice a deafening roar in my head.

I yanked away from her, panting, eyes wide. My heart pounded so hard it echoed in my ears.

"What… what the fuck?" I gasped, looking down at my hands like I'd just grabbed a live wire. I felt… different. Stronger. Sharper. My wolf wasn't just howling—he was laughing.

"Luca?" Quinn's voice was shaky, her eyes darting over me. "What's wrong?"

My head snapped up. "Did you hear that?" My eyes scanned the room, searching for something—anything. She shook her head, confused.

Then I heard it. A voice that wasn't mine, but somehow was.

"She is still yours."

It wasn't my wolf—at least, not the way it's always been. My wolf and I were one. We shared instincts, urges, emotions—not words. Never words.

"Who… who said that?" I spoke out loud, turning in every direction like I'd catch the speaker hiding in a shadow.

Quinn's brows pulled together, her face pale. "Luca, who are you talking to?"

The voice spoke again, deeper this time. "My name is Amarok."

My breath caught in my throat. "Amarok?"

"Yes. When we kissed our mate, her wolf's essence transferred to us. We are no longer one mind, one soul. We are two."

I stumbled back like I'd been hit. "No. No, that's not—that's not how it works." My wolf had always been part of me—not separate, not a voice, not like this.

"It is now," Amarok growled. "We're partners. You'll see. We're stronger. Smarter. Together, we're unstoppable."

My breathing turned shallow, heart thundering. "Quinn…" My eyes locked on hers. "Something's changed. Something's wrong."