Page 3 of Lore (Serpents of Chaos MC #3)

ATIANA

Sitting on my bed, I stare at my reflection in the large sliding mirrors. My phone is still in my hand, my fingers tightly clasping it.

Hunter is the last person I ever thought I’d be calling to help me. But desperate women do desperate things sometimes, especially when you have children to think of.

If it were just me, my pride would have let me die before asking an ex-boyfriend for help. But I have two little humans to protect, and pride has no place in that.

My black eye is still visible, even with the makeup I tried to cover it with.

My lip is cut, and my jaw is swollen. I still can’t believe that he hit me.

We’ve been married for three years, together for five, and not once has Trent ever raised a hand to me.

The man who changed the second we said “I do” had done many things to me, but physically hurting me wasn’t one.

And the worst part?

He did it in front of my children.

My two babies, my son and daughter, saw their father hitting me.

And my son, Rider, screamed and tried to stop him.

If that isn’t a wakeup call, I don’t know what is.

The moment he left for work, I packed a few bags with our belongings and made the call.

When Trent finds me gone, he’s going to be pissed. He won’t let us go easily, and I know that.

And it scares me.

It terrifies me enough to call the man who broke my fucking heart.

Hunter Ashford.

It’s been seven years since I last saw him.

“Mama?” Rider calls out, stepping into my room. His chin-length dark hair is tucked behind his ears, and he looks so much like his father that it’s like seeing double. None of my genes stood a chance. He’s got his little carry suitcase dragging behind him. “I’m ready to go on our vacation.”

Yeah, what else do you tell two little kids when you have to run away at the last minute? Might not have been my finest moment, but while I was panicking, I didn’t want either of them to.

“Me too. Where’s Dove?” I ask, standing up and smiling down at him. Falling apart while trying to keep it together for your children is one of the hardest things for a mother, and I know that firsthand now.

I have to pretend that everything is okay and be strong for them.

Because they didn’t ask for this.

“She’s putting her shoes on.” He takes my hand, and we walk out into the living room, where Dove is sitting on the carpet watching cartoons.

She looks just like me—dark hair, my honey-brown almond-shaped eyes framed in thick, dark lashes, and heart-shaped lips with a little Cupid’s bow. She even has my dark arched eyebrows.

At four years old, she’s already a little princess, and her brother absolutely dotes on her. No one can even think a bad thought about Dove in front of Rider. He’s the best big brother in the world, so I must have done something right.

Looking at my beautiful kids, I know I don’t have any regrets. I can’t, not when I have them. But that doesn’t change the fact that I have fucked up. They say that when you grow up with an angry man in your house, you’ll always have an angry man in your house.

If someone told me that I’d be repeating history and would have married a man exactly like my own father, I would have laughed in their face. But here I am with a packed suitcase, a black eye, and a long-time broken heart.

I hear the rumble of a motorcycle and peek through the curtain at a big black Harley in my driveway.

The man dismounts the bike and removes his helmet, revealing a head of long, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He’s tall, and his broad shoulders are covered with a red and black checkered flannel shirt, with one of those leather vests over it.

Yeah, I’d heard that Hunter had become a biker.

But when he turns around and I see his face, my breath hitches.

Yeah, the years have been kind to Hunter.

He’s cut, has a beard, and is covered in ink.

His jeans-clad muscular thighs move quickly as he rushes to my front door, knocking quietly.

I always thought he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, and that has not changed.

“Atiana?” he calls out.

I let go of the curtain and open the front door, and his violet eyes connect with mine.

“Butterfly,” he rasps, scanning my face. I haven’t heard that nickname in seven years, and my heart races as memories of us hit me like a fucking truck.

I know the moment he sees my bruises because he flinches. “Who?” he growls, his jaw tensing. “Who did this to you?”

My lips part, but nothing comes out. “I need to get out of here before he comes back.”

Hunter nods and lifts his hand to gently cup my face, slightly hesitating before his finger meets my skin. His gaze scans over my bruises once more, and a muscle works in his jaw. “Get your things. My club brothers are close behind me in our truck.”

“Mama? Is it time to go?” Rider calls out, and my eyes slam shut as I feel him walk around me.

I know exactly what Hunter is going to see when he looks at Rider.

I’ve thought about this moment for such a long time, wondering if I did the right thing all those years ago.

Questioning myself.

Questioning everything.

I suppose the thing I questioned most, though, was Hunter, and whether he’d ever become a family man.

“Atiana?” he whispers in a raspy tone, and I open my eyes to see him looking down at Rider like he’s seeing a ghost. “What the fuck?”

Rider has Hunter’s exact face.

But it’s those violet eyes that really give it away.

Those rare, stunning, amethyst-like eyes. I haven’t seen anyone else with eyes like that.

“About-fucking-time,” Rider states, standing in front of me and crossing his little arms over his chest.

“Rider,” I whisper-yell. “We don’t swear.”

“You know what?” Hunter replies, looking up at me with anger and pain before he can mask it. His throat works as he swallows thickly. “You’re not fucking wrong.”

“Hunter—”

He turns away from us, and I know he’s composing himself.

Fuck.

I feel sick to my stomach right now.

At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing for both of them. For all of us. But now I’m about to see the carnage my decisions have left behind.

The consequences of my actions.

Hunter takes a deep breath, turning back around, his face an expressionless mask. He lowers his voice, then looks through the window as a black truck pulls up. “We’re going to talk, but right now, we’re all going to get out of here.”

“We’re not going anywhere without my little sister!” Rider announces, turning around and going to get Dove.

“Sister?” Hunter asks, his brow furrowing. He steps closer to me and lowers his voice so only I can hear, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Just how many fucking kids have you had?”

My eyes narrow. I’m about to tell him to get fucked when Rider returns with his and Dove’s suitcases. She’s walking up behind him, her pink dress, which she was adamant on wearing, swaying around her sandal-clad feet.

Hunter stares at her, that unreadable expression still on his face.

He gives nothing away.

“Lore?” a man calls out from behind him—blond, shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, tight white T-shirt, jeans that were made for him, and worn leather boots.

Great, someone else to see me at my worst.

And then another man gets out of the truck. “Holy shit. There are two of them.”

Hunter’s head snaps around, narrowed eyes back on me faster than I can take my next breath. “Eyes here, Atiana.

You called me, and now we’re going to handle this the way that I choose. You get me?”

No, I don’t think I do.

My head dips down to Rider. He knows why I called him over anyone else. “And did I make a mistake calling you?”

“Lore, what do you need?” one of the twins asks, giving me a quick once-over, his gaze lingering on my cut lip. “And who do we have to kill?”

“We’re getting them out of here,” Hunter growls, opening the door wide and nodding to the truck. “Get in, now.”

We quickly get our bags in the boot, and then I grab Dove’s car seat. With her in my arms, we climb into the back seat.

Hunter says something to one of the twins, who gets on Hunter’s bike while he gets into the driver’s seat of the truck instead. The other twin slides into the passenger side.

“Never thought I’d see the day you let another man ride your bike,” the man teases, then turns around to us, and Hunter starts the engine. “Hello, I’m Bones. Nice to meet you all.”

“Atiana,” I say, forcing a smile. “Thank you for coming to get us. I didn’t know where to go, and my car…” I trail off, not wanting to admit that he took it from me, so I couldn’t leave the house to go anywhere. Clearing my throat, I turn to my kids. “The little princess is Dove.”

He smiles at her and waves. “Hello.”

Dove simply watches him.

“And this is my son, Rider.”

“Hey, little man.” He grins, his eyes widening when he looks into Rider’s eyes. Yeah, it’s obvious. “Oh shit.”

Hunter makes a sound of agreement deep in his throat, which makes my stomach twist. I knew he didn’t want kids. Trust me, he was very vocal about that, but I still struggled with the decision that I made. And right now, it’s all catching up with me.

“Oh shit, what?” Rider fires back, frowning. “Does everyone get to swear if they ride a motorbike?”

I hide my smirk at my six-year-old questioning them.

“Yes, when you ride a motorcycle, you get to swear,” Hunter points out.

“I’m getting one,” Rider proudly announces. “How old do I have to be? Sixteen? A lot of things happen when you turn sixteen.”

“Lore…” Bones laughs under his breath. “This is going to be interesting.”

Lore?

Is that what he goes by now?

He’s a whole different person—different name, different life.

Did I make the right choice by calling him?

By letting him know about Rider?

I can only fucking hope.