CHAPTER 51

Lucian’s POV

That was the first thing I noticed when we got back. No celebration. Just quiet movement. Men handling what was left of the damage, cleaning wounds, dragging equipment, stepping over blood like it meant nothing. Like this was normal. Like it was just another day.

Behind me, the front door shut harder than it needed to.

Aaron.

I didn’t turn immediately.

“Say it,” I said.

Silence for half a second.

Then—“You left me.”

I turned slowly.

He was already looking at me, jaw tight, eyes sharp in a way that had nothing to do with the injury anymore. This wasn’t about the mission. This was personal.

“I told you to stay,” I replied.

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“It was an order.”

That did it. Something in his expression snapped, clean and visible.

“I’m not one of your men,” he said, stepping closer. “You don’t get to just decide when I’m useful and when I’m not.”

“You were injured.”

“I could still fight.”

“I didn’t need you to.”

The words landed exactly how I intended. And he felt it.

His hand curled slightly at his side. “You think I would’ve slowed you down.”

With no hesitation, I answered. “Yes.”

That pissed him off more than anything else.

“You don’t get to make that call for me,” he said, voice lower now, more dangerous. “You don’t get to lock me out like that.”

A quiet chuckle came from behind me.

Kael.

I glanced back, already irritated, and saw him with his hand resting at Vera’s waist like nothing had happened, like the entire place wasn’t still bleeding from what we just walked out of.

“You find this funny?” I said. “Not forgetting what’s inside?”

That wiped the look off his face instantly.

Like he just remembered.

Vera’s eyes moved between us. “What is inside?”

No one answered her.

Of course.

Kael shifted slightly. “Let me take you to your room,” he said to her. “Doctor needs to see you.”

She hesitated for half a second, clearly reading the tension, then nodded. He guided her away.

I turned back.

Aaron was still staring at me.

I smirked faintly and stepped forward, closing the space between us.

“I get to lock you up whenever I want,” I said quietly. “Now excuse me. I need to freshen up.”

His eyes held mine like he was deciding whether to push this further or not.

“You always do this,” he muttered. “You decide everything on your own and expect everyone else to just fall in line.”

“Yes.”

That answer almost made him laugh.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“And you’re alive,” I said, lowering my voice slightly, “because I made sure of it.”

He didn’t respond immediately. Didn’t look away either.

“I didn’t need protection,” he said after a second.

I tilted my head slightly. “That’s not your decision.”

His frustration shifted. Sharper now. Not just anger. Something deeper.

“You think I can’t handle myself.”

“I think,” I replied, calm, steady, “that if something had gone wrong, you would’ve gotten in my way.”

His breath hitched slightly.

“And I don’t make mistakes like that,” I added.

“You don’t trust me,” he said finally.

I didn’t answer.

Because that wasn’t the point.

His gaze dropped for a second, then came back up harder.

“Fine,” he said. “Next time, don’t bother giving orders. Just say you don’t want me there.”

I stepped back slightly.

“Noted.”

He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face before turning away.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered again.

I let him go.

Because pushing further wouldn’t fix anything.

And I had more important things to deal with.

Like the fact that Kael had a girl walking around this estate who was supposed to be dead.

---

Vera’s POV

Kael took me straight to my room after ordering one of his men to get the doctor. I insisted he needed treatment too, so he left.

My body felt heavy. Every step dragged, every movement reminding me of what just happened. My head was worse.

I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water, watching it run red as I washed off the blood. Not all of it was mine.

By the time I stepped out, drying my skin slowly, I heard it.

Voices.

At first, I ignored it.

Then I didn’t.

After everything that just happened, ignoring anything felt like stupidity.

I followed the sound.

Down the hallway. Past corners I knew too well. Into a part of the estate that felt… off.

Then I stopped.

The room wasn’t empty.

The moment I stepped in, I felt it.

That shift.

Like I wasn’t supposed to be here.

Then I saw her.

Lina.

Alive.

Everything in me went still.

My chest tightened so fast it hurt.

“No…”

It came out quieter than I expected.

But everyone heard it.

Lina’s head snapped up.

Our eyes met.

And everything hit at once.

Shock.

Relief.

Anger.

Betrayal.

“What…” My voice broke slightly. I swallowed hard. “What is this?”

No one answered immediately.

My gaze moved.

Found Kael.

Standing there like this wasn’t insane.

Like this wasn’t—

“You did this.”

Not a question.

His expression didn’t change.

“Yes.”

“You knew she was alive…” My voice slowed, trying to catch up with my thoughts. “No… wait… you killed her… you kept her alive…?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t tell me.”

Silence.

Something in me snapped.

Not loud.

Worse.

“You let me believe she was dead.”

Still nothing.

Lina tried to step forward. “Vera, I—”

“Don’t.”

My voice cut through the room sharp enough to stop her instantly.

Good.

Because I wasn’t ready for her.

Not yet.

My focus stayed on Kael.

“You made that decision for me.”

“I did what was necessary.”

That calm tone.

That control.

It made it worse.

“For who?” I asked. “For you? Or for me?”

“For the situation.”

I let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh.

“Of course.”

He stepped closer.

I didn’t move.

“She was useful,” he said.

Useful.

Like she wasn’t a person.

Like none of this mattered.

“You don’t get to decide that,” I said.

“I already did.”

God.

He was impossible.

“And I’m just supposed to accept that?” I asked. “Just stand here and act like that’s normal?”

“You’re supposed to understand it.”

“No,” I snapped. “I’m supposed to be part of it.”

The air shifted.

Everyone felt it.

“You were not in a position to question it,” he said.

That—

That was it.

I stepped forward without thinking.

Closed the distance.

And slapped him.

Hard.

The sound cut through the room like a gunshot.

Everything went still.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Like I had just crossed a line no one ever crossed.

Kael didn’t react the way they expected.

His head turned slightly with the impact.

Then he looked back at me.

Slow.

Controlled.

But his eyes—

His eyes said everything.

I didn’t care.

“Next time,” I said quietly, my voice shaking just enough to betray what I was holding back, “you don’t get to make that call alone.”

Then I turned.

Walked out.

Fast.

Before anything else could break.

Before he could say anything.

Before I changed my mind.

I didn’t stop until I reached the hallway, until the air felt different, until my chest started to burn from holding everything in.

My vision blurred.

Not from pain.

From everything else.......I can't.....