Page 7 of The Hunter's Heart

He scoffed, turning her until she faced him. “No, not for me. Lucian’s life is on the line all the time. The people he works with never get married because it’s too dangerous for them. He loves his work. He wouldn’t give it up for anyone.”

The tears that she’d been too shocked to let fall now slipped over her cheeks. She leaned against her brother and wept. This was how it was supposed to be, then. She’d wanted to know once and for all if Lucian was the male for her. Now she had her answer.

Her wolf protested, but she pushed against the feeling. If Lucian didn’t want her, it didn’t matter how much she wanted him.

It really was time to move on.

She just hadn’t expected it to hurt so much.

* * *

Lucian cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. He hadn’t slept well, and coming into work early hadn’t done anything for his mood. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mia. She’d looked so beautiful in the moonlight. It had nearly killed him to be so cruel, but it really was for the best. And he knew for certain itwasfor the best, especially after the ravens had shown up and demanded Antonio’s release. When they’d refused, the ravens had sworn to take revenge on everyone that the hunters loved until he was released.

Well, they could just blow that out their asses. As far as anyone would be able to find out, Lucianhadno loved ones, and despite what the beast inside him said to the contrary, he’d never take a mate. There was too much opportunity for someone he loved to get caught in the crossfire. He’d seen it happen to other hunters over the years, and it had become an unofficial policy for them to remain single and cut ties with their families.

After the ravens’ threats, Lucian had decided to have Mal buy him out of their security business. He probably shouldn’t have gone into business with his best friend in the first place, but Mal had needed financial help and also Lucian’s security expertise. It had been easy enough to keep that part of his life under wraps, but there was always a chance that someone could see something at some point.

Now that Mal had Nila and Jack, and a baby of his own on the way, it wouldn’t do for anything bad from Lucian’s life to spill over into Mal’s. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to Mal’s family.

So he’d gone over to Mal’s with the intention of telling him about the buyout over dinner, when Mal had explained about Nila and Mia conspiring together in some kind of group romance situation. He’d tried to leave without Mia knowing he’d even been there, but she’d sensed him.

Outside of burying his mother, breaking Mia’s heart had been the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. He’d wanted very badly to take her in his arms and live out every fantasy he’d ever had of her. Instead, he’d hurt her badly and never let her see how much it killed him to do it.

He felt like shit. But he’d rather have her hate him and be safe than risk a single hair on her head.

“What the hell?” Simon said from his cubicle.

Lucian firmly pushed away thoughts of Mia from his mind for the hundredth time that day and walked over to Simon’s desk.

Simon tapped the monitor, and Lucian could see the security footage from the front of the building. There were seven of the raven shifters that had appeared after Antonio was brought in.

“Two of them are missing,” Lucian said. “The brother, Dario, and one of the cousins, Moris.”

“Maybe they know it’s a lost cause.”

Lucian didn’t think that the ravens thoughtanythingwas a lost cause. “What does security say?”

“That the mother wants to speak to the officers responsible for her son’s capture.”

“That sounds like nothing close to what I’d planned to do with my day.”

“Me either. Geflin’s down at the security office and says we need to go out and send them on their merry way again.”

“We’ll make sure they get the hint this time,” Lucian said.

After finding Neil and Isaac, they stopped at the weapons lockers to suit up. Body armor, knives, guns, and comms. He didn’t think it would come to a fight, but he wasn’t about to walk out to seven raven shifters unarmed, like an idiot.

Within minutes, Lucian, Simon, Neil, and Isaac were dressed and on their way to the security office. Geflin was staring at the monitors. He turned and said, “The mom is the mouthpiece. Her name is Dahlia.”

“Ravens aren’t a matriarchal society, though,” Neil said. “Why wouldn’t his father come ask for him?”

Geflin shrugged. “She seems to be running things at the moment.”

“Why the hell are they coming here anyway?” Simon said. “We already told them he’s being held for trial and isn’t allowed contact with anyone.”

“Make sure she understands that if she or any of the other ravens come around here again, we’ll arrest them on sight and make an example of them to the rest of the shifter community,” Geflin said.

The four headed outside, passing through the security checkpoints and out into the yard between the building and the concrete fence. Above them, hunters were stationed with rifles. The heavy metal gate unlocked with several loud clanging sounds, and slowly opened. Lucian and his teammates walked through to where the ravens waited, beyond a line of hunters. The hunters split to allow them to get close enough to talk.