Chapter 2

The pain hit again. The booze wasn't working anymore. I let out a bitter laugh. "Guess I was just dumb enough to believe in fairy tales. Dumb enough to think someone like him could want someone like me." Theo watched me closely. "Being young and trusting isn't weak. Means you're still soft inside." "My age?" I snapped, annoyed. "You say it like you're my father." He gave a low chuckle. "Old enough to be." His eyes stayed steady on my face. "My son? He's probably your age." His thumb brushed my jawline lightly. "Old enough to know better... yet here I am." I blinked, shocked by his age. But the bigger shock? He was seriously hot. That strong face, quiet power, the way he owned a room – hotter than any guy I'd ever seen. My track record? Adrian. Pathetic. Yet staring at Theo, something inside my broken wolf woke up hard. Was this normal? I didn't sense the mate pull. But damn, I felt the pull. Adrian’s poison seemed to fade near Theo. I met his stormy eyes, trying for a lazy grin. "So, what brings world's hottest dad to a dive bar? Bored of counting your cash?" A dark laugh rumbled from Theo. "All the cash in the world can't make my brat son listen." "It sounds like Dad was really hurting," I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. "Is that why you're drinking alone? Trying to escape your own pressures?" Theo nodded. "I always thought powerful men like you didn't have problems that could actually trouble you," I said. "But here I am." Theo chuckled, raising his glass. "Claire, to crazy kids. And forgetting painful things," his gaze dropped to my lips, "even if just for a minute." As the alcohol burned down my throat, the dark void inside me lightened. Just talking with Theo made Adrian's face fade into the background. I set down my glass and looked directly at him, admitting to myself that I wanted more. His breath hitched, those gray eyes turning wild. Suddenly he slammed his glass to the floor. "No. You're too young. You deserve fire... not ashes," his voice came out rough and strained. I didn't believe him for a second. He stood to leave. I grabbed his wrist fast. Hard. If Adrian could cheat, why couldn't I? And Theo... way hotter. I tipped my chin up. Smirked. Challenge clear. "Really think I'll let you walk away? " My voice dropped low. "If you truly thought you were too old, you wouldn't have sat down beside me.dad？" He froze. That "Dad" name had lit a fire. His pupils blew wide. Breathe sharply. He leaned in. Dangerous close. Voice rough rock. "Always this eager to get burned, little wolf?" The calm Alpha mask cracked. The man beneath looked ready to devour me. I laughed, sharp and bright. "You going to teach me a lesson then?" Testing him. His grip tightened on my wrist. Claiming. Heat rushed my skin. His breath touched my ear. "Claire." A growl. Not a warning. An invitation. "Playing with fire only ends one way." I held his storm-grey eyes. Locked. "And what if I want the heat?" I leaned closer. Cheek brushed his scruff. Hot skin. "Those martinis?" I whispered. "Don't touch me like that unless you plan to follow through." My finger is on his chest. His control snapped. He threw cash down. Didn't say a word. Just hooked an arm around my waist, pulled me hard against his side, and cut through the crowd. Forceful. Directing. The elevator swallowed us. He tapped a keycard. Top floor button lit. Silence thick with tension. The doors slid open onto pure luxury. Huge windows. City lights spread below. The suite door clicked shut. He moved. Fast. One hard step pushed me back against the solid wood. No hesitation. His mouth crashed down on mine. Not asking. Taking. Hunger, raw and fierce. I answered. Just as fierce. Hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. Legs wrapping his hips. Anchoring. Fierce meeting fierce. He broke from my lips, dragging hot, sucking kisses down my throat. A moan tore from me, raw, startled. He lifted his head. Looked down at me. His eyes burned. Wild. "Last door out, Claire." Breath ragged. "Say the word right now, or this door stays locked until dawn." I didn’t answer. I fisted my hands in his hair and dragged his mouth back to mine. This time—raw hunger. His hands moved over me with startling confidence, mapping every curve. I arched, needing him deeper. His lips trailed fire down my jaw, my neck—a soft cry tore from my throat. “Theo…” his name a gasp, a prayer of surrender. He lifted me, my legs locking around his waist, never breaking contact. My knees hit the mattress, and I pulled him down with me. His solid weight grounded me, made this terrifyingly real. His fingers found my zipper. Slow. Painfully slow. It slid down. Cool air kissed my skin where his lips followed—feather-light, blazing trails down my exposed spine with devastating reverence. “Perfection,” he breathed against my shoulder blade, voice thick with possession. “Every forbidden inch. I shattered under his touch. My wolf writhed, dizzy with his heat, his dominance. I wanted… only this. Then—a harsh, angry buzz shattered the air. my phone. I answered the phone immediately. “Claire?” Mom’s voice choked with tears. Ice flooded my veins. “It’s your dad… He’s at City General Hospital… It’s bad, sweetheart. Really bad. You have to come. Right now.” The fire inside me snuffed out instantly, replaced by icy terror. “I’m leaving now,” I rasped. I scrambled off the bed, my gaze flicking to Theo. He was already dressed, composed, standing rigidly beside the bed. The raw passion from moments ago was a cruel joke now. Only the imposing, untouchable Alpha remained. I grabbed my discarded dress with shaky hands, fumbling into it. “My dad… critical… hospital… I have to go—” The words tumbled out, thick with panic. “Understood.” He cut me off with a dismissive flick of his hand, his voice arctic. “No explanations needed. My mistake.” I bit down hard, humiliation scorching my cheeks. I snatched my purse off the floor, desperate to flee this nightmare. Theo’s hand shot out, his fingers vise-locking my wrist like cold steel. “Taxis are impossible at this hour,” he stated flatly. “My driver takes you.” “No need,” I refused, clinging to the final shred of dignity. “I’ll handle it.” He didn’t want me. I didn’t want his charity. His brow furrowed. “Enough dramatics, Claire.” His voice sharpened, laced with cruel pragmatism. “This isn’t courtesy. It’s reputation management.” His gaze drilled into me. “An Alpha’s guest found slumped in a sewer ditch come morning? That would be… fascinating.” His words stabbed like ice shards. I bit my lip until I tasted blood, swallowing back the hot tears threatening to spill. Stupid, stupid, stupid… But Dad needed me. “Clear,” I choked out, the single word brittle. “City General Hospital.” I wrenched my wrist from his grip and bolted for the suite door without a backward glance. The weight of his icy stare burned into my back. A pathetic little whimper echoed from my wolf deep inside. I shut it out ruthlessly. Only one thing mattered: Get to the hospital. As for Theo… no, Leo Lindberg… we would never, ever see each other again.