"Just be careful," he says finally. "We can't afford distractions right now, and women like that, the ones who get under your skin, they're the biggest distraction of all."
"I know what I'm doing," I tell him, though I'm not entirely sure that's true.
Tank just nods and clasps my shoulder briefly before leaving me alone with my thoughts. He doesn't believe me, and I don't blame him. I'm not sure I believe myself either.
With a sigh, I head to my office where Luna is waiting. It's time to be completely honest with her about what she's walked into. The war brewing between the clubs, the danger to anyone associated with the Savage Riders, the very real possibility that staying in Blackwater Falls could get her killed.
She deserves the truth, even if it sends her running back to whatever life she left behind.
I pause outside my office door, gathering my thoughts. Through the frosted glass, I can see her silhouette—straight spine, chin lifted slightly, reading. Not cowering, not pacing anxiously, just... present. Centered.
I knock once, a courtesy I rarely extend in my own clubhouse, then enter.
Luna looks up from the book she's found on my shelf—an old manual on battlefield medicine that I keep more for sentimental value than practical use. She's kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her in my visitor's chair, making herself at home in a way that should irritate me but somehow doesn't.
"Find anything interesting?" I ask, nodding toward the book.
"Some of it's outdated," she says, closing it. "But the basics are solid. Pressure stops bleeding, clean wounds heal faster, pain is information." She sets the book aside. "Your meeting over?"
"For now." I settle into my chair behind the desk, conscious of how this position—me behind the imposing oak barrier, her in the visitor's chair—creates a power dynamic I'm not sure I want. But old habits die hard, and control is something I've fought too hard to relinquish easily.
"And?" She leans forward slightly. "What's the verdict? Am I under Savage Riders protection, or should I start packing my bags?"
Direct. No games, no manipulation, just a straightforward question that deserves a straightforward answer.
"You're under our protection," I confirm. "The club voted unanimously."
Relief flashes across her face, quickly replaced by suspicion. "Unanimously? Even Tank?"
"Tank has concerns," I acknowledge. "But he trusts my judgment."
"And what is your judgment telling you about me, King?" She tilts her head slightly, those unsettling blue eyes studying me like she can see straight through to the parts of myself I keep hidden from everyone else.
What is my judgment telling me? That she's trouble. That she's a complication in an already complicated situation. That getting personally involved with her would be a monumental mistake.
But also that she's exactly where she needs to be, exactly when she needs to be there. That the timing of her arrival, just as Vulture is making his move, isn't coincidence but something more like fate.
"That you're either the bravest woman I've ever met or the craziest," I tell her, echoing my words from earlier. "And that Emma would be proud of you for standing your ground."
"She always said the things worth having were worth fighting for."
"Smart woman." I lean back in my chair, studying her. "But there's something you need to understand, Luna. What you're walking into here… This is really not just a territorial dispute or a simple revenge. Vulture has been planning this for years. He won't stop until he's destroyed everything I've built, everyone I care about."
"You told me that before," she points out. "I still made my decision."
"You made it without all the information." I hold her gaze steadily. "Five years ago, I killed Marcus Reeves in self-defense. But I didn’t tell you the whole truth. I could have walked away before it escalated. Could have de-escalated. Could have done a dozen things differently that might have ended with him still breathing."
"But you didn't."
"No. I didn't." The admission sits heavily between us. "I was angry. He'd threatened one of my prospects, a kid who was just trying to prove himself. And something in me... snapped. By the time I realized what was happening, Talon was on the floor with his neck broken and his brother was screaming for blood."
Luna absorbs this. "You're telling me this was your fault."
"I'm telling you I'm not the hero in this story," I correct her. "I'm not the good guy riding to your rescue. I'm the reason Vulture is coming for Blackwater Falls in the first place. The reason your property is in danger. The reason you might get hurt or killed if you stay."
"I'm a nurse, King. I don't believe in heroes or villains." Her voice is calm, measured. "I believe in people making choices,some good, some bad, all of them complicated. You made a choice five years ago that had consequences. Now you're making different choices to deal with those consequences."
"It's not that simple."
