Four: Hide Me

Lucien's pov 

Theo drove me home and as soon as he brought the car to a halt, I was out of the car, making sure not to turn back.

The front door was unlocked and that was the first thing that unsettled me. Sterling Security never left the front door unlocked.

The second wrong thing was the smell of Caspian's tea which he only made when he wanted to have a “conversation.”

When I eventually got into the house, I found Caspian, my uncle in the kitchen pouring tea from the silver pot into two cups. "Lucien," he said, without turning. "Vaughn called me."

My stomach dropped. Darn it, I should have told him to keep it a secret but he answered to uncle so either way he'd still run his mouth.

"And I think it’s time we talked." He set the second cup down, steam curled up between us. "Sit down, we have so much to talk about."

I didn’t sit. If I sat, I might not get up. "What did he tell you?"

"That you’re pregnant." Caspian finally turned and he was smiling which made me confused. He looked proud.

"A Sterling heir," he said softly, eyes beaming with joy. "Finally, the prophecy always said the bloodline would continue through trial. I should’ve known it would be you."

"Prophecy?" My voice sounded far away. “What are you talking about?”

He waved a hand, dismissive. "Old family nonsense. My father’s father’s ramblings. What matters is you’re safe and the baby is safe."

The baby? He said it like he’d already picked out a name and a nursery for it. 

"Don’t worry about the differentiation," Caspian continued. He came around the counter so close I could smell his cologne over the tea which made me pretty nauseous. "There are side effects unfortunately but you'll learn to adapt. Sterlings adapt. That’s what we do."

I said no word to him and he continued. "As soon as the pup is born, I’ll file for legal guardianship," he said. "You’ve worked hard enough, Lucien. Twenty years running this company. You can rest now and focus on your health."

My wolf surged so hard my teeth ached. "You knew," I said. 

"I knew you were under stress," he corrected gently. "I knew Vaughn was keeping you stable. The tea was necessary, Lucien. You understand that, don’t you? We couldn’t have an Omega CEO. The board would’ve eaten you alive but now that the damage is done..." He smiled again.

His hand hovered over my stomach for half a second then it settled there warmly through the wet fabric of Theo’s jacket.

I flinched. I couldn’t help it.

Caspian didn’t remove his hand. "We’ll take good care of both of you," he said. "That’s a promise."

The damage is done. We’ll take care of both of you. He spoke as if I was damaged goods and like the baby was the only part that mattered.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it. Caspian’s phone rang instead. He glanced at the screen and his smile dropped for the first time. "Sterling Security. Excuse me." 

He walked into the study, leaving the door open behind him. "Yes. I want a perimeter. No, he’s not to leave the property until we discuss this further."

He was locking me in and there, on the kitchen counter, was his laptop. It was still open. My wolf whispered, “Take a look at what he has on there.”

I shouldn’t have. I was Sterling and we didn’t snoop because we were meant to believe what we were told but I had to scratch this itch and my wolf was restless, urging me on. 

I stepped closer anyway, making sure he was absorbed in the call and I began searching the laptop for heaven knows what. There were dozens of emails with some dates going back twenty-two months. A thread titled `RE: RED MOON INCIDENT - FLOOR 40`.

I clicked on it and it opened.

`Patient exhibited bonding markers. Initiate Protocol 9.`  

`PROTOCOL 9: SUPPRESS AND STABILIZE. AUTHORIZED: C. STERLING`  

`NOTE: Tea dosage increased to 3x weekly. The patient complained of fatigue but was denied a reduction request.`

There was another email from 14 months ago. `Patient inquiring about fertility. Advise continued suppression.`  

And Caspian’s reply: `Approved. Maintain protocol.`

I’d asked about this fourteen months ago, when I thought maybe I wanted a family someday and they’d said no.

My hands were shaking and the laptop blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. And I just couldn't stop the ache in my chest at the evidence that my own uncle had known all about this and he never said a word to me.

The phone buzzed again in my pocket. It was Theo. I answered without thinking. "Come get me."

"Lucien?" His voice was sharp."What’s wrong."

"Now," I whispered. The word scraped my throat. "Don’t tell anyone. Please, just come and get me right now before something bad happens to us."

"Where are you?"

"Home." The word tasted like ash. "Please, hide me."

A pause. I could hear him moving, then the sounds of keys jangling then the sound of the car door as it slammed shut. "I’m ten minutes out. Stay on the line."

"I can’t." I hung up.

Caspian was still talking in the study. "...and make sure no one from the press gets wind of this. The heir needs to be protected."

The heir, not me.

I grabbed the laptop. It was lighter than it should’ve been. I shoved it into Theo’s jacket. The jacket still smelled like him. 

I went out through the back because the emergency exit was closer and security rarely hovered around. As soon as I made it out, I ran. My shoes slipped on the wet stone but I didn’t stop. 

The SUV was idling at the curb. The passenger door opened before I reached it. I hurriedly got in, and he was already pulling away before I got the door shut.

 We didn’t speak for three blocks until we were sure no headlights were following then he asked: "What’s in the jacket?"

"Proof," I said. My voice broke on the word. "That they drugged me and that he wants the baby. He doesn't want me but the baby."

Theo’s jaw tightened. He reached over and took my hand off the laptop. "Where to?" he asked.

I looked at him and for the first time in twenty-nine years I had no plan. No board meeting, no press statement and no script. I was just a man who was panicking with a wolf who wouldn't stop screaming run run run. 

"Anywhere," I whispered. "Just...hide me."