Chapter 13 Aiden
The bike idled quietly under me as I pulled off the side of the road, staring at my phone as I worked myself up into a near rage.
Evie’s text glared up at me, the one word a precise arrow aimed to cut me open.
She always knew exactly how to ruin my day, a skill she’d honed for me.
And here I was, playing into her hands again.
The moment she had ridden up, my shirt hanging off her, I’d lost my mind.
I had been gripping the life out of my phone, my fingers flexing like I’d been seconds away from reaching for her.
Like some part of me had been on the verge of yanking her toward me, of fisting my hands in that damn shirt, of proving to myself that she was actually wearing it and not some hallucination conjured up by exhaustion and frustration.
Especially not after learning my favorite psycho girl was also a closet romantic?
The past few days of my life felt like a fever dream.
I had told the guys I’d be out for the day, needing a break. Space from the suffocating world I’d built around myself. But no amount of space ever seemed to matter, because the real prison wasn’t Havenwood or the pack, work, or even the weight of all their expectations. It was Evie.
She was everywhere—woven into every corner of my life, filling the cracks I didn’t even know were there until she pressed her way into them.
She took over my life and could burn it all down with one small ember.
An ember she had already placed in me and now she sat back, fanning it to flames.
Every glance, every laugh, every infuriating stunt she pulled only made it worse.
She wasn’t just under my skin—she was woven into every part of me.
I didn’t know how this life would exist without Evie in it.
The worst part was—she knew it.
My grip on the handlebars tightened as I reread her text.
This is what she did. Teased. Tormented. Taunted me until I was choking on my frustration, knowing I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. She’d boxed me into a corner, and no matter how much I wanted to break free, I couldn’t. Not without shattering everything else I’d worked so hard to build.
But maybe tonight could be different.
I wasn’t sure how long I could keep going. How long could I keep pretending I didn’t want her and her flaunting it in my face how badly I did want her?
I needed a small understanding of what having Evie would be like. I needed to satisfy the part of my brain screaming that it would be the best thing to ever happen to me, and prove it wrong.
I needed one night to show myself that having her wasn’t worth losing everything else in my life.
And she deserved to lose her game. She had to know how badly I wanted her because she seemed happy to use it against me.
Even now, I was her prisoner, caught in her web of scheming and lies with no escape.
She knew exactly where to aim to make me unravel, exactly what buttons to push to keep me on edge, chasing after her because she knew I would never be allowed to catch her.
My backpack sat heavy against my shoulders, the black mask inside—the blue crossed out eyes and creepy grin—almost daring me to make the choice.
It wasn’t only a disguise, it was an escape.
With it, I could be someone else. Someone who didn’t care about rules, or consequences, or the lines I’d spent years refusing to cross.
The thought of shedding every familiar restraint, every boundary I’d set around myself, surged through me.
I let the thought simmer, the thrill of it mixing with something darker, something dangerous. She thought she could push me to the edge without consequence, but tonight I’d show her what it felt like to fall.
I slipped the backpack on and put my phone away before pulling back out onto the road.
I wasn’t far from Finis Ledges now. The dreary cliffs that overlooked the water were one of Hero’s favorite places and his first choice of where to have a party. Even with the early spring chill in the air, the night was perfect for one.
Bikes lined the small made-up parking lot. There were no formal parking spots, but no one in Havenwood ever seemed to notice us here, so we always came back.
The air was thick with the scent of gasoline and damp earth, the distant echo of laughter blending with the rev of engines. It was the sort of place that felt outside the boundaries of reality, where the rules blurred and anything seemed possible.
And it would be the perfect place to finally have a taste of the things off-limits to me.
My mind raced with all the ways this could go wrong, but I shoved the thoughts down, focusing instead on the mask.
It was a game—the game she started. And I had to beat Evie at the chaos she always dragged me into.
I did plenty of things that were technically “not allowed” and I always got away with it. Tonight would be no different.
The party was already in full swing by the time I arrived. The crowd wasn’t any better than the bikes, the thick band of people scattered across the rocks making it harder to find Evie.
I knew she would have on some stupidly hot outfit tonight. I also knew every man here would be keeping his eyes on her. It was infuriating and intoxicating all at once, knowing she was always tempting me.
I felt out of my mind. I wouldn’t be Evie’s protector tonight. I would be the threat to her and there would be no one to stop me.
I stalked around the bordering tree line while I searched for the flicker of blonde hair that always seemed to catch the light just right.
I couldn’t turn back. Not now. I slipped the mask on, the cool fabric molding to my face as if it were a second skin.
It was more than a disguise—it was freedom.
The moment it settled over me, something shifted. The weight in my chest lifted, replaced by a sharp, focused clarity. The rules didn’t matter anymore. The consequences didn’t matter tonight.
Suddenly, everything around me was sharper, the world crystallized, and I had one purpose—find her.
I scanned the crowd, my pulse thundering as I finally caught sight of her.
The leather jacket hugging her body, stark against the white dress that clung to her curves.
Black boots completed the look, giving her that reckless edge that drew people in like moths to a flame.
She laughed, tossing her head back, her eyes wild, and I would be the one who snuffed out that flame, even if only for a night.
Her hand slid along Mason’s arm, and he smiled down at her. If there had been a chance of me maintaining any common sense at all tonight, it went out the window.
Evie always went places with me. It would always be me at her side and taking her home, and while I knew Mason wasn’t out to take my place with her, I knew someone would want to someday.
One day, I wouldn’t even get the choice. I would have to step aside whether or not I liked the guy. Whether he understood her or loved every piece of her, I wouldn’t get a vote.
I adjusted the mask, letting the anger and rage roll through my veins without a care to stop it. I would let it take over, let it lead me anywhere it wanted tonight.
This must be how Evie felt every day. She would do and say anything she wanted without consequence. She would drive me into a blinded, angry mess and then walk away.
It made me wonder if she liked to have all the control in bed, or how she would like it all being taken away.
My cock jumped. I wanted to know how she acted when she was at my mercy, if I held all the control and took care of everything my little psycho girl liked.
The thought sent a pulse of heat through me, a raw need coiling in my gut.
I stomped through the woods, getting closer to where she was without anyone noticing me.
This wouldn’t exactly be her romance movie moment—but then again I could never give her that.
I adjusted the mask one last time, wondering how I would get close enough to grab her.
I could almost feel her already, the way her pulse would quicken, the rush of adrenaline when she realized there was no escape.
The moment she would realize that she was at my mercy.
My pulse quickened as I moved closer, sticking to the shadows. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, the pull stronger than ever. Her beauty captivated me, but it was her fire. The way she owned every room she walked into, daring anyone to challenge her.
And tonight, I would.
The mask gave me an edge, emboldening me in a way I hadn’t expected. I could see her now, not only as the girl I couldn’t have, but as the girl I would have. The girl I would ruin, like she ruined me.
The crowd around her dispersed, and she stepped closer to the tree line, her gaze drifting toward the edge of the cliffs. It was the opening I needed. I moved fast, my boots crunching against the underbrush as I closed the distance.
I reached out, one hand clamping over her mouth before she could scream, her body going rigid as my arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back into the trees. Her drink slipped from her hand, falling to the dirt as I pulled her farther, deeper into the woods.
Her body stayed frozen for a second, a moment of shock before she thrashed, twisting and clawing at my arm.
I could hear the frantic hitch of her breath, feel the desperation radiating off her.
The roughness of the underbrush scraped against her legs as I dragged her farther, trying to lift her higher.
She screamed against my hand, but it was too muffled to be heard.
Each struggle only made my grip tighten, my resolve hardening.
I stayed silent, dragging her deeper until the sounds of the party faded behind us.
The deeper I pulled her into the woods, the thicker the shadows became, the tall trees looming over us like silent sentries.
The noise from the party faded to nothing, swallowed by the stillness, leaving only the sound of our ragged breathing.
Every step seemed to pull me further from reality, from rules, until it was only her and me alone in the world.
Finally, I stopped, letting the mask brush against her hair and I pulled her in closer. “You should be more careful who you tease, Evie. One day, someone might come and take you up on it.”
The mask altered my voice into something dark and distorted, erasing any trace of familiarity. It was perfect—a voice she wouldn’t recognize, a sound meant to haunt, not comfort.
The thrill shot through me. I could ruin Evie and her constant need to ruin me.
I loosened my grip enough for her to turn, her breath heavy, eyes wide with a mixture of anger and fear. She swallowed, searching my face for any sign of who I was, but the mask concealed any hint of humanity I had left.
I felt like I had no humanity left.
Her gaze locked on mine as anger and something else flashed across her face. “What the hell are you doing?” she yelled, her voice loud and sharp.
I wanted to wreck her, and her attitude. I wanted to punish her for the blackmail, the text, the torture of seeing her every fucking day and not being allowed to touch her.
I could see the mix of fear and anger on her face, the hint of defiance making me want to break her even more. The pulse of danger between us quickened, blurring the line between desire and destruction.
I leaned in, my grip tightening on her wrists a little too hard, savoring the way her breathing hitched as she fought the urge to surrender or fight more. I didn’t give her another second to decide, spinning her around until she was trapped between me and the tree.
Finally, I leaned in closer, my lips near her ear. “Don’t you love chaos, Evie? Now it’s being brought right to you.”
I’d make her mine in ways she couldn’t even imagine, ruin her, and she’d savor every dark, twisted second of it—just like I would.