CHAPTER 13 - A Dangerous Alliance

I don’t trust him.

The thought settles deep and steady, not loud, not frantic. Just true.

Lucian watches me like he already knows that. Like he expects it.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” he says.

I cross my arms. “Then stop listening.”

A corner of his mouth lifts. “If I could, I would.”

I don’t look away. “You said there was another secret.”

“Yes.”

“And you waited.”

“Yes again.”

“Why?” I demand.

“Because timing matters,” Lucian replies. “And you weren’t ready to hear it.”

Anger sparks. “You don’t get to decide when I’m ready.”

He steps closer, not invading, not retreating. “If I told you everything at once, it would have broken you.”

“I don’t break,” I say sharply.

His gaze sharpens too. “That’s why you survived.”

I exhale. Slow. Controlled.

“Say what you came to say,” I tell him.

Lucian nods. “I want to train you.”

I laugh, sharp and humorless. “Train me like a weapon?”

“Like a leader,” he corrects.

“I didn’t ask for this power.”

“No,” he says. “But it asked for you.”

I shake my head. “You want something.”

“I want balance,” he replies. “And justice.”

“And revenge,” I add.

His eyes darken. “That too.”

Silence stretches.

I study him. The calm. The restraint. The danger under both.

“What happens if I say no?” I ask.

Lucian doesn’t hesitate. “Then others will train you. Poorly. Or forcefully.”

A chill runs through me.

“You think Damon would let me walk away untouched?” he continues. “You think the council will?”

I clench my fists. “They don’t own me.”

“No,” Lucian agrees. “But they will try.”

“And you?” I ask quietly. “What will you try?”

He meets my gaze. “To keep you alive.”

My chest tightens.

“I don’t want another protector,” I say.

“I’m not offering protection,” he replies. “I’m offering the truth.”

I swallow. “Show me.”

Lucian lifts his hand slightly. “Feel.”

I hesitate. Then I close my eyes.

Something shifts.

Heat spreads through me. Not wild. Focused. Controlled.

My breath stutters. “It’s stronger.”

“Yes.”

“And different,” I whisper.

Lucian’s voice is low. “You’ve been holding it back your whole life.”

Images flash. My mother’s fear. Her rules. Her warnings.

Hide. Stay small. Be normal.

“She knew,” I murmured.

“She did,” Lucian confirms. “She feared what would happen if they sensed you.”

I open my eyes. “You said I was erased.”

“You were hidden,” he corrects. “There’s a difference.”

My pulse races. “Hidden from what?”

Lucian’s gaze sharpens. “From the Alpha bloodlines.”

I stiffen. “What did you just say?”

“You weren’t meant to be a Luna,” he says evenly. “You were meant to rule.”

The words slam into me.

“That’s impossible,” I whisper.

Lucian doesn’t blink. “You were born an Alpha.”

My legs weaken.

“No,” I shake my head. “Alphas are”

“Chosen,” he finishes. “Yes. By power.”

My heart pounds. “You’re lying.”

“I don’t lie about blood,” he replies.

Anger surges. “Then why didn’t anyone feel it?”

Lucian’s voice softens. “Because your mother suppressed it. At great cost.”

Pain lances through my chest.

“She hurt herself,” I whisper.

“She saved you,” he corrects.

I struggle to breathe. “All this time… I thought I was nothing special.”

Lucian steps closer. “You were never ordinary.”

Tears burn, but I refuse to let them fall.

“If I train,” I say slowly, “what does it cost?”

Lucian’s jaw tightens. “Everything.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only honest one.”

I look away. “And if I walk away?”

“You’ll awaken on your own,” he says. “Without control.”

Fear creeps in.

“I won’t let them turn me into a monster,” I say.

Lucian’s voice is firm. “Then don’t refuse what you are.”

I turned back to him. “Fine.”

He raises a brow. “Fine?”

“I’ll train,” I say. “On my terms.”

Lucian nods. “That’s the only way.”

The power inside me stirs again. Stronger. Faster.

“It’s reacting,” I whisper. “Why now?”

“Because you stopped denying it,” he says.

My knees buckle.

Lucian catches me. Not rough. Not gentle. Steady.

Pain flares. Heat surges.

“I can’t control it,” I gasp.

“Yes, you can,” he insists. “Breathe.”

“I am breathing!”

“Not enough.”

My vision blurs. Gold light pulses beneath my skin.

Lucian grips my shoulders. “Listen to me. You’re not breaking.”

“I feel like I am,” I choke.

“You’re awakening,” he says firmly.

My heart pounds wildly.

“I don’t want this,” I whisper.

“You already have it,” he replies.

The power surges again. Harder.

I scream.

Then everything goes dark.

The last thing I hear is Lucian’s voice, urgent and unafraid.

“Hold on, Alpha.”

And the word echoes as I fall.