As the car pulled up outside the serviced apartments where his parents were staying, Luke wasted no time. He stormed out of the vehicle, his rage barely contained. These apartments had been rented for a month to allow time for Dani’s family to adjust to the idea of her moving across the country, leaving behind her university degree and family to marry a man she barely knew. That, however, was a distant concern compared to the immediate issue at hand.
Luke pounded on the door furiously, every thud echoing his simmering anger. He could easily kick it in, but he wanted to make his presence felt—he wanted Robyn to feel the fear rising with every blow. It occurred to him, ironically, that he was doing the very thing Robyn had done to Bella’s door earlier.
The door finally opened, and his father stood there, blocking his way. “Calm down, son,” his father said firmly, trying to de-escalate the situation.
“Where is that son of a bitch?” Luke roared, his temper boiling over now that he was face-to-face with the family he held responsible for Robyn’s actions. Maddis wasn’t needed to handle this. Luke was fully prepared to deal with his brother himself.
He spotted Robyn across the room and didn’t hesitate. With a surge of fury, he shoved past his father, uncaring if the man was knocked to the ground in the process. His singular focus was on Robyn, and he was ready to make his brother pay for every reckless, thoughtless decision that had put his mate and children in danger.
The moment Luke reached Robyn, his hands closed around his brother’s neck, squeezing with unrelenting fury. “I’ll kill you, you bastard! Do you even realize what you’ve done? She’s gone!” he screamed, his voice raw with rage.
Robyn’s wolf, Paxton, surged forward instinctively to defend his human counterpart, but Luke didn’t give him the chance. He drove his knee into Robyn’s rib cage with brutal force, knocking the air out of both him and his wolf. Luke had the advantage—he was taller, stronger, and far more trained in combat. Robyn had never endured the rigorous training Luke had undergone, and it showed.
Without pause, Luke kneed him again and again, each blow driving into Robyn’s abdomen. His hands stayed locked around his throat, his grip unyielding. Robyn would pay for his reckless actions. He would suffer for the fear and chaos he had caused.
Luke barely registered the hands trying to pull him off, or the voices of his mother and father shouting at him. They were commanding him to stop, attempting to use their Alpha and Luna powers to force him into submission. But Luke was beyond reason. Rage consumed him entirely, drowning out everything, even the authority of an Alpha’s order. He had learned from Maddis that blinding fury was a force not easily subdued.
It took the combined effort of his father, his men, and several others to pry his hands from Robyn’s neck. As his grip finally loosened, Robyn gasped desperately for air, his body sagging as oxygen flooded back into his lungs. Luke, though being dragged backward, wasn’t finished.
With a surge of fury, he snapped his foot forward, kicking Robyn hard and sending him stumbling back into the wall. Luke could see the fear in his brother’s eyes now, but it only fueled his rage further. That fear wasn’t enough. He thought of Bella—of how terrified she must have been when Robyn had stormed into her apartment. And his pups? How had they reacted to the chaos?
Luke lunged forward, breaking free momentarily, and delivered another vicious kick to Robyn. He was preparing for a third when his mother stepped between them, blocking his path. “Son, you need to calm down. Right now,” she said firmly, her voice tinged with urgency.
“If she runs and gets away because of him, I’ll kill him,” Luke roared, his fury now directed at her.
“I understand,” she said softly, her calm demeanor in stark contrast to his rage. “Please, honey, calm down.”
Luke’s blazing blue eyes met hers, and his anger shifted. “Don’t use that tone with me,” he snapped. “I’m the Alpha now!” His voice was sharp, unrelenting, and louder than it had ever been when addressing his mother.
She blinked in shock—Luke had never spoken to her like this before. He had always treated her with the utmost respect. But respect had no place in this moment, not when his mate was gone, and no one knew where she was. And here she was, standing in defense of the one responsible for her disappearance.
His body was finally forced to the ground, pinned under the combined strength of his father and Storm. Their wolves weren’t out, but they were exerting all their power to keep him restrained. Benzy, Macky, and Lanky joined in, doing what they could to contain him, though they were careful, knowing Maddis wasn’t there to bring him under control.
Luke’s fiery gaze bore into Robyn, who was slumped against the wall, his guilt evident in every aspect of his demeanor. And so he should feel guilty, Luke thought. Robyn had unleashed this chaos with his reckless actions, and now everyone was paying the price.
Luke heard Benzy’s phone ring and immediately barked, “Answer it!” His voice was sharp and commanding, filled with desperate hope. It might be her—Bella—the only person who mattered now.
Benzy obeyed, and a moment later, Luke heard her voice. Soft, apologetic, and filled with regret, she said, “Tell Robyn I’m trying to help him. I never meant to hurt him or Dani.” Then the line went dead.
Luke’s eyes snapped back to Robyn, his expression a mix of fury and disdain. “Are you happy now?” he growled. His voice was sharp, edged with raw anger. Then he directed his rage at the ones holding him down. “Get the hell off me!” he snapped at his father, Storm, Lanky, and Macky, all of whom still had him pinned to the ground. His father’s knee, reinforced by Storm’s strength, pressed hard between his shoulder blades, keeping him restrained.
