(Quinn's perspective)
The air around us felt electric—and not in a good way. Luca paced like a caged beast, dragging his hands through his hair, muttering curses under his breath. Every step he took, his muscles tensed like he was ready to snap. I'd seen him angry before, but this? This was different. His eyes kept darting around like he was searching for something only he could see.
"Luca?" I stepped toward him slowly, hands raised like I was approaching a wild animal. "Hey, you're freaking me out here. What's going on?"
He stopped pacing but didn't look at me. His chest rose and fell like he'd just run a marathon. Then, suddenly, his head snapped up, eyes wild and locked on mine. "He's… he's talking to me, Quinn." His voice was low, tight with disbelief. "My wolf's talking to me."
"What?" I blinked, my brain playing catch-up. "Your wolf talks to you? Since when?" I reached out, grabbing his shoulders to steady him, and he flinched like I'd burned him. "Luca, look at me. You're not crazy. Breathe, okay? Just breathe."
His eyes darted around, restless and sharp. "He's got a name," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "Amarok. He's… he's real. I'm not losing it." He dragged a hand down his face. "Fuck, I'm going mad, aren't I?"
"No, you're not," Trinity's voice echoed in my head, calm but firm. "Quinn, tell him. He's not going mad. He's awakening. When you kissed, it reconnected the mate bond and transferred part of my essence into Amarok, awakening his soul. He's his own entity now, just like I am for you."
"Wait… so he's like you?" I asked her silently, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," she confirmed. "Luca can now talk to his wolf, just like we're talking right now. He's not alone anymore. And neither are you."
I looked back at Luca, and something inside me shifted. I'd been so focused on my own pain, my own battles, that I'd missed his. He'd spent so long thinking I didn't care about him, thinking I'd left him behind. But now I saw it—that raw, vulnerable look in his eyes. He'd been carrying so much, just like me.
"Luca," I said softly, "you're not going mad. I promise." I took a step closer, eyes locked on his. "When we kissed, something… happened. Trinity says it's because our bond's been reconnected. Our wolves—her and Amarok—they're bonded too. That's why you're hearing him now."
"Wait! Who's Trinity?" He asked, wide eyed.
"That's one part I didn't tell you. Trinity is my wolf. And Amarok is her mate – she was sent by the Luna Goddess."
His eyes searched mine, looking for any sign that I was lying. When he didn't find it, he exhaled a shaky breath. "So… we're like… partners?" he asked, his voice still laced with disbelief. "Like you and Trinity?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "Exactly like that. And you're not going mad, okay? This is real. It's happening."
He scrubbed a hand down his face, his shoulders sagging as if a weight had been lifted off him. "Holy shit," he muttered, his eyes wide with something between awe and shock. "So we're… bonded again?" He tilted his head, brows furrowed. "How is that even possible? We were unwritten mates in the first place. You were human and I was wolf. I don't even understand how we are even reunited."
'You may have been unwritten mates but this is what the Luna Goddess wanted all along," Trinity assured me.
"Trinity says I never accepted Cale," I explained, taking a deep breath. "I never accepted him as my mate. That's why our bond was never real. But you… you're…my unwritten mate – Trin says that's what the Luna Goddess wanted."
'The bond will be enforced after we mate with Luca and Amarok and they mark us. Tell him Q."
"I am absolutely not telling him tha-…" I trailed off, feeling a rush of heat crawl up my neck realizing I responded to Trinity out loud again.
"Not telling me what?" Luca's voice was low, dangerous, and far too amused for my liking.
"Forget it," I muttered quickly, glancing away.
"Quinn," he said, stepping forward, his voice silkier than it had any right to be. "You're hiding something." He leaned in, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my cheek. "Tell me what it is."
"It's nothing!" I said too quickly, backing up a step.
He followed.
I backed up again.
He followed again.
The smirk on his face was pure trouble. "You're lying, Quinn. You wouldn't squirm like this if it were nothing," he said, his eyes flashing gold for a second. "And I'm gonna find out."
"No, you're not," I shot back, crossing my arms to look as firm as I could, even though my heart was doing somersaults in my chest.
"Yeah?" He tilted his head like a predator stalking prey. "Wanna bet?"
"Back off, Luca," I warned, holding my ground.
"Make me," he said, his grin wicked and wild.
"You haven't changed. You're still impossible," I groaned, turning to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me back around. Before I could say anything, his hands were on either side of my face, his eyes locked on mine with such hunger I'd never seen before.
"You're not running from me this time, Quinn," he whispered, his eyes flicking between mine, searching for something. "Tell me what's got you so flustered."
"Nothing," I said again, but it didn't come out as firm as I'd hoped.
"Liar," he murmured, leaning in, his lips so close to mine that my breath caught in my throat.
"You're… you're being ridiculous," I stammered, trying to sound annoyed, but my voice betrayed me. It came out too breathy, too soft.
His eyes dropped to my lips, and everything—the world, time, my pulse—stopped.
"Tell me, Quinn," he said, voice barely a whisper. "Or I'll make you."
"You wouldn't dare," I whispered back.
"Watch me," he said, and then his lips crashed into mine. The heat of his mouth had my nerve endings on fire and the world tilted.
My hands pressing against his chest wanting to push him away but couldn't as every part of me lit up like wildfire. It was like our souls were fighting to merge, to become whole.
"I've imagined the moment for so long," he murmured against my lips, his hands cupping my face. "And I'm not letting you go this time. You are MINE."
I moaned softly, my body pressing against his. "We shouldn't," I whispered. I could feel Trinity getting riled up within me and it wasn't helping the situation. Her want of Amarok was stirring up my need for Luca…a need that I didn't realize was there.
He growled a low sound that sent shivers down my spine. His hands roamed from my back to my waist, then slowly down to my hips, his touch sending waves of pleasure coursing through me. He trailed kisses down my neck, his teeth nipping gently at my skin.
"You're driving me crazy, Quinn," he groaned, his hands sliding down my thighs, his fingers then sensually slipping under my dress, and it almost felt like I became a primal need to him. "I need to feel you."
I should have stopped him but I couldn't – I wouldn't.
Then, just as suddenly, I heard it—not in my head, not from Trinity—but a voice.
"What the fuck are you DOING?" the voice growled.