She never saw it. Never noticed the way people softened around her. I noticed though. Every time.
And the truth I never said out loud pressed against my ribs. I was fairly certain I would always love her harder than she loved me.
Not because Mila lacked depth. If anything, she loved more honestly than anyone I had ever met. Loyalty ran through her in a way most people only pretended to understand. When she chose someone, she chose them completely.
But Mila was better than me. Kinder. Braver in ways that had nothing to do with strength.
There were parts of me I understood too well—the anger that rose too quickly, the instinct to destroy anything that threatened her. I had already seen what I was capable of in that hallway with Logan.
Mila carried light. I carried darkness.
And maybe that was exactly why I knew, with a certainty that felt carved into bone, that she was mine to protect.
Not to cage. Not to claim. Just to stand beside.
The idea of letting the world take something that rare away from me had never once felt possible.
Mila moved closer, her hand pressing lightly against my chest as she searched my face. “Luke, what happened?”
“They told him I attacked Logan,” I continued. “Left out the part where he had you pinned against a locker.”
Mila’s brow furrowed. “So the pressure started.”
“That’s what it looks like.”
She folded her arms, thinking, then dropped them again as if the motion felt too closed off. The tide rolled in behind her, water sliding across the sand.
“If the program starts hearing about violent recruits,” she said, “they start worrying about conduct violations and whether you’ll become a liability.”
“Exactly.”
Silence stretched while another wave curled onto the shore. Mila stared out at the water, shoulders tense.
“If this is happening because of everything surrounding Darren…” Her voice slowed as the thought formed. “Maybe you should put some distance between us for a while.”
My hands gripped her waist. “No.”
She searched my face. “Luke, you don’t know everything that’s happening right now.”
“Then tell me.”
Mila hesitated then exhaled quietly. “My mom met with someone today. A federal contact who’s been looking into financial irregularities connected to King Enterprises and Dunn Industries.” Her fingers curled slightly in the front of my shirt. “She gave them everything Darren had sent her before he died. Emails, names, transfers. Enough to start digging.”
The ocean rolled against the shore behind us.
“And you’re worried that investigation is what’s pushing all of this,” I finished.
“Yes.”
“There’s more happening on my side too,” I admitted.
Her brows knit together. “What do you mean?”
“I came home last night and overheard my father, Lorne, and Drew arguing in my dad’s study.” The memory sank heavy in my chest. “Offshore accounts. Financial transfers. Someone asking questions they shouldn’t be asking.”
Her hand stilled against my chest. “So it’s real.”
“Yes.”