Page 96 of Beast

I can’t imagine that living with a man so psychotic is a healthy situation for her. Out of the three men he was the worst.

Taking a deep breath, I try to push those dark thoughts aside while I take the plate Thiago hands me. “Thank you,” I murmur, offering him a small smile.

Gaston tugs me closer, his fingers tracing patterns on my hip. “Eat up, mi reina. You must be famished after everything that happened.”

I nod, taking a bite of the enchilada. The flavors burst on my tongue, and I can’t help but let out a soft hum of appreciation. “This is delicious,” I admit, glancing at Thiago.

He grins, puffing out his chest a bit. “I’m glad you like it. Cooking is one of my few guilty pleasures.”

“Aren’t you and Matias supposed to be handling the Navarro Cartel’s operations here?” I ask, eating more of the delicious food. “How come you can’t find Matias?”

“We were handling it, until he went off the rails about five days ago and sent me a text message,” Thiago says.

“What did it say?” I ask.

Thiago exchanges a wary glance with Luna.

“Come on, Thiago. Spit it out,” Gaston says, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“It simply said, going primal with my mate.”

My brow furrows. “What the hell does that mean?”

Gaston chuckles. “Poor Kali.”

I grind my teeth. “What does it mean, Thiago?”

He looks a little flustered. “When he says he’s going primal, it literally means that. He’s probably shacked up in some makeshift cabin or something in the woods fucking Kali like an animal.”

My stomach drops. There was a time when I was confused by Matias’s dominance while captured by them, but he’s the worst kind of man.

Kali is so sweet and they just don’t make sense. They’re complete opposites in every way.

While eating, I feel Gaston’s gaze occasionally shifting to me. Turning, I meet his gaze and my heart skips a beat at the adoration in his expression.

“What are you thinking about, mi amor?” he murmurs, his thumb caressing my cheek.

I swallow hard, searching his face. “Just how strange it is that we all ended up here. Alice with Taren. Me and you, and Thiago and Luna, and...” I trail off, not wanting to voice my concerns about Kali and Matias.

Gaston’s expression shifts. “Perhaps it’s fate. I never believed in it before, but clearly what happened, happened for a reason.”

I nod, leaning into his touch. As much as I want to believe him, I can’t shake the feeling that the danger is far from over for my friends. They’re entwined with two men heavily involved in the cartel. But for now, I’ll savor this moment of peace, surrounded by the people I care about most.

43

EPILOGUE

BLAKE

Ten Months Later…

Isit beside Kali, waiting to be called up. We’ve finally done it. Graduated from Brown. My heart is racing because my parents are here, and so is Gaston. They don’t know about Gaston yet, since I had no idea how to explain him to them.

Hey mom and dad I’m dating a billionaire from Mexico City after he bought me from the cartel.

Today is the day I’m going to reveal him to them and tell them I’m moving to Mexico City to be with him. Kali, Luna and Alice tried to convince me to stay, but my home is where he is. My dark captor. The man who somehow captured my heart with his sheer persistence.

“Blake Carter,” the steward calls.

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