CHAPTER 39 LucianCan we?That was all I asked her. A simple question. My voice had been quiet, almost hesitant, like a man asking for something he already knew might be denied. But I had to ask—not because I couldn’t hold back, but because I wanted her to know that her decision mattered to me.She looked up at me, her eyes calm… soft. Not afraid. Not angry. There was something peaceful in her expression—like she finally felt safe with me. That alone made my heart feel full. Her smile wasn’t wide, but it was real. The kind of smile that rises from inside when the heart is no longer carrying so much pain. But then she said no. Not yet. Not this time.And I understood her.I wasn’t disappointed. I wasn’t hurt. I was… proud of her.Proud that she could say no, and that I was finally the kind of man who could hear it without taking it personal. I laid there next to her, watching her pull the covers closer to her chest, not out of shame—but for comfort. My arm was still around her. She di
SELENAThe soft rhythm of his breathing was the first thing I noticed. It was slow, deep, and steady—like the calm waves of an early morning sea. My eyes fluttered open, and for a second, I wasn’t sure where I was. The room was dim, kissed gently by the pale light of dawn leaking through the small window. The air smelled like him—warm cedarwood and something distinctly… Lucian.And then I saw him.Lucian was lying on his side, eyes wide open. He wasn’t just awake—he was looking at me. Not in a casual, sleepy way, but like he was seeing something rare… like I was something fragile and precious, something he couldn’t afford to lose. There was no hardness in his eyes, none of that usual alpha dominance or pride. Just softness… and something else. Something that made my chest ache.He didn’t even realize I was watching him.That look on his face—it did something to me. It unraveled me from the inside. I had never been looked at like that before. Not by anyone. Not with that much quiet re
CLUCIANThe last seven days had been nothing short of remarkable for me. It was the kind of peace I hadn’t known in years—the kind that seeped deep into my bones and quieted the chaos I had grown used to living with. For so long, my life had been a blur of pain, regret, and the hollow weight of responsibility. But since the past seven days, everything has changed. And the reason was simple: Selena.My healing had been rapid—almost unnatural. Physically, I could feel my strength returning each day. The aches that clung to my muscles had vanished like they were never there. But more than that, it was the healing I couldn’t see that truly stunned me. The darkness that had plagued my mind—the bitterness, the guilt, the burning silence from my wolf—was no longer there.Selena’s presence had done something to me. Her scent, her voice, her closeness—it brought calm. My wolf, who had turned his back on me, now stirred often, restless but content. We were finally aligned again. No more resista
SELENAMy arms wrapped gently around him. His body was warm, but fragile. And as I touched him, something inside me cracked open.Memories swarmed me like a storm I couldn't outrun.The cruelty—I saw the way he made the pack members sneered at me again, felt the sting of their words, the way they looked at me like I was nothing. Less than nothing. An outsider. A joke.The mockery—the laughter behind my back, the whispers that turned into roars when I walked into a room. The shame they tried to bury me in. The betrayal in every familiar face that looked away.The pain—gods, the pain. Of being silenced. Rejected. Made to question my own worth. The ache of a bond that should have brought me comfort, but only burned.But then... something shifted.Lucian.The way he began to see me—not just as an omega, but as a wolf. A fighter. Someone worth standing beside.The way he chose me in battle—not out of duty, but because he believed in me. Because he wanted to.I remembered Nightshade—the cha
SELENAThe forest floor softened beneath my feet as I walked, each step pulling me closer to the edge of Bloodfang territory. I could hear distant voices now—pack members scattered like whispers across the breeze. Laughter, movement, life. A place I once feared. A place that had turned on me. And yet, I kept walking.The treeline broke, and the full view of Bloodfang opened before me. Buildings, patrol paths, smoke curling from chimneys. And there it was—a small house off to the right, exactly where my wolf had pointed me. A strange stillness hovered around it, like it didn’t quite belong here. Something in my chest tightened.I stopped, eyes locked on the quiet structure. That was it. That was where he was. I didn’t need to ask. His presence called to me even now. Faint but familiar. And then, a figure emerged from the house.A she-wolf.I squinted. Recognition slammed into me like cold water. The healer. The same healer who had turned the pack against me. Who let Helena paint me as
CHAPTER 34 LUCIANThe sun hadn’t been up for long when the door creaked open. Light crept in, not harsh or blinding, but soft—like the sky was still waking up. A breeze followed it, quiet and cold, brushing against my skin like something that missed me. I lay there, still and listening, my ribs aching, my head heavy. But I was alive. That much I could feel.The door moved again.She stepped in.The healer.Same calm face. Same soft steps. Same wooden bowl in her hands. The smell hit first—earthy and sharp, like boiled roots and something bitter, wrapping around the room before she even spoke.“You’re awake,” she said, her voice low but clear, with that same quiet authority she always carried.I blinked against the soft light coming through the window. My body still ached, but it wasn't the sharp, unbearable kind anymore. Just a dull echo of the war I’d come out of.“Barely,” I muttered, trying to adjust. My shoulder tensed, and a grunt slipped out before I could stop it.She didn’t f