Guilt

Lucia’s POV

The door closed with a soft thud behind me, but the tension in the air didn’t go anywhere. My bare feet padded against the cold hallway floor as Alpha Herod and Beta Mario walked ahead of me, not saying a word, not even sparing me a glance. Their silence made everything feel heavier, like something thick was stuck in my throat and I couldn't swallow it down. My father's gait was brisk, like a man desperate to escape the shame of what he had just witnessed. Mario’s, though... his steps were slower, more uncertain. And even though he hadn't said a word yet, I could feel his eyes on me. That jealous, conflicted gaze of his burned into my skin like a quiet brand.

We turned a corner and stopped abruptly. My father finally glanced back at me, his lips pressed into a tight line like he was forcing himself not to yell. But why the fuck should I care about him yelling? He’d done far worse than this for all I care.

"Mario," he said, his voice firm but flat. "Make sure she gets to her room. She should start getting ready. We can’t afford to keep the King waiting. I won’t let her reckless behaviour embarrass us again."

I didn’t say a word, just lowered my gaze. The only thing louder than the awkward silence was the dull throb in my ankle and the way my heart wouldn't just beat, but punch my chest from the inside like it was trying to warn me.

Mario only nodded, not even looking at my father. The air between them felt charged, like there were things both of them wanted to say but swallowed. Alpha Herod gave one last look at me—disappointment dressed as control—then walked away.

And just like that, it was just me and Mario. Alone.

We walked slowly. The corridor stretched endlessly like it wanted to force us to have this conversation we were both trying to avoid. I didn't look at him, but I still felt his eyes.

"So?" His voice finally cut through the silence. It wasn't harsh, but the pain in it scratched at my skin. A whisper of regret with jealousy tucked behind it.

I didn’t answer.

He tried again. "You were with him all night?"

Still, nothing from me. I kept walking. Kept my hands wrapped tight around the ends of the coat I wore, as if I held it hard enough, it would stop the emotions from leaking out of me.

Mario sighed loudly. The kind of sigh that carried too much. Not just anger, not just sadness, but all the things you wish you could undo.

"I never thought I'd ever see this day..." he said, his voice lower now, almost like he was talking to himself. "That I would escort my own mate to live with another man."

My steps faltered, just for a second. But I kept walking, even though my chest felt tight.

Mario stopped, I had to stop too, I still don’t know why I did, but I stopped and I turned to him slowly.

He looked at me with something between hurt and guilt. His jaw clenched, his lips parted like he wanted to say something else but the words were stuck halfway.

"Well," he said, letting out a dry, bitter laugh. "I'm glad you found someone better. Someone who doesn't have to be manipulated into doing things he shouldn't. Someone who is in full control of his own life."

Our eyes locked.

For a moment, the weight of what we once had hung in the air like smoke. And despite the anger still alive inside me, the betrayal he brought into my life... his words pulled at something inside me. Something old. Something broken.

His eyes were red around the edges, and I swear he was blinking back tears.

I hated that it made me feel something.

I hated that he still had that power over me.

I turned back around without another word and entered my room. The door clicked softly behind me, but I didn't move. I just rested my head against the wood, letting out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding.

Everything inside me felt like it was spinning.

One second I was kissing the Lycan King, getting carried into his bed like I mattered... like I wasn't just a pawn in a stupid game of politics and territory. The next second, Mario's voice was in my head again, stirring up all the pieces I'd worked so hard to bury.

I slid down against the door, my back hitting the wood as I sat on the floor, staring at nothing exactly.

Was this really happening?

Did I really spend the night wrapped in Rhein's arms? Did he really defend me like that? Tell the Alpha and Beta that I was important to him? Look at me like I was the only thing that mattered?

Was he for real?

Or was it all just a trick?

Some carefully staged illusion to reel me in, to make me feel safe, important... wanted. Only to use me when it suits him, then toss me like he did the queens before me.

I don’t know.

I hate that I don’t know.

My hands touched my lips. That kiss last night. The way he touched me, not with roughness, but with something that felt too close to care. Too close to... affection. The way he looked at me when he said I was the only one he wanted.

Did he mean it?

Or was he just good at this?

Good at making a woman forget who she is. What she stands for.

I hated that my heart beat faster just thinking about him.

Lara stirred in my head again. Her voice wasn’t mocking this time.

"He didn’t have to defend you like that, Lucia... but he did. And you felt it too, didn’t you? The way he held you... It wasn’t just lust. There was more. You know it."

"Stop," I muttered.

"You're scared," she added softly. "You're scared to believe it could be real."

I got up, my legs wobbling a little. I limped to the mirror and stared at myself. My hair was a mess, my eyes still swollen from not enough sleep, my lips slightly bruised from the kisses that made my head spin. I looked like someone caught in the middle of a war she didn't ask for.

I wanted to wash his scent off me, but part of me wanted to keep it.

That scared me more than anything else.

I pulled off the coat, tossed it over the chair, and limped to the closet. My bag sat there, half-packed from the night before when I'd planned to run. I stared at it for a long time, my thoughts noisy and wild.

If this was a trap, then I'd already stepped into it with my heart wide open.

But what if it wasn't?

What if Rhein was different?

What if, for once, someone actually meant the things they said to me?

My hands touched the mark on my shoulder. The one that should've bound me to Mario. But it never burned with longing anymore. It never whispered to me the way they said a true mate bond should. Maybe it never really was that strong to begin with. Maybe it died the day he betrayed me.

Maybe I wasn’t his mate anymore.

And maybe... just maybe... I was meant for someone else.

But would Rhein ever truly be mine? Or was I just a pretty piece on his game board?

I don't know. And that not-knowing is the worst part.

All I knew right now was that I needed to dress up, pull myself together, and go meet the man who made my world feel like it was spinning and standing still at the same time.

And somehow, I needed to guard my heart.

If it wasn't already too late.