Chapter 3 : Untraceable

Lucian’s POV

I didn't sleep.

I lay in bed, and stared right at the ceiling, the moon was penetrating through the curtain, but I only saw him, his silver eyes, his smirk and the way his mouth touched mine.

The way his teeth sank into my neck.

My body was still hot, it was still shaking and my wolf wouldn’t stop growling inside me.

Mine.

I got up before the sun rose.

And I went straight to the control room. Two guards were there, drinking coffee.

“Pull up the cameras from last night,” I said.

They jumped to their feet.

“Yes, Alpha,” one said, and his fingers were already typing.

“The banquet hall. Focus on the waiters. There was one with silver eyes.”

They searched and the screen showed flashes from last night, guests laughing, servers walking around, and music playing.

“There,” I said, pointing. “Pause. Zoom in.”

The camera stopped on a group of waiters and my heart started to race.

But he was not there.

We went through all the cameras, front gate, side exit, kitchens, guest rooms, but there was nothing.

I stepped closer to the screen. “Check again.”

“We already did, Alpha,” the shorter one said “There’s no waiter like that. No silver eyes. Not on any camera.”

I clenched my jaw.

“That’s impossible. He was there.”

“He didn’t leave through the gates. There were no vehicles left after the event except yours and Miss Selene’s.”

I gripped the back of the chair.

“Do you think I imagined him?” I snapped.

The guards dropped their eyes.

“No, Alpha.”

But they didn't believe me and I stormed out.

I sat across from Selene at breakfast. She was wearing a silky blue robe and her hair was curled, her lips were pink.

She smiled, but I didn’t feel anything.

“I was thinking we should go with lilacs and silver for the ceremony,” she said. “Your mother loved lilacs.”

I nodded.

She kept talking and I didn’t listen.

My head was full of silver eyes and warm hands.

Selene stopped.

“Lucian,” she said sharply. “What’s wrong with you this morning?”

I blinked. “I’m tired.”

She folded her arms.

“You disappeared last night. I waited for you.”

“I had business.”

“What kind of business?”

“Private.”

She frowned.

Her wolf  was watching me now, behind her eyes.

She leaned back. “You smell... different.”

I stiffened. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “Your scent. It changed. Something’s off.”

I said nothing.

She raised her head. “Where were you really?”

I met her eyes. “Nowhere important.”

Her lips pressed together and she didn’t believe me.

Later, I saw her in the hallway, she whispered to her Beta and they stopped talking when they saw me.

She smiled too sweetly.

I knew she was planning something. She always did when she thought I was slipping away.

Back in my room, I closed the door behind me slowly. The silence felt heavy.

I took off my jacket and let it drop on the bed and my shirt from last night was still lying on the floor, it was crumpled where I had thrown it.

I bent down and picked it up.

It looked harmless, just a shirt, just fabric.

But when I lifted it to my face and then I smelled it, I froze.

His scent hit me like a wave, it was strong, it was wild and it was dangerous.

My hands began to shake and my chest felt tight and then I gripped the shirt harder.

“Why did I let him touch me?” I whispered.

“Why didn’t I stop him?”

My wolf growled inside me.

A low, deep sound.

Mine.

“No,” I said out loud, my voice sharper. “No. He is not mine.”

I looked down at the shirt again. My fingers trembled.

But then… I pressed it back to my face.

Why?

Why couldn’t I stop myself?

I hated this.

I hated the way my chest ached like something was missing.

I hated the way his scent made my stomach twist.

I hated the way I wanted it again.

I walked to the fireplace slowly. My legs felt weak, but I didn’t stop.

I knelt down, and threw the shirt inside, and lit a match.

I stared at the flames as they touched the fabric.

First it curled. Then it burned.

The scent began to fade, burned away by the fire.

But not in my mind.

His scent stayed there. Inside me. Like it was tattooed into my memory.

I stood up and walked to the balcony.

The cold wind touched my face.

I looked out over the garden below. The trees were still. The sky was dark.

Then my Beta walked up the steps behind me. His voice was quiet.

“Alpha… we questioned all the staff. Every single one.”

I didn’t turn to look at him.

He continued. “No one remembers seeing a silver-eyed waiter.”

I frowned. “That’s not possible.”

“He didn’t check in. There’s no name. No ID. No camera caught his face. It’s like… he wasn’t real.”

I turned around sharply.

“He was real,” I said. “I touched him.”

I moved my hand to the side of my neck.

“He bit me.”

My Beta’s eyes widened. He looked nervous now.

“Then maybe it was a rogue,” he said. “A rogue using magic. Or maybe… maybe it was a vision. A trick.”

I stepped forward and glared at him.

“Do I look like someone who sees things?”

He swallowed hard. “No, Alpha.”

He bowed quickly and left.

Now I was alone again.

The night felt colder.

I looked out at the garden once more.

My hand touched the place where he bit me.

It still burned.

He felt real. His touch felt real. His breath, his scent, his lips.

My body remembered him.

My soul remembered him.

So…

Where the hell did he go?

And why can’t I stop thinking about him?

Why does it feel like a part of me is missing now?

Like he took something I can’t ever get back.