Chapter 55

Lumi

The moment I rounded the corner into the open suite, my breath hitched.

Ren was there. He was standing right by the counter, exactly like he had been my the dream.

The twilight of my nightmare was gone, replaced by the bright afternoon sun streaming through the large glass windows, but the sight of his broad shoulders back there made my heart give a violent, panicked thud.

He was fully dressed in a crisp black shirt, the fabric stretching tight across his upper back as he held his phone to his ear, murmuring something in a low, distracted growl.

I swallowed hard, my throat scratching against itself.

Just get the water, Lumi. Walk past him.

"Hi," I murmured, my voice barely sounding across the room.

He didn’t hang up, but his head turned instantly, his dark eyes locking onto me. He gave a single, tight nod, his gaze tracking me as I forced my legs to move toward the small fridge.

Every single nerve ending in my body was screaming. I pulled the fridge door open, grabbed a cold plastic bottle of water, and shut it, desperate to run straight back to the safety of my room.

"Are you avoiding me?" The rough, low question came from right beside me.

I jumped, spinning around so fast my heel nearly slid on the floorboards. My eyes went wide as I looked up at him.

He had moved so quickly, so silently, closing the distance between us until he was standing just inches away, looking down at me with an unreadable expression.

For a terrifying second, the kitchen counter behind me felt exactly like the stone from my dream. My chest heaved. Was I awake? Was this real?

"I’m... I’m not avoiding you," I stammered, my fingers squeezing the plastic water bottle so hard it crinkled loudly in the quiet room.

Ren stared down at me for a long, agonizing beat. His gaze dropped to my trembling lips, then slowly traveled down to where my hands were anchoring my robe closed, before rising back to meet my eyes.

He didn’t push it. He just gave a slow, deliberate nod, taking a few heavy steps backward to give me space.

"I’ll be in my room," he said softly, his tone completely even. "Call me when you’re done."

The moment his bedroom door clicked shut behind him, the strength completely left my knees. I gasped for air, bringing my free hand up to press flat against my chest, trying to force my heart to stop hammering so violently against my ribs. It felt like it was going to burst right through my skin.

I didn’t waste another second. I ran straight back into my room, shutting the door and locking it.

I stripped out of my robe and stepped into the bathroom, taking a quick, frantic bath to wash away the sticky, residual heat of the nightmare.

When I stepped out, wiping my skin dry, I walked over to the heavy wooden wardrobe. Inside, a few sets of clothes were already neatly hung up.

I traced the fabric of a simple, elegant dress, a small pang of emotion hitting my chest.

I knew without a doubt it was Neve who had bought these for me, making sure I had everything I needed.

I pulled the dress on with steadying fingers, and brushed through my hair.

When I finally unlocked my door and stepped back out into the living room, the opposite door opened at the exact same time.

Ren stepped out, his jacket now in hand. He looked entirely pulled together, a stark contrast to the chaotic mess inside my head.

He looked over at me, his eyes sweeping across the dress before settling on my face. "Ready?" he asked.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "Ready."

We didn’t speak during the ride to the clinic. The silence inside the car was heavy, filled only with the quiet hum of the engine and the tension buzzing between us.

But the moment the driver pulled up to the curb outside the hospital gates, reality crashed back in.

I opened the door and stepped down onto the pavement, the afternoon sun blinding me for a split second.

I took a breath, turning to wait for Ren, but before I could even take a step toward the entrance, a blur of motion lunged at me from the shadows of the clinic doors.

"You shameless bitch!" Before I could even blink, a violent jerk sent my head snapping backward.

A sharp, burning agony flared across my scalp as a hand tangled fiercely into my hair, ripping my head down with enough force to make my spine pop.

Sienna.

Her face was twisted into a hideous, frantic mask of rage, her saliva spraying as she screeched right into my face.

"How dare you show your face around my son?! How dare you take my son away from me?! Why won’t you leave I and my family alone?!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ren’s massive frame shift instantly. His eyes went completely pitch black, a dangerous alpha growl vibrating so hard in his chest it shook the air.

He reached out, his huge hand coming down to violently tear Sienna’s arm off my head.

But I didn’t let him.

Instead of panicking, a strange, ice-cold stillness washed over me. The shock vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a ruthless, boiling fury that had been building up for years.

I locked my eyes onto Ren and gave him a sharp, heavy look...a dead, unyielding stare that told him to stay exactly where he was.

Do not touch her. She is mine.

Ren froze mid-motion, his jaw clenching so hard the bone looked ready to snap through his skin, but he slowly dropped his hand, stepping back to let me have the space.

I’ve waited and dreamt of this day. I’m not going to let it pass me.

I turned my head back to Sienna. I didn’t cry out nor did I try to pull away from her grip.

Pulling away would only make it hurt more. Instead, I drove my body straight forward, stepping right into her space to kill her leverage.

Before she could realize what was happening, my hands shot up. I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, locking her arm in place.

With a slow, brutal twist, I dug my thumbs deep into her wrist, squeezing until the bones in her hand began to grind together.

Her eyes went wide with sudden terror. A sharp gasp of pain escaped her lips as her fingers went completely weak, losing all their strength.

I peeled her fingers out of my hair, one by one, forcing her arm down until I had her pinned entirely under my control.

I squeezed her wrist one last time, forcing a whimpering cry out of her, before throwing her arm away like a piece of trash.

She stumbled backward two steps, clutching her mangled wrist, completely breathless.

But I didn’t give her a single second to recover. I stepped into the gap, wound my right arm back, and drove my palm straight across her left cheek with every strength I had.

SMACK.

The sound cracked through the open courtyard. The force of the slap snapped her head violently to the side, her hair whipping across her face as she staggered, nearly losing her footing.

I didn’t wait. I took another step forward, towering over her as she shook. "This is for Theo," I said, my voice dead, low, and completely calm.

"Sienna!" A panicked shout came from behind me.

Callum came rushing down the steps, his face pale and furious as he saw his mate trembling on the pavement.

He lunged forward, his hands reaching out to grab me and drag me away from her, but he didn’t even make it two steps.

Ren’s massive shoulder cut him off entirely. He stepped directly into Callum’s path.

Callum tried but it seems like Ren was stronger.

"Let the ladies settle their issues themselves, Callum," Ren murmured, his voice a low, terrifying vibration that made it clear if Callum moved again, he would die.

A quiet wave of satisfaction settled in my chest, but I didn’t look back at them. I kept my eyes locked entirely on Sienna, who was now staring up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes, her cheek already swelling into a bright, angry red.

Before she could even utter a word, I reached out, my fingers wrapping tightly around the collar of her expensive jacket.

I bunched the fabric in my fist and hauled her upward, dragging her face inches from mine so she had no choice but to look into my eyes.

I raised my left hand and delivered a brutal, backhanded slap right across her opposite cheek.

SMACK.

"This is for pretending to be my friend while you were plotting to ruin my life," I spat, the words cutting right through her whimpers.

She let out a broken cry, her knees buckling completely as she tried to sink to the floor, but I held her up by her collar, refusing to let her escape.

She looked so small now. So weak. All the years of her looking down on me, all the lies she had fed me, and all the things she had stolen from me were resting right in my palm.

I released her collar, letting her drop an inch, and put the entire weight of my grief, my exhaustion, and my hatred into one final, crushing swing.

SMACK.

The third slap hit her so hard it knocked her clean off her feet. She flew sideways, hitting the concrete pavement hard, her breath leaving her body in a loud, ragged sob as she curled into a pathetic ball, clutching both sides of her bleeding face.

I stood over her, my shadow completely covering her trembling body. My breathing was slow, heavy, and perfectly controlled as I looked down at the mess on the floor.

"And this," I whispered, the words falling over her, "is to remind you to never, ever cross my path again."