Chapter 2- First Lie

Julian stood at the door to the deck. His face was red with anger. The ship’s Christmas lights twinkled behind him, casting long, trembling shadows on the floor. He looked down at my hand, still cradled in Lucian’s big, warm palm. He looked as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Get away from her, Lucian,” Julian whispered. He walked toward us. He tried to look strong and intimidating, but next to Lucian, he looked like a child playing.

I felt fear strike me. My heart pounded in my ribs like a trapped bird. But then, I remembered the smell of jasmine and sandalwood in our room. I remembered the sight of Chloe’s hands in Julian’s hair. My fear turned to a cold, sharp blade. I didn’t pull my hand away. Instead, I squeezed Lucian’s fingers. I needed him to know I wasn’t going to run.

“He doesn’t want to come with you, little brother,” Lucian said. His voice was calm, but there was a growl beneath it. He didn’t move an inch. He stood like a mountain of leather and muscle between me and the man who had ruined my life.

“Azzianna, come here now,” Julian commanded. He used his “Alpha voice.” It was a magical command that usually made everyone in the group obey without thinking. But when he spoke like that, my knees went weak and I would do anything he asked.

I felt a slight tug in my mind, a small tug of magic forcing me to move. But the rope Julian had cut was too thin and broken to hold me. The pain he was causing me was stronger than his magic. I stayed exactly where I was, leaning against the warmth of Lucian’s thick jacket.

“No,” I said. The word felt like a miracle. It was the first time I had ever told him no.

Julian stopped walking. He looked confused. He was used to everything he said, especially me. I was always the “good” girlfriend, the quiet princess.

“What did you say to me?”

“I said no, Julian,” I repeated. I took a step back, still holding Lucian’s hand for strength. “I came back to the room early. I wanted to surprise you. I brought candles and romantic plans. But I think I got a surprise.”

Julian’s face become paled. The red anger had disappeared, and he looked sick at the blue Christmas lights. He knew exactly what I meant. He knew I had seen them. For a moment, he looked guilty, but then he looked at Lucian, and his guilt turned to intense anger.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Julian lied. His voice was shaking now. "Chloe is just a friend. You're getting emotional and crazy. You're making a scene out of nothing. Now, stop this drama and go back to the suite. We have a family image to protect. Everyone is watching us."

"Your 'friend' is in my bed, Julian," I said. I felt my eyes begin to glow a bright, angry yellow. My wolf was waking up, and he was furious. "And I don't care about your image anymore. What matters to me is my land. What matters to me is my family name. And what matters to me is the fact that I just found a better Alpha than you."

Julian laughed, but it sounded high and nervous. "He? Do you think my brother is an Alpha? He's an outcast, Azzianna. He's a biker who lives on the land with criminals. He doesn't carry anything. He doesn't have anything."

Lucian finally moved. He let go of my hand and took a step toward Julian. Lucian was taller, and his shadow enveloped Julian completely. The air around Lucian was hot, like a furnace. He wasn’t just any man; he was a predator who had spent years existing among them.

“The biker ate your wife, Julian,” Lucian growled. It was a deep sound that seemed to shake the very floor of the ship. “I ate her in front of the moon and the sea. If you want her back, you have to make me fight for her. Right here. Right now. No guards. No lawyers. Just us.”

Julian stepped back. He was a skilled fighter in a clean gym with a coach, but Lucian was a street fighter who fought for his life. Lucian had scars from real war and silver burns on his arms. Julian looked out at the dark, icy waters of the ocean, then at his brother’s massive fists. He is a coward at heart.

He couldn't.

"The Elders will hear this," Julian said, trying to find his pride. "They'll take your title for touching a woman who's having an affair. They'll throw you in prison. And Azzianna, you'll lose everything. You'll be a homeless beggar."

"To be honest," Lucian said, a dark, wicked grin moving across his scarred jaw. "The Elders love a good story. And I think 'The Betrayed Bride and the Rogue Hero' sounds better than 'The Alpha who Cheated on his Wedding Night.' I think they might find your behavior... disappointing." Julian growled, like a real wolf, but he didn't attack. He knew he couldn't win this fight. He turned and stormed off the deck, screaming that it wasn't over yet and that he would regret it.

I took a deep breath. I started to shake. The adrenaline was leaving my body, and the freezing Arctic air was finally hitting me again. My legs felt like jelly.

Lucian faced me. He no longer looked evil or scary. He looked at me with a strange, gentle look in his gray eyes. He reached out and pulled the collar of his leather jacket tighter around my neck to keep me warm.

“You did a good job, Azzianna,” he whispered. “You stood your ground.”

“He’ll tell everyone,” I said, my teeth chattering. “When breakfast comes, the whole ship will be talking. My name will be ruined.”

“Good,” Lucian said. “That’s the plan. We want them to talk. We want them to look at us instead of Julian’s lies. If we’re loud and public, he won’t be able to hurt you secretly.”

He put his arm around me and led me towards the golden elevators. "But if we're going to do this, we have to do it right. We can't stay in Julian's room. You're not safe there."

"Where am I going?" I asked. My mind was racing. Everything was happening so fast.

Lucian pressed the button for the top floor—the most expensive part of the ship.

"You're going to my suite. And tomorrow morning, we'll go into the dining hall together. We'll show them that the Silver-Bane line has a new protector."

I looked at him as the elevator doors opened.

"Lucian, we're not really lovers. We just met again tonight. Everyone will know it was a lie."

Lucian stepped into the elevator and pulled me inside with him. The doors closed, trapping us in a small, quiet space. He leaned forward, his face only a few steps from mine. I could smell his cigarette smoke and the scent of the wild woods on his skin. It was a strong, intoxicating scent.

“The world has to think we’re the ones,” he said. His gaze dropped to my throat. “And Julian has to believe that I’ve taken what he threw away. If he thinks the relationship is real, he can’t use the law to pull you back.”

He reached out and touched the skin of my neck with one thumb. It felt like a jolt of electricity. My heart pounded. I’d never felt anything like this with Julian. Julian was polite;

Lucian was primal.

“Are you ready for the next part?” he asked. “Because when we step out of this elevator as lovers, there’s no going back. People will judge you. People will hate you.”

I looked into his gray eyes. I thought of Julian. I thought of the life I should have—a life as a silent trophy for a cheating man. Then I looked at Lucian’s strength.

“I’m ready,” I whispered.

Lucian didn’t wait. He bent down, but he didn’t bite. He pressed his lips to the sensitive skin of my wrist. It was hot and hard. As I felt a flash of heat flow through my entire body, the elevator dinged.

The doors opened.

Standing right there in the hallway was Julian’s father—High Alpha Edward Vailant. He was the most powerful man in our world. He looked at me through my messy nightgown, and he looked at Lucian’s mouth on my neck. His face turned a bright, menacing purple.

“What does this mean?” the High Alpha growled. His voice was like a physical wall of power slamming into us.

Lucian didn’t move away for long. He moved slowly, holding me in his arms with ownership. He looked his father straight in the eyes, showing no fear.

“Merry Christmas, Father,” Lucian said. "I found something Julian lost. And I decided to hide it."

The High Alpha raised his hand as if to strike, but Lucian didn’t flinch. The tension in the hallway was so intense that I could barely breathe.

“You’re going to kidnap your brother’s wife?” Edward whispered, his voice shaking with anger.

“You’re going to bring this disgrace to our name to a ship full of our allies?”

“I didn’t steal her,” Lucian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “Julian dumped her for a mistress. I was just making sure the Silver-Bane blood stayed with a man who truly knew how to protect it.”

Edward looked at me, his eyes cold and sharp.

“Azzianna. Speak. Did my son force you?”

I looked at the powerful man who had always intimidated me. Then I felt Lucian’s hand on my waist, hard and warm. I took a deep breath.

“No, Alpha,” I said, my voice clear. "Julian broke off our relationship tonight. Lucian was the only one who helped me. I'll be living with him."

Edward and I stared at each other for a long time. The hallway was silent. I could hear the hum of the ship's engines. Finally, he closed his eyes.

"Tomorrow morning, at the Grand Breakfast, there will be a meeting of the Elders," Edward said.

"If you say this relationship is true, you will have to prove it under the old laws. If you lie, I will have you both thrown into the sea."

He turned and walked away without another word.

I leaned against the wall of the elevator, gasping for breath. "You'll prove it? How can we prove a lie, Lucian?"

Lucian looked at the closed doors, then back at me. A strange shadow crossed his face.

"We are making this the truth," he said.

Before I could even ask what he meant, he lifted me into his arms and walked me to his suite. I was trapped between a brother who hated me and a brother who might be my only hope, and the sun hadn't risen yet.