LOGINLucien’s POVI didn’t get any sleep that night. Every time that I tried to close my eyes, I saw Margaret standing just before me. She was wearing Leah’s face and denying that she had ever been my mate.I knew that resemblance alone was not enough to prove anything. There were people who looked alike without sharing a single memory of each other. But then I could not forget the way her expression had changed when I called her Leah.She had reacted.And she had ordered her guards not to hurt me.Maybe I was just desperate enough to turn every small gesture into a reason to hope, but I could not for once, stop thinking about any of it.When it was morning, I had already made a decision. I was going to know if Margaret was truly Leah by testing every memory of her that we shared. The guard brought breakfast to me shortly after sunrise. I ate a little, then asked him for something.“Can you get me a cup of chamomile tea?”He frowned. “Tea?”“Yes. Chamomile. If your commander has some, I
Leah’s POVHis answer made me more unsettled even more than I wanted to admit.I stared at him, waiting for him to explain but he just looked at me as if he had found something that he had spent years searching for.I hated that look.It made me feel as if he was already able to see through the identity that I had built so carefully like a wall around my past self. The past the name, scars, and all the years I had spent pretending to be someone else.But he couldn’t know me.He could not ever find out that I was Leah… not the woman that he believed had died five years ago, but he should know me as Margaret, commander of the rebel army and the woman who had built a home for those that their established packs had rejected.This was the identity that I had chosen after leaving him behind five years ago. The identity that I had created because I never wanted to be Leah, Blackwood’s lover ever again.And Lucien was the Alpha King of the territory that I already intended to conquer.There w
Lucien’s pov She looked at me for a short moment and then her eyebrows drew together. “I don’t know you.”“Don’t lie to me.” I shot. Her expression went hard. “You are my prisoner, Lucien. I suggest you remember that before you start making demands.”I stepped closer to her. “Are you Leah?”She stared at me. “Is that why you brought me here? To ask me that question?”“Answer me.” I demanded. She sighed, as if I was exhausting her patience.“My name is Margaret.” She said sternly. “Your real name.” “That is my name.”I studied her face, searching for the smallest crack in her expression. “Leah Banks,” I whispered. “Does that mean nothing to you?”Her eyes narrowed. “No.”“Five years ago, you were my mate. You lived in my palace. You loved me.” I said with my voice low emotional. She quickly stood up from the chair. “Stop.” She shouted. But I didn’t. “You disappeared from my life after falling from a cliff. I watched you fall, Margaret. I searched for you. I mourned you for five
Lucien’s pov The guards were already pulling me backwards. “Wait!” I struggled against their grip. “Look at me!”She turned away immediately like aha could not bare to see them pull me away like that. “Commander, should we question him first?” one of the men asked.“No. Take him away.” She said. I had imagined this moment for the past five years. I had imagined finding Leah alive and holding her while I apologized for everything. But in all of my imaginations, not once have I thought that she was going to order her guards to pull me away as if I meant nothing. The guards continued to pull me until her voice finally stopped them. “Stop!”Everyone froze instantly.Margaret turned toward us with her eyes fixed on the guard that was gripping my arm.“Do not hurt him. No one touches this man without my permission.”The guard immediately let go of me.First of all she had told them to take me away and now she had told them not to hurt me, was this some kind of power play or something
Lucien’s POVI stood at the entrance, unable to move.“Come in, Lucien.” The woman’s voice called out to me from inside the tent again.My fingers curled into fists. I had heard that voice in my dreams so many times that I had almost forgot how it felt like to hear it while I was wide awake.I stepped forward but before I was able to enter, one of the guards blocked my path.“Not here, Your Majesty. The commander wants to see you at the stronghold.”I looked at the tent. “Then why did she call me inside?”“She changed her mind.” He said coldly. I stared at him, but he didn’t bother to give me an explanation. Two guards held me tight and led me away.I could have asked that I needed to see her immediately, but I stopped myself. If Margaret was truly expecting me, the. there was no point in creating a fight before I understood what she wanted.We went through the camp, as we passed rows of tents and wooden buildings. I thought that I was going to see prisoners, weapons, and soldiers pr
Lucien’s pov My jaw went so tight at the mention of my uncles name. “Owen can wait.” I said. Adrian scoffed.“But your kingdom cannot.”“And neither can I.” I replied. Adrian looked at me for several seconds before shaking his head. “You are not thinking clearly.”“Perhaps not. But I know what I need to do.” I turned toward my warriors. “You will remain here until I return. If I have not come back by tomorrow morning, you will return to the palace and report everything you have seen.”One of the older warriors stepped forward. “Your Majesty, we cannot leave you to face them alone.”“You won’t be leaving me alone. You’ll be following my orders.”“But—”“There are no buts.” I stopped him. “That is an order.”He bowed his head reluctantly.Adrian came down from his horse and caught my arm before I could move an inch away from him. “Let me come with you.”“No.”“Lucien, this is madness.”“If I bring you into that camp, Margaret will see it as a threat. She has already made it clear tha







