65. Acceptance Without Love.

Lucy – POV

I was just returning from my father’s place.

My legs felt heavy as I drove.

I didn’t know if it was exhaustion or guilt or fear. Maybe it was all of them mixed together. The road leading to the mansion looked the same as always, but I didn’t feel the same.

Nothing felt the same anymore.

The mark on my arm felt warm beneath my clothes. Not burning. Not hurting. Just warm. Like it was alive. Like it was reminding me of what I had done. What I had agreed to. What I had forced to happen.

After entering the enchanted compound and parked at the driveway.

I start taking heavy walks towards the mansion door.

Each step felt slower than the last.

Ignoring the servants greetings, I told myself not to think. Thinking only made things worse. Thinking brought faces into my head. My father’s face. The witch’s face. Adrian’s face.

Especially Adrian.

I swallowed hard.

As I got closer to the mansion front door, I tried to prepare myself. I didn’t know for what exactly. Maybe for questions. Maybe for anger. Maybe for silence.

I lifted my foot to step onto the entrance platform.

Then I felt it.

That pressure in the air.

That heavy presence that made my skin prickle.

I stopped walking.

My heart skipped.

I didn’t turn immediately, but I already knew who it was.

Adrian – POV

I smelled her before she even noticed me.

Rowan.

His scent was all over her.

It clung to her clothes, her skin, her hair. Thick and heavy like smoke that refused to clear. It made my chest tighten instantly. My wolf stirred, restless and angry.

She had just come from him.

I watched her slow down. Watched her stop.

Good.

I stepped closer, letting my presence press against her back.

“Coming from your father’s house?”

Lucy – POV

His voice hit me like cold water.

I closed my eyes for half a second before turning around.

He stood there, tall and rigid, his expression cold. His eyes were sharp, searching my face like he was trying to tear answers out of me without asking.

“Yes,” I said simply. “I was.”

I didn’t look away.

Adrian – POV

She didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t lie.

Didn’t flinch.

That annoyed me more than if she had denied it.

“I can smell him all over you,” I said. My voice was low, controlled, but the anger was there. “His scent. It’s everywhere.”

Lucy – POV

His words made my stomach twist, but I kept my face calm.

“So?” I asked. “He’s my father.”

I crossed my arms slowly, trying to look relaxed even though my heart was beating too fast.

Adrian – POV

That word — father — made my jaw tighten.

I stepped closer.

“There is nothing normal about this,” I said. “Nothing.”

My eyes dropped briefly to her arm, covered by fabric. I could feel the mark even without seeing it.

“Whatever you did,” I continued, “I will find out.”

Lucy – POV

Fear flickered inside me.

But I smiled.

It wasn’t a soft smile. It wasn’t warm.

It was sharp.

“I’d really love to see you try,” I said.

I hated that my voice trembled just a little, but I forced myself to keep going.

Adrian – POV

Her smile was wrong.

Not the smile of someone innocent.

Not the smile of someone calm.

It was the smile of someone hiding something big.

“You and your father are plotting something,” I said. “And don’t think for one second that I won’t uncover it.”

Lucy – POV

My chest felt tight.

I took a step closer instead of backing away.

“There’s nothing you can do now,” I said quietly. “You should accept it.”

The words felt strange coming out of my mouth. Heavy. Final.

Adrian – POV

Accept it?

Something inside me snapped.

I let out a short laugh, cold and humorless.

“Oh,” I said. “I’ve accepted it...you.”

Her eyes widened just a little.

Lucy – POV

For a brief moment, hope tried to rise inside me.

Just a small spark.

But it died almost immediately.

Adrian – POV

“I’ll accept you,” I said. “But only for what you’re meant for.”

I didn’t soften my voice.

“Only for the ritual.”

Lucy – POV

The words felt like a slap.

My breath caught in my throat.

Adrian – POV

“To fight the blood eclipse,” I continued. “Nothing more.”

I stared straight at her.

Lucy – POV

My smile vanished.

My hands trembled slightly at my sides.

Adrian – POV

“I don’t see you as anything else,” I said. “And I never will.”

Then I said the word that cut deepest.

“You’re just a tool.”

Lucy – POV

The word echoed in my head.

A tool.

My chest burned.

My eyes stung, but I refused to cry.

Adrian – POV

“That’s how you want to be seen,” I went on. “That’s how you chose to play this.”

“So fine.”

Lucy – POV

Pain spread through me slowly, deeply.

I felt small.

Humiliated.

Adrian – POV

“I’ll use you that way,” I finished.

I turned around.

I couldn’t stay.

Lucy – POV

I watched him walk away.

Each step he took felt like something was breaking inside me.

I stood there, frozen.

Adrian – POV

My chest felt tight as I walked off.

I didn’t look back.

If I did, I might lose control.

Lucy – POV

When he disappeared from sight, the silence felt loud.

Too loud.

I clenched my fists.

No tears fell.

Not yet.

Adrian – POV

Anger burned in my veins.

At her.

At Rowan.

At myself.

Lucy – POV

You will regret this, I swore silently.

I turned and walked into the mansion.

Each step felt heavy.

Adrian – POV

I kept walking, my jaw tight.

Her words replayed in my head.

Her smile.

Her confidence.

Her fear hidden behind strength.

Lucy – POV

The doors closed behind me.

I leaned against them for a moment.

My breathing was uneven.

Adrian – POV

I told myself I did the right thing.

That coldness was necessary.

Lucy – POV

If he wanted a tool…

Then I would become something far more dangerous.

Adrian – POV

Whatever she did…

I would uncover it.

No matter the cost.

Lucy – POV

I lifted my head.

This wasn’t over.

Not even close.