Chapter Nineteen: The Alpha’s Game

Lucian’s POV.

My hand tightened around Lena’s arm, and my fingers dug into her skin. She jerked against my grip.

She hated when I did that, holding her just firmly enough to remind her that even blood answered to the Alpha.

“Get your filthy hands off me,” she snapped. “I’m not one of your slaves.”

I smiled faintly. “No, you’re my sister. Which makes your disobedience far more disappointing.”

“Let go of me,” Lena said again, trying to wrench her arm free.

I did not release her. Instead, I tightened my grip slightly. She hissed under her breath.

“You’re becoming reckless,” I said calmly. “And reckless wolves rarely live long.”

Lena gave a bitter laugh. “Reckless? You blinded yourself with your own stupidity. Maybe you should start there.”

My fingers dug deeper into her arm. “I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.”

I heard the mockery in her voice. “You’d have to find me first. And the last time I checked, you can’t even see.”

“You still think blindness makes me weak,” I said.

“You’ve never understood anything beyond your own anger, the way you barrel through life, using intimidation and violence as if they were the only tools in existence. As if your rage could replace your sight.”

I could feel her hatred and amusement as she leaned just slightly forward, daring me to do more than threaten, to test the limits of my restraint.

“You may not see the world as it is, Lucian, but do not presume that I fear you, or that your absence of sight diminishes your danger; I know exactly who and what you are, and perhaps that is why I refuse to yield.

“Why I refuse to let your anger dictate the terms of everything, because someone has to remember that there are rules even for monsters, even for alphas who think the world bends to their claws and teeth.”

“So right now, I'm telling you right to your face. I'm not taking part in your silly little game.”

Her words were sharp, venomous, and laced with courage that could have broken lesser men. But I was no lesser man. I let her rant.

“You speak of rules…” I said finally, “…but rules are made for those who fear the consequences. You do not fear, do you? You think I cannot act simply because you're my sister?”

Her breath hitched slightly. “I do not bend to monsters,” she said, voice trembling in anger, “even if they share my blood. I do not yield to tyrants. Not you. Not anyone who mistakes fear for respect.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I allowed my fingers to press just a little harder. “Perhaps I will see how long your courage lasts before the pain teaches you obedience.”

“And if I refuse? What then, Lucian? Will you kill me here?”

I released my grip just enough to draw the long blade from its sheath. The tip of the sword was just an inch from Lena’s throat. “Yes. I will kill you right here.”

Lena’s eyes flicked to the blade, a flash of real fear breaking through her usual defiance, but she squared her shoulders, jaw tight. “Do it. I dare you, Lucian.”

Before I could answer, a small shift of movement sounded behind Lena. Poor girl.

“She followed you.”

“What?”

“Ah, Avery,” I said, catching her scent, “I scented you the moment you entered. If you intend to listen, you might as well step forward.”

A pause. Then soft footsteps. She emerged slowly. I could feel the hesitation in each movement.

“Leave her alone. Please, I beg you,” Avery said.

Her voice trembled, but she said it anyway. Lena couldn't speak. I kept the sword just an inch from her throat.

Avery swallowed audibly, and I could sense her struggle to keep her composure.

“Do you see?” I murmured, letting the metallic taste of fear hang between us. “Disobedience carries its price.”

Avery’s eyes widened in horror, tears brimming. “You… you’re really going to kill your own sister? You’re a bloody monster, a…” she faltered, searching for words that could match the horror, “…a fiend, a madman!”

“Yes. I am all of that, if that is what it takes. She defiles the blood she shares with me. She dares to challenge the order I embody. I don't tolerate disrespect.”

Her pleading grew more urgent, desperation twisting her voice into a strangled, fragile thing. “No, no, Lucian, please! She is your sister! She means nothing but loyalty! You cannot do this!

“The only way I shall forgive her, the only way I shall allow her to live and breathe another day without the weight of my wrath upon her, is if you—”

I let the silence stretch. Let her hope fill it. Hope was always the cruelest thing to offer someone before you took it away. "…agree to lie with me.”

I pressed the tip of the sword slightly harder, on Lena’s neck, enough to draw blood.

“You would demand that?”

“Yes. Only then will she be spared. You hold her fate in your hands, Avery. Choose wisely.”

Her scent shifted from determination to panic, her heartbeat getting faster. “I… I… I cannot.”

“Then watch her die.” I lifted the sword, angling it toward her neck as if to behead her.

Then, a small, desperate voice broke the tension. “Stop. I will do it! I will lie with you!”

I lowered the sword, the steel sliding away from Lena’s throat but leaving the faint red mark as a reminder.

“You understand what you’ve promised?” I murmured, letting the danger hang heavy in the room.

“Yes I do. I will be in your bed tonight.”