Lilah.

"Lilah, quick, before they see us!"

A giggle spilled from me, and my hold tightened around Carter's hand as he led me down a long, narrow hallway. "Like they could. It's too dark here."

Carter paused, pressing a finger to his lips and shaking his head.

I frowned, mouthing, "What?"

He pointed behind me. I turned, spotting the massive wolf strutting into view on the other side of the hallway. Before I could react, Carter dragged me into a room and shut the door behind us.

A click sounded, and light spilled into the room. My eyes skimmed over the piles of boxes roughly labeled in black marker as 'supplies,' then peered questioningly at Carter. "How did you know where the light was?"

"Been here before, remember?" Carter shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over one of the boxes. "The place I told you about last week we're checking out."

My eyes widened. "Wait, you just brought me on one of your missions? I thought we're just sneaking in for just—"

"Fun?" he grinned wickedly, picking up a chain resting in a pile by his feet. "Oh babe, fun we're going to have."

"Oooh-kay," I bit my lip as my gaze narrowed to the chain in his grasp as he moved closer. "Don't you think it's a bit risky to do that here?"

"A little," he spoke breathily as he came to a standstill inches from me. "But it's what makes it all the more…exciting."

I sucked in a breath as he captured my lips with his, using the chains in his hands to nudge me backward. It took two steps before my back hit the wall, and I raised my hands, burying my fingers into Carter's golden blonde hair and tugging on them out of desperation of needing him closer. "Did you lock the door?" I asked between kisses.

"Yes, babe, nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about." With one hand, Carter reached something above me, then lifted the chain over me.

I peered up to see a few large hooks on the wall. I snorted a laugh, poking him playfully in the chest. "Looks like you really made some plans, hey?"

"Fuck yes," he breathed, reaching for my wrist and twisting one side of the chain around it. "We're going to have a little time to ourselves while the pack scavenges for useful goods we can take. Then, baby…" he swoops in for another quick kiss. "We're blowing this place up."

"Oooh." My brows shot up, and I smirked. "Whose place is this?"

Carter reached down on the floor beside us, picking up a lock I didn't see before, hooking it into the chain, binding my wrist and locking it in place. "Some dipshit from the Bloodmoon Brotherhood. Rogan Blake's son. Don't think you'll know him—but the bastard stole some of my stuff, and I'm just repaying the favor."

My heart skipped a beat, dread sinking into my bones as I knew exactly who Carter was talking about. Draven Blake.

I almost said his name out loud. Almost. I managed to stop myself, swallowing, my eyes shooting past Carter at the door. I was stuck between wanting to flee from the building and staying, wanting to defile this place and watch it blow up, knowing it belonged to the man who shattered my heart two years ago. It served him damn right for what he did to me.

Carter paused, picking up a curl of my long, auburn hair and twisted it around his finger as he leaned close. "You're safe, babe, I promise. Our pack will keep them busy. Stew and Karvo should have them running around like headless chickens right about now." Carter winked, pulling on my hair before letting go, sending a surge of desire shooting over my body.

The appeal to get all hot and wicked in here escalated by a thousand the moment my eyes fell on a camera in the corner of the room facing us.

I nodded toward the camera as Carter locked my other wrist to the chain. "Do those work?"

A mischievous laugh tumbled from Carter's lips. "Babe, would it be revenge if the bastard didn't know it was me? Why do you think I chose this location? It's the ultimate fuck you, doing my girl in his face and blowing the place up after."

Carter had no idea how much of a 'fuck you' this would be. He had no idea Draven, and I had a history.

It was a damned good thing he had no idea that my triplets—Ash, Jana, and Darius were Draven's babies. I felt guilty for keeping that from Carter, but if he ever found out, especially that they were the enemy's offspring—I had no doubt there would be serious repercussions, even if he loved me.

But, more importantly, Draven could never know they were his, not after what he did to me.

The night I was about to tell Draven I was pregnant, I walked into his place, finding another woman there. She was kind enough to hand me my stuff, informing me she had been seeing Draven behind my back for months. She was even eager enough to boast about the amazing sex they had scarce an hour before I showed up.

My heart was crushed.

I didn't think I could ever love anyone as much as I loved Draven. It was my last month of pregnancy when I looked like a bloated hippo when I met Carter. Despite my situation, or that I was carrying another man's babies, he took me under his wing and gave me a place to stay.

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with him.

"Now that I have you all tied up…" Carter breathed into my ear, his hands slipping underneath my shirt and sliding up to my chest.

"You're going to do what, exactly?" I grinned, peppering kisses alongside his jaw.

"Well, I'm—" Carter got interrupted by a beeping sound. He stepped back, withdrawing his cell phone from his jeans pocket. "Ah, just in time."

"Just in time for what?" I frowned, watching as Carter reached for one of the boxes labeled 'supplies,' picking it up and carrying it to the door. "What are you doing?"

He reached for the door handle and pulled it open, balancing the box on his one side. "Taking care of business."

"I thought you're taking care of me?" I teased. "Or is this one of your torture techniques? Make me beg for it?"

He stepped outside into the hallway, grinning. "Happy birthday, babe."

"Carter?" I shook my wrists, rattling the chains. "What are you—What?"

Carter's response was him shutting the door, and I could hear the lock turn from the outside. Muffled talking followed by the pounding of footsteps and someone shouting, "Three minutes, boom!"

Boom. It was a code word for the planted bomb to go off. "Carter!" I screamed, panic setting inside my chest like shards of burning ice. "Carter! This isn't funny!"

The alarm system went off, and I knew I was in serious deep shit. I rarely hear the pack's plans when they go on missions, but I overheard some of it last night when I brought Carter coffee while he was in the meeting.

Those words in Carter's voice now echoed inside my ears louder than the blaring alarm. "We go in, quiet. When we leave, we trigger the alarm so that the enemy is alerted about the situation. I want him to see his place burn to the ground. The moment that alarm goes off, we fucking run."

My throat closed up in realization. Carter had intentionally locked me in here, knowing this would happen.

"This is a prank. This is some sick, twisted birthday prank…." My heart was loud inside my ears. "Carter! Carter! Carter, please, this isn't funny!"

Deep down in my gut, as horrible as it was, I knew this wasn't a prank. I just didn't want to acknowledge it. But the truth was—Carter, the man I loved, had left me for dead.