Elara's back hit the cold study wall as Logan shoved her behind him. The sound of shattering glass exploded from downstairs. Heavy footsteps pounded up the marble staircase.
"Stay down," Logan snarled, voice no longer human. It was deeper, guttural, like an animal barely caged.
She peeked around his broad frame just as the study door burst open. Three men in black tactical gear stormed in, guns raised. The leader's eyes gleamed with cold recognition.
"Weapon X prototype," he spat. "The boss wants you back in the lab—or dead. The girl is bonus."
Logan's shoulders rippled. A terrifying metallic snikt sliced the air. Three gleaming adamantium claws, each a foot long, erupted from between his knuckles. Moonlight caught the blood-red edges.
Elara's breath froze. This wasn't a man. This was the Wolverine they whispered about in dark corners of Lagos elite circles—the beast who tore through rival companies like paper.
The first gunman fired. Logan moved faster than anything she'd ever seen. He slammed into the attacker, claws flashing. A scream cut short. Blood sprayed across the expensive rug.
"Run, Elara!" he roared, but she couldn't. Her legs were rooted in shock and something fiercer—loyalty to the man who'd just saved her brother's life.
Another bullet grazed Logan's side. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he laughed, low and savage, as the wound closed before her eyes, skin knitting together like magic. He spun, claws raking across the second man's chest. Fabric and flesh tore with sickening ease.
The third assailant turned his gun on Elara. "If I can't have the beast, I'll take his new toy—"
Logan was there in a blink. He grabbed the barrel, bending the metal like it was clay, and drove his claws through the man's shoulder, pinning him to the wall. "Touch her and I'll make your death last days."
The attacker whimpered. Logan's eyes glowed feral gold. For a terrifying second, Elara thought he would finish it. Then he glanced at her—really looked—and something human flickered back into his gaze.
He retracted the claws with another snikt. The man slumped unconscious.
Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing. Logan's bare chest heaved, blood (his and theirs) streaking his skin. The wounds were already fading.
Elara stepped forward on shaky legs. "Logan… what are you?"
He wiped a claw across his thigh, leaving a red smear. "A weapon. They made me in a black-site lab ten years ago. Injected me with shit that gave me these—" he flexed his hand, claws half-extending then vanishing "—and the ability to heal almost anything. I escaped. Built Kane Empire so no one could ever own me again."
She reached out, fingers hovering over a fading gash on his ribs. "Does it hurt?"
"Always," he admitted, voice rough. His hand caught hers, pressing her palm flat against his warm skin. The contact sent electricity racing through her. "But you… you make the noise in my head quieter."
Their eyes locked. The air thickened with everything unsaid—fear, gratitude, raw hunger. Logan's free hand slid to her waist, pulling her closer until her silk slip brushed his chest.
"You weren't supposed to see this," he growled, forehead resting against hers. "The contract was supposed to keep you safe and distant."
"I don't want distant," she whispered, heart hammering. "Not after tonight."
His control snapped. He kissed her—hard, desperate, like a man who'd forgotten how to be gentle. His mouth claimed hers with bruising intensity, tongue sweeping in, tasting of danger and dark promises. Elara moaned into it, fingers digging into his shoulders as the beast and the man fought for dominance inside him.
When they broke apart, both panting, Logan's eyes were wild. "You should be terrified of me."
"I am," she said honestly. Then softer: "But I'm more scared of walking away."
Headlights swept the driveway again—more SUVs.
Logan cursed. "They sent a cleanup team. We're leaving. Now."
He grabbed her hand, claws still half-out, and pulled her toward the hidden elevator behind the bookshelf. As the doors closed, Elara glanced back at the blood-stained study.
The fake marriage had just become very, very real.