Chapter 338 - 72: Double Trouble

Dane shut the bedroom door, cutting off the low murmur of voices downstairs. No Seth throwing out relentless questions. No Ramon trying to rationalize the impossible. And finally, no constant mention of Aurora.

He leaned his back against the wood, closed his eyes, and dragged a hand down his face in a swift motion.

Destiny watched him for a beat.

"You’re still in your head about her."

"I’m thinking about what she does next," he murmured, opening his eyes.

"Thinking about it isn’t going to fix anything tonight, Dane."

She walked over and caught his hand, pulling him toward the edge of the bed. He sat, letting her step between his knees.

"You’ve survived worse than this. So she bought the house across the street and sent Seth a text. She wants us panicked. We know where she is now. That’s all this is."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Because it only gets complicated if we feed into it."

Destiny smoothed her thumb across his cheek, her touch cool against his flushed skin.

"Don’t give her your sleep."

He held her gaze, feeling the knot in his shoulders loosen just a fraction.

"I won’t."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

A faint smile touched her lips before she leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his mouth.

"I love you."

Dane pulled her closer by the waist, resting his forehead against her shoulder for a long second as the house around them finally went quiet.

"Love you too."

A heavy, rapid knock shattered the silence.

Destiny snapped upright as Dane swore under his breath. Before he could even call out, the door swung wide, revealing Hannah, pale and catching her breath against the frame.

"Dane—downstairs. Now."

Dane was on his feet instantly.

"What happened?"

"It’s Aurora," Hannah panted, her eyes flicking between him and Destiny. "She was out front with your mother and Destiny’s parents. An argument broke out. Aurora was baiting your mother-in-law, saying awful things. It escalated fast."

Destiny pushed past him toward the door.

"What do you mean escalated?"

"Your father tried to step between them," Hannah said, backing into the hallway to let them through. "Aurora’s men grabbed him. They’re holding him down on the lawn."

The air left Dane’s lungs, replaced by a cold, sharp rush of heat. He shoved past Hannah, his boots heavy on the floorboards as Destiny scrambled right behind him.

"She’s moving tonight?" Destiny muttered, her voice sharp with sudden fury. "Where are they?"

"Outside!" Hannah shouted after them.

They took the stairs two at a time.

Ramon was halfway out of the kitchen when he caught sight of Dane’s face and threw his hands up.

"Dane, wait—"

"Her men put their hands on Destiny’s father."

"Just hold up a second—"

Seth stood up from the sofa, moving quickly to block the front door.

"Dane, stop. You don’t know what happened out there. You march over there blind and angry, and you give her the exact reaction she bought that house for."

Dane grabbed the door handle, his knuckles turning white.

"My father-in-law is being restrained by nonmembers of my pack and my mother in law is being insulted by an insolent child. Out of my way Uncle."

"We should handle it smartly," Seth insisted, keeping his voice dangerously low. "Don’t go over there looking for blood."

"Nobody puts their hands on my family while I stand inside and watch."

Dane yanked the door open and stepped into the humid night air.

"I’m right behind you," Destiny said, brushing past Seth.

Dane didn’t bother arguing. The look in her eyes meant she’d go around him anyway.

His parents, and Seth streamed out behind them, but Dane was already striding across the damp grass toward the street light, ignoring Seth calling his name from behind.

By the time they cleared the property line, Henrick was already standing near the edge of the yard, his posture rigid.

The scene was pure chaos held in a deliberate, cruel stasis.

Destiny’s father was on his knees, two bulky guards pinning his arms behind his back. Her mother stood a few feet away, trembling with rage, while Aurora stood in the center of the lawn, casually turning a ring around her finger.

"Let him go," Dane barked, the sound cutting through the yard.

The two guards glanced at Aurora and ignored Dane’s command.

Dane watched Aurora gaze shift from him to the guards like she was about to tell them to do something she would regret but instead, she simply offered a lazy, minimal nod.

The men released their grip, and Destiny’s father stumbled forward. He shoved himself upright and violently brushed dirt off his knees.

Destiny rushed to his side, catching his arm, her voice frantic as she checked him over.

Dane barely registered their voices. His universe narrowed down to the woman standing five feet away.

"What is this?"

Dane stepped into her space, his voice tight, deliberate, and quiet.

"My family comes outside, and within five minutes your muscle is throwing my father-in-law to the ground. Explain it."

Aurora finally looked up, a faint, mocking curve on her lips.

"Consider it an introduction."

"To what?"

"You’ll figure it out."

Destiny rounded on her from behind Dane.

"You came onto this curb insulting my mother, and when my father told you to back off, you had your guard dogs jump him!"

"I didn’t invite your father into the conversation," Aurora said smoothly, not even blinking. "He put himself there."

Dane shifted his weight, putting his shoulder between Destiny and Aurora.

"Enough. Aurora, I’m warning you—don’t push me to get physical with you."

Aurora’s eyebrows arched in mock surprise. She took a slow, deliberate step closer until Dane could smell the faint scent of ash and vanilla on her skin.

"Warning me? You really think you’re in a position to warn me, Dane?"

"Try me."

"You know I’m stronger than you," she murmured, her tone dropping into something terrifyingly conversational.

"Then don’t give me a reason to test that theory."

A real smile broke across her face. It was sharp and dangerous.

"Go on then. Let’s try."

"Dane, don’t," Henrick warned, stepping up to his flank.

It was too late.

Aurora took one more taunting step forward, and Dane snapped.

He lunged, throwing a heavy right hook that caught her clean across the shoulder. The force threw her off balance, her heels skidding in the grass.

He closed the distance immediately, driving a second blow through her guard that rattled her ribs. She twisted away, attempting to circle him, but Dane caught her forearm, leveraging his weight to throw a devastating strike right into her side.

She stumbled sideways, gasping for air, her boots churning up patches of turf.

Dane dropped his stance, breathing heavily.

"I said enough."

For a second, the yard was dead silent.

Aurora stayed bent double, her hand pressed to her ribs.

Then she started to laugh.

Before Dane could even register the sound, her form blurred.

A violent shockwave slammed directly into his sternum. It wasn’t a fist. It was a raw hit of kinetic force.

Dane was lifted clean off his feet.

He crashed back-first into the brick pillar of the driveway gate with a sickening crack that knocked the wind straight out of his lungs. Pain flared up his spine as he slid down onto his knees, coughing violently.

By the time he forced his eyes open, Aurora was standing ten feet away, smoothing down her jacket without a scratch on her.

"You’re fast," Dane gritted out, pushing himself up against the brick.

"I told you," she said softly, watching him struggle for breath with genuine amusement. "And you really are strong, aren’t you?"

Dane wiped a smear of blood from his split lip with the back of his hand, keeping his body between her and the rest of his family.

Aurora took a slow, sweeping look down his frame, her smile widening into something deeply unhinged.

"That strength looks good on you, Dane. It’s probably why you turn me on so much."

Silence stretched over the lawn.

Even Seth stopped moving.

Dane stared at her, the absurd horror of the statement cutting straight through his adrenaline. He spat onto the grass and shook his head.

"You are completely insane."

Aurora just chuckled, a dark, low sound.

Henrick stepped fully between them, his posture flared in a clear boundary.

"That’s it. Walk away, Aurora."

This time, Dane didn’t try to push past his Beta.

He leaned back against the pillar, his eyes drifting over Henrick’s shoulder to Destiny. She was holding her mother, but her eyes were locked on him. She looked furious, terrified, and was waiting for him to make his next move.

Dane took a deep, painful breath, forcing the heat out of his head.

Aurora wasn’t here to fight a war tonight. She was marking territory. She was playing a game designed to tear them apart piece by piece.

And he had just walked right into the first trap.