51. Bad Morning.

Adrian’s POV

The first thing that hit me wasn’t the light—

It was the scent.

Soft, warm, faintly sweet… a scent that wrapped around my senses like smoke after a wildfire. A scent that didn’t belong here anymore. A scent I had spent a week trying to ignore.

Lucy.

My eyes snapped open.

At first, everything was blur—mattress, wall, ceiling, shadows. Then my wolf surged, pushing a memory into my head with brutal clarity.

Her body against mine.

My hands gripping her waist.

Her breath on my neck.

My heartbeat hammering like I was under a spell.

No. No. No.

I shot upright so fast the room spun. The duvet slid off my torso—heavy, warm, smelling like her skin.

And then I saw her.

Lucy was on the bed beside me, the duvet pulled to her chest, sleeping quietly… peacefully… like nothing in this world was wrong.

But everything was wrong.

I stared at her, disbelief freezing every muscle in my body. My mind scrambled, trying to assemble pieces of last night into something that made sense, but the only thing I remembered clearly was the moment I lost myself.

The moment her scent drowned my thoughts.

The moment something inside me snapped and refused to listen to reason.

I ran a trembling hand through my hair, breathing hard. My chest felt tight, my wolf pacing in agitation, restless and strangely satisfied in a way that made me sick.

What did I do?

What did she DO?

“Lucy,” I forced out, my voice rough. “Wake up.”

She shifted, slow and delicate, like she’d just stretched into a comfortable dream. Her eyes fluttered open—soft brown, glowing faintly under the morning light.

“Adrian…?” she whispered, her brows pulling together . “What’s wrong?”

My frustration ignited instantly.

“What’s wrong?” I repeated, shocked she could even ask. “Lucy, look around you! Look at US! What happened last night—”

“You don’t remember?” she whispered.

Her voice was too soft. Too calm. Too controlled.

I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t play with me. What did you do?”

She sat up slightly, the duvet sliding down her shoulders but still covering her, her expression shifting from sleepy confusion to dawning realization.

Then something else happened.

A faint pulse of light caught my eye.

I froze.

“What’s that…?” I murmured.

Her arm—

Her arm—

was glowing.

A symbol… no… a mark—

Something curling across her skin like ink awakened under her flesh.

Lucy gasped and pulled the duvet closer to hide herself, staring at the glow on her arm in horror.

“What—what is happening to me?” she whispered.

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

Because I recognized something in the mark.

I didn’t know its origin, didn’t know its purpose, but every wolf in the kingdom had heard the legends.

The Luna God didn’t mark anyone without purpose.

And for the first time in a very long time…

I was scared.

“Adrian,” she said shakily, lifting her arm slightly so we could both see the glowing pattern. “What does this mean? Why is it doing this?”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” I said tightly. “Did you do something? Did you—”

“No!” she snapped, her voice breaking. “I didn’t do anything except come here to talk to you!”

Lies.

"Talk to me.... You basically seduced me... What did you do?."

Her eyes were watery, her breathing uneven, and she clutched the duvet like a lifeline. But one thing stood out—she knew something about the glowing mark.

What has she done?.... They've made this girl so desperate.

I stood from the bed, jaw clenched as I grabbed my pants. I didn’t want to look at her. I didn’t want to breathe in her scent. I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that my wolf still felt drawn to her even after the haze of last night was gone.

This was wrong.

All of it.

“Adrian,” she whispered, “please don’t walk away.”

I didn’t stop dressing.

If I stopped, I would break.

If I looked at her, I might not be able to hide the burning conflict ripping through me.

“Adrian…” she whispered again, quieter now. “Say something.”

“I don’t have anything to say,” I forced out.

It was a lie.

I had too much to say.

But none of it felt safe to say out loud.

Not while she was lying on my bed.

Not while my wolf still reached for her like a fool.

Not while that mark glowed like fate itself or something darker had carved it onto her skin.

I finally looked at her.

Her hair messy.

Her lips swollen.

Her eyes trembling with confusion and fear.

Her arm glowing with something ancient, something powerful, something meant only for those touched by destiny.

But that couldn’t be right.

It couldn’t be.

Because I didn’t love her.

And I didn’t choose her.

“Adrian…” she said again, voice barely audible.

But I couldn’t do this.

I turned away.

And walked out.

Not because I hated her.

Not because I was disgusted.

But because the only person I wanted—

The only person my heart ever chose—

was Rose.

And she was gone.

---

Lucy’s POV

When the door shut behind him, I didn’t breathe.

I couldn’t.

The room suddenly felt too silent, too bright, too cold. I stared at the wooden door like it had personally betrayed me before slowly lowering my gaze to my arm.

The glowing was fading.

Dimmer…

Softer…

Like embers dying.

But it was still there.

Woah, so the plan worked?.

The almighty alpha...fallen?.

What if he doesn't still acknowledge me as the alpha.

This mark is a solid proof already .

I dragged in a trembling breath.

My mind replayed everything—the shrine, the ritual, the half moon, the chants, the collapse, the pain when I woke up, the tattoo on my back the witch mentioned… the instructions… the perfume…

The way Adrian looked at me last night.

The hunger in his eyes.

The way he lost control.

I shut my eyes tightly.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

I was supposed to seduce him.

Mate with him.

Secure my place.

Prove to the council that I was strong enough to be Luna.

But I wasn’t supposed to sleep with him in a haze like this.

I wasn’t supposed to feel his hands tremble against me like the world was burning.

“Why didn’t she tell me…?” I muttered, my voice shaking. “Why didn’t she say this would happen?”

No answer.

Just silence.

My heartbeat thudded painfully in my ears. I clutched the duvet, trying to breathe, trying to steady myself, but the room felt like it was spinning.

This tattoo... this mark meant what the legends said—

then Adrian wasn’t just attracted to me.

He was bonded.

A bond he didn’t choose.

A bond I forced.

A bond I tricked him into.

My stomach twisted with guilt and victory all at once.

“No. No… this can’t be happening this way,” I whispered, pressing a shaking hand to my forehead.

I didn’t want this to be how he accepted me.

I didn’t want him to wake up angry.

Shocked.

Disgusted.

Silent.

Leaving the room like I had ruined him.

For a moment, I considered breaking down.

For a moment, I wanted to cry, scream, or run after him.

But then something else happened inside me—

Something cold.

Something sharp.

Something that reminded me why I did all of this in the first place.

He rejected me.

Over and over.

Every attempt, every effort, every vulnerable moment—he crushed it.

And now?

Now he’ll have to accept me.

“But he won’t love me…” I whispered bitterly.

The mark said he was bonded.

Not in love.

And that difference burned me more than anything else.

My hands tightened around the duvet until my knuckles turned white.

“Fine,” I whispered to myself. “If this is what fate wants… if this is what destiny decided…”

I swallowed hard, feeling a knot twist in my chest.

“Then Adrian will pay.”

Not because I hated him.

But because he made me feel small.

Invisible.

Forgettable.

Because he never chose me.

Because even last night, the name he moaned continuously wasn’t mine.

It was Rose?.

Who is Rose???... Definitely not a wolf because I haven't seen any wolf with him and if she was a wolf he would have gone for her since or... Is there more to it?.

I felt my eyes sting.

“Adrian,” I whispered softly, “you’ll regret making me feel like I wasn’t enough.”

I stood slowly, wrapping the duvet around my body. My steps were steady now, my breathing calmer, my vision sharper.

I looked at my arm again.

The mark was still faintly glowing.

Mine.

His.

Bonded.

Whether he liked it or not.

And now?

I would use it.

Not because of the kingdom.

Not because of the council.

Not because of my father.

But because Adrian had hurt me more than anyone ever could, and I wasn’t going to allow that pain to swallow me whole.

Not again.

I lifted my chin.

If he didn’t want me before…

He would have no choice now.

But he took something from me too—

my pride,

my dignity,

my trust.

And I would take something back.

His heart.

Whether he gave it willingly or not.