Chapter Eight

Laura's breath caught at his words

"Mine."

It wasn't a question. It wasn't a claim she could just brush off. It was a fact, said as simply as the sky being blue or the moon pulling the water.

Her heart beat fast against her ribs like a trapped bird. The sound filled her ears, drowning out everything else in the cold room.

Her body still hurt from the broken bond, from the marks all over her skin, but anger burned stronger than pain. It rushed through her veins like fire, making her forget the ache for a moment.

She pulled at the cuffs, not caring how the silver cut into her skin. "I am not your anything, you fucker."

The words came out sharp and hot, filling the cold room. She expected him to react, to show anger or at least surprise at her defiance.

Lucian didn't jump back.

If anything, the side of his mouth went up a bit, a small smile showing in those hard-to-read silver eyes. The kind of smile that made her stomach flip in ways she didn't want to understand.

"Strange," he said softly, his voice like velvet over stone. "That's not what your smell says."

Laura went still. Every muscle in her body froze.

A slow, creeping fear grew in her stomach, cold and heavy like a stone. But there was something else too, something she refused to name.

"My... smell?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. But she heard it shake, betraying her.

Lucian leaned in, his nose moving just over the side of her neck. So close she could feel the warmth of his skin, the ghost of his breath against her.

Laura's breath stopped. Her lips parted slightly.

The heat of him, the weight of him being so close, was too much. He wasn't touching her—not really. But he was close enough that she could feel his warmth radiating against her skin, close enough that her wolf should have backed away in fear.

But she didn't.

And that scared Laura more than anything.

"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered, her voice barely there, not sounding like her own.

He didn't answer. Not with words.

Lucian breathed in deeply, his chest rising and falling in a slow, careful way. His breath tickled her skin, sending tiny shivers down her spine that she couldn't control.

His fingers, which had been sitting lightly on her chin, got just a bit tighter. Just enough to make her breath catch again.

Then he pulled back, but not far. Just enough to look into her eyes.

"Interesting," he said softly.

Their eyes met again, and something passed between them. Something Laura didn't want to name, didn't want to feel. Something that made her skin feel too tight, too hot.

"What do you mean?" she whispered, her voice barely there.

Lucian just watched her, his head tilted a bit to the side, like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. Like he could see right through her.

"Your wolf knows," he said quietly, his voice deeper than before. "Even if you don't want to admit it."

Laura swallowed hard, her mind racing. Her throat felt dry.

"Admit what?" she managed to ask, hating how breathless she sounded.

This wasn't just about land. It wasn't just about some twisted game of power.

Lucian knew something.

Something about her.

She made herself glare at him, trying to find her anger again. "Whatever game you're playing, I'm not interested."

Lucian let out a quiet laugh. The sound rumbled in his chest, too close to her.

"Who said it was a game?"

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning. His eyes darkened, the silver turning stormy.

His gaze dropped to her lips for just a second. So quick she might have imagined it. But her body reacted anyway, her heart skipping a beat.

"Then what is it?" she asked, surprising herself with her boldness.

He leaned in again, his lips nearly brushing her ear. "You'll see soon enough."

The warmth of his breath made her shiver. She hated herself for it.

He stood, towering over her. The moment he stepped back, the air felt less heavy. Lighter. Like she could finally breathe again.

But before she could feel relief, he turned toward the door.

"Get some rest," he said, his voice changing back to calm and cold, but with an edge that wasn't there before. "You'll need it."

Laura's face showed her confusion. "For what?"

She tugged at her chains, the silver links rattling in the quiet room. The sound echoed off the walls. "You can't just leave me here like this! Tell me what's going on!"

Lucian looked back, his silver eyes giving nothing away. But something in them made her breath catch again.

"Your real problems start tomorrow," he said, his voice low. "When the moon rises."

Laura's eyes widened. "What happens at moonrise?" she demanded, pulling harder at her chains.

His eyes traveled over her slowly, from her face down to her bound wrists, then back up again. The look left a trail of heat on her skin.

"That's when we'll find out what you really are," he said. "What we really are."

Then he was gone.

The heavy wooden door shut behind him with a low, final sound.

Laura sat there, her wrists hurting from the burning silver, her heart beating fast in her chest. But the pain from the cuffs wasn't what bothered her most.

It was the lingering warmth on her skin where his breath had been. The memory of his scent—wild forests and something darker, something that called to her in ways she didn't understand.

She looked around the dark room, at the walls that held her captive, at the small window too high to reach.

"What does he want from me?" she whispered to the empty room. "What does he see?"

She had run from one bad place—only to walk right into another.

And the worst thing?

She wasn't sure which one was more scary.

She closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing. Trying to ignore the way her skin still tingled where he'd been close.

The smell of him still hung in the air. Wild. Powerful. Dangerous.

And somehow, deep down, her wolf wasn't afraid.

That was the most terrifying thing of all.

Because despite everything—the chains, the prison, the threats—her wolf wanted to get closer. Not to run away.

Laura shook her head, trying to clear it.

"No," she whispered. "This is just another prison. He's just another jailer."

But even as she said the words, she knew something was different.

Something had changed when he'd gotten close to her. When he'd breathed her in like she was something precious. Something he'd been looking for.

And tomorrow, at moonrise, she would find out what that meant.

Laura leaned back against the wall, her chains rattling softly.

Whatever game Lucian was playing, whatever he thought he knew about her, she wouldn't make it easy for him.

Even if her wolf had other ideas.