Lana Reed lounged on the oversized leather sofa in Nikolai’s private office, her legs tucked beneath her in a deceptively casual pose. The penthouse lights were dimmed low, casting a warm amber glow across the dark wood and glass interior. She wore a soft black sweater that slipped off one shoulder and tight jeans, looking every bit the vulnerable survivor who had bravely saved an Alpha.

But inside, her mind was sharp as a blade.

Nikolai stood by the windows, staring out at the glittering city skyline, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His powerful frame was tense, shoulders rigid beneath his black button-down. Ever since the charity auction two nights ago — and that damn dream — he had been restless. His wolf wouldn’t settle. Elena’s scent still lingered in his memory like a drug he couldn’t purge.

Lana watched him carefully, noting every micro-expression. She had always been good at reading dangerous men. And Nikolai Volkov was the most dangerous of all.

“You’ve been quiet lately,” she said softly, her voice laced with concern. She rose gracefully and padded over to him, sliding her arms around his waist from behind. Her cheek pressed against his broad back. “Is it the Silverfang situation? Or… something else?”

Nikolai tensed at her touch. His wolf tolerated her presence, but it no longer leaned into it the way it had in the beginning. The beast was distracted. Hungry for someone else.

“It’s nothing,” he muttered, though the lie tasted bitter.

Lana turned him gently to face her, reaching up to cup his sharp jaw. Her eyes were wide and adoring, the perfect picture of devotion. “You can tell me anything, Nik. I’m here for you. I risked everything to save you that night… I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

The reminder of his debt settled heavily in Nikolai’s chest. Gratitude. He owed her everything. That truth anchored him even as his wolf grew more agitated by the day.

Lana led him over to the sofa and pulled him down beside her. She reached into a sleek leather folder she had placed on the coffee table earlier.

“I didn’t want to show you this,” she said, biting her lip with calculated hesitation. “I know how much the betrothal meant to the older generation, but… I’m worried about Elena Voss. She’s been acting strangely.”

Nikolai’s ice-grey eyes sharpened. “What do you mean?”

Lana opened the folder and spread several documents across the table. They looked official — forged with impressive skill using contacts she had quietly cultivated in the underworld during her street days.

“These are copies of encrypted emails between Voss Industries executives and several minor packs on our eastern border,” she explained, voice trembling just enough to seem genuine. “They’re discussing ‘alternative alliances’ if the Volkov pack grows unstable. There’s also a large transfer of funds to a known Silverfang sympathizer two days after your ambush.”

Nikolai picked up one of the papers, his jaw tightening as he scanned the fabricated evidence. The numbers, dates, and signatures looked disturbingly real.

Lana leaned closer, her hand resting on his thigh. “I hired a private investigator I trust. I was scared, Nik. After what happened to you… I needed to make sure no one else would try to hurt you. Especially not someone pretending to be innocent.”

She paused, letting the silence build. Then delivered the killing blow with masterful gaslighting.

“Elena’s been everywhere lately, hasn’t she? Healing your wolves in secret. Showing up at events where you are. And the way she looks at you…” Lana’s voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s not normal. I think she’s trying to use the old betrothal to manipulate you. Maybe she even planned to be the one who ‘found’ you that night. The timing is too perfect.”

Nikolai’s wolf snarled violently inside him, rejecting the words. But his mind — shaped by years of betrayal and bloodshed — latched onto the evidence. The documents in his hands felt heavy. Damning.

“She told me she was the one who saved me,” he admitted quietly, voice rough. “In the garden. She was crying. Said she healed me in the rain.”

Lana’s eyes widened in perfectly performed shock. “And you believed her?” She shook her head sadly, squeezing his thigh. “Nik, she’s playing you. The medallion was with me. I was the one covered in your blood. I still have nightmares about it. If she really saved you, why didn’t she come forward immediately? Why wait until I was already by your side?”

The manipulation was seamless. Lana leaned in, pressing her body against his side, her voice soft and soothing.

“You’ve been through so much. Your father’s death, the constant challenges to your rule… It’s okay to doubt. But I’m here. I’m real. I don’t want your power or your title. I just want *you*.”

Nikolai stared at the documents, his mind spinning. Elena’s tear-streaked face flashed in his memory. The golden glow of her hands in his dream. The overwhelming pull he felt every time she was near.

His wolf howled in protest, demanding he stop this madness.

But the evidence was right in front of him. And Lana — the woman who had dragged him from death — sat beside him with tears glistening in her eyes.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he growled, dragging a hand through his raven hair.

Lana cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. “Believe the woman who bled for you. Elena Voss grew up with everything. She doesn’t know what it means to fight for survival. She sees you as a prize. I see you as my everything.”

She kissed him then — soft and lingering. Nikolai returned it out of habit and guilt, but there was no fire. No primal hunger. His wolf recoiled, disgusted.

When Lana pulled back, she smiled sweetly, though triumph burned in her eyes.

“I’ll keep digging,” she whispered. “We’ll protect what’s ours. Together.”

Nikolai nodded slowly, but his mind was elsewhere — replaying the dream of glowing hands that felt nothing like Lana’s.

As Lana curled against his chest, stroking his arm possessively, Nikolai stared at the city lights outside. The documents lay on the table like poison.

His wolf continued to rage.

And for the first time, the Alpha began to wonder if the real threat wasn’t Elena Voss… but the woman currently in his arms.