Lucien I could feel my wolf stir the moment I saw Chris go too close to Irene. He had been trying to harass her in my very presence without fear. Had he been blind to see that I was there? Or had he forgotten his place? The possessiveness slammed into me like a rush of waves, tightening my chest and heating up my blood. My fingers clicked and my hand tightened as I took a slow breath, willing myself to stay calm. Chris had no idea what he was playing with. Maybe I had been too cool with him, and he hadn’t realized how bad what he was doing was. And as for Irene? She sat stiffly in her chair, her face tight and her eyes dark with fear, so I thought. I caught a slight tension in her shoulders. I also saw the way her body fidgeted and the way her hand curled under the table as if she were restraining herself from doing something silly. She didn’t like his presence. Neither did I, and I was going to show him that now. “Back off!” I yelled at him, my voice filled with enough aut
IreneI barely made it two steps into the hallway before Eve appeared in front of me, looking so fierce as if she was about to fight someone.Hatred burned in her eyes, and I almost turned to take another route.I was sick of her. The other day, Lucien swore with everything in him that she was only going to stay for a few days, but now? That wasn’t the case.She was here to stay, and she had gotten so comfortable."You really have no shame, do you?" she sneered, and I sighed, already tired of the endless back and forth between us."What do you want, Eve? If I’m not mistaken, I didn’t do anything to you. Can you just let me be?” I asked, sighing for the second time.“Who cares, silly? I’m just here to remind you that you are going beyond your bounds,” she said, and I could feel her breath blowing hot against my face. “You think you can come in here, demand things, and have Lucien protect you like some fragile little princess? You are mistaken. I think I have to put an end to that.”I s
IreneI slammed my door shut, leaning against it for support as my heart pounded against my ribs.Peris. Of all people.It felt like some cruel joke and a twisted punishment.How could Lucien have done this to me?This was a slap in the face. It was an insult. He had so many men to choose from, but he had to get my ex.Taking a shaky breath, I pressed my forehead against the cool wood of the door.I needed to relax and relieve myself from this kind of prank that was being played on me.How was I going to cope with this? There had to be a way somehow. Lucien had to change it and send him away. That was all I wanted.But my moment of peace was short-lived as I heard a funny noise echoing through the walls, and surprisingly, it was coming close to me.I stiffened at the sound of it. I didn’t know what to expect, and I wasn’t scared.As long as what was coming wasn’t here to kill me, then I was cool.Slowly, I turned the knob and cracked the door open just enough to see him.It was Peris,
IreneIf I had been given an award for the many times I had called Peris names, then I was quite sure I would have had a lot.There was nothing good about him, and trust me, I wasn’t saying all of this because he was my ex.I was saying this because he was no good. That was the plain truth, and I wasn’t trying to mince my words.He hadn’t been a good person, and up until now, I was still in shock that Alpha Lucien had brought him to me.All of them had been the same. They had all been the same.I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my arms as Peris leaned lazily against the wall. He still had his usual infuriating smirk on full display, and it did nothing to make me feel better.Now, I regretted not having a gun because if I had had one, I would have shot him in the head long ago."You’re a pest," I complained, shaking my head. I didn’t care about how he felt; as long as the message was passed, then it was all good. "A stubborn, annoying, insufferable pest,” I added, and he just laughe
LucienChris barged into my office without knocking, distracting me from my work.His heavy boots kept hitting against the hard floor as he approached my desk, and I had to decide whether to leave everything I was doing to focus on him or not.“You need to get rid of him,” he informed me, and finally, after more consideration, I didn’t look up from the documents I was reviewing.“Get rid of who?” I asked, my eyes still on the documents, and Chris scoffed, placing his hands on my desk.“Peris,” he said, and I was quite surprised that this was coming from him.If anybody was to be complaining about this, it would be Irene, not him.At that, I finally raised my head.“What about him? Did he do something wrong, or did he go against the rules of this pack?” I asked, and Chris’s lips curled in disgust.“The truth is, he is a menace. He’s not doing his job. He’s too busy drooling over Irene like some pathetic fool. I caught him again today, hovering around her like a lost puppy. It was very
Irene"Stop it!"A sharp gasp tore from my lips as I was ripped from Peris’ hold with a brutal and sudden force that I barely had time to register what was happening.My feet stumbled over themselves, and before I could regain my balance, I was lying flat on the cold, hard ground. The impact of the fall sent a dull ache through my palms and knees.What the hell had just happened? I had fallen down? How? One moment, Lucien had sent him away.Then, the next minute, he had jerked him off the ground and thrown me to the floor.You might think I was at fault for following Peris after Lucien had dismissed him. But I wasn’t! I swear, I wasn’t. I had simply been following my bodyguard.My head snapped up in time to see Peris being kicked into the air like someone without bones.His body twisted mid-air before he landed with a harsh thud, rolling over the dirt.He groaned in pain, struggling to push himself up, but the menace of a man standing over him made it clear—he wasn’t allowed to move.
Lucien“You weren’t leaving, Irene! I wasn’t going to allow you to leave if you wouldn’t come here and let us have a discussion!”That was me shouting at the top of my voice and sweating profusely because of what had happened between the both of us some minutes ago.I didn’t know what else to tell her. I wasn’t too shy to face her, but she had tried to get herself away from me.No, I wasn’t going to allow that.“What else did you want from me, Lucien? Clearly, you could see that I wasn’t in the mood for this,” she had said, sitting on the edge of my desk with her legs crossed and her arms folded tightly over her chest.I couldn’t tell if she was angry or mad at me because of what had happened earlier. She was making me have different thoughts that were driving me insane.She had been thinking. She had been overthinking, actually. I could see it in the way she bit her lower lip, the way her fingers tapped against her arm slowly, and now, all I wanted was to have a word with her so that
IreneI felt so warm when I woke up and my body was on the softest bed sheets I had ever known.I didn't know what had happened to me, but I felt so satisfied.My eyes snapped open. I noticed it was morning already, but I felt a sharp pain shooting out from my head.My heart slammed against my ribs as the events of last night flooded back.Lucien, again! Now, I couldn't deny that I had loved every bit of what had happened last night.His touch, His lips, his body. Everything had felt right, and I could still feel the fire that had consumed the both of us.I sat up immediately, only to feel the cool air brush against my bare skin.Then, I looked down.“Oh my God!” I blurted out and quickly held my mouth with my hand after a gasp tore through me.I struggled to pull up the sheets tighter around my body, and I could hardly breathe.I had been completely exposed beneath the covers, lying across Lucien’s bed like it was a normal thing.It was then I began to panic. What had I really done?
IRENE “You look beautiful, Luna.” One of the maids whispered, stepping back to admire her work on me.. It's the morning of the mating ceremony. My heart thudded with nervous excitement when the maids filed into my room to dress me up. I stared at my reflection. I looked breathtaking. This was the kind of life that I deserved. “I… thank you,” I murmured to the maid, fingers brushing over the necklace that now rested on my collarbone. The meeting ground was filled to the brim. The whole pack had gathered. It was a sea of smiling faces, murmuring blessings, dressed in their best for the occasion. Silas stood near the altar, dressed in royal blue, his hands were clasped together, the sacred scrolls at his side. And then, there he was, Lucian, my alpha. He stood at the center of the courtyard like a solid pillar. His eyes were locked on me as I was led to meet him. “By the blessing of the Moon,” Silas intoned when I was facing Lucian. “We are gathered here to witness the sacred
LUCIEN My eyes widened in shock when I heard what she said. I asked her to repeat it to be sure I heard the right thing. “I am pregnant,” Irene said again when I asked her to, her voice barely above a whisper, but those words cracked through my chest in a way I never thought it would. The world tilted. She IS pregnant. For a moment, I couldn’t speak. I just stared at her, trying to absorb the weight of her confession. I even frowned because I was too confused to understand her, not because I was angry. I saw fear travel to her eyes, and I had to soften my expression to assure her that I was happy. “You…” I took a breath. “You’re serious?” Irene nodded, her eyes already heavy with tears. “Yes.” I stepped closer, cupping her face with both hands, my thumbs brushing her cheeks. “Why… why didn’t you tell me earlier, my love?” She bit her lip, and then, as if the dam had broken, she spoke. “I found out while I was still with Kael,” she said, her voice shaking. “Back when I was ta
Irene's POVI sat cross-legged on the bed, my fingers absently trailing over the hem of the gown sample laid beside me. A maid had dropped it off hours ago, it was a gift from the council of Elders. The mating ceremony was about a week away, and the house buzzed with preparations—flowers, fabrics, feasts. It was exciting. I loved all the attention I got, but Lucien had grown distant, distracted.He was still here, assuring me that he cared, but it had changed. A knock came and Lucien stepped in. He looked tense, but he still managed to give me a soft smile."You're awake," he said.“I waited.” I rose slowly. “You missed dinner again. What's going on Lucien? Did I do something wrong?”His eyes clouded, a fleeting look of hurt flickered across his face. “Oh, Irene.” He pulled me to the bed and we sat down. “Is that how I made you feel?”I nodded and he continued. “I'm sorry, my love. I was hurting you unintentionally.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “There’s been… something to fo
Irene“Lucien, did you cook again?” I asked as I smelt the rich and buttery scent of something. My brows lifted when I stepped into the room. There it was, laid out in its glory: a large plate of pasta and chicken on the small table near the window.“My queen, it's all yours.” Lucien chuckled like a kid who just got his first bicycle. I blinked, stunned. “What is all this about?”“Don’t freak out,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I only burned one thing this time and it's still good. The chicken is tender.”I laughed, the sound bubbling out before I could stop it. “Why did you keep cooking, Lucien?”He shrugged, as if it were no big deal. “You’re too beautiful to be stressed. I wanted to give you something back. Besides…” He stepped closer, voice dropping to a teasing whisper. “I think I’m improving.”“You are,” I murmured, staring at the food. My heart fluttered—because he cared too much. The first time he’d cooked for me, it had been a disaster.“Common,” he had s
Irene pov A month later, peace had finally returned to the pack and I could finally breathe. The air shifted and changed into something better and less contaminated. During that same time, I had been working really hard to gain the trust of the pack. "You know they're calling you 'The Gentle Luna' now, right?" Camila said, grinning as she handed me a mug of tea. I blinked and paused for a while. "Wait, what? Seriously?" I asked and She nodded at me. Her eyes were full of excitement. "It's spreading. The news is spreading outside the pack house. Even the traders in the market were saying how kind you were to the orphanage. Someone even mentioned you helped a little girl fix her broken doll. I'm so proud of you, sweetbreads,” she revealed and I chuckled, feeling warmth rise in my chest. "I didn't think people noticed that. This has to be very lovely news!” "Well, they did. And they are talking about it and they are doing that In a good way." That morning sunlight came i
Lucien “It is done, Alpha.” The guards assured me about Malcolm's additional punishment already carried out. I felt at peace at last. The traitors had been punished, and the pack would begin to heal. Though Kael was still out there, I knew he was no match for me, especially since his actions had been so wildly spread. If he were to ever be seen, he would not escape my wrath.The pack members would see that he was duly executed. Left to him, I would have killed him. He touched Irene and that alone should have made me behead him myself. Irene joined me in our room after talking to Silas. I was content that they were bonding well. She came to meet me on the bed, her warmth a gentle reminder of why I shouldn't bother about anything. She was cool, she was ice and she was fire. As we rested, Irene asked. “Lucien, why did you spare the council member's lives? I mean, you had every right to kill them, but you didn't. That's the punishment for traitors, death.”I looked at her, my eyes sea
Lucien“Long live the Alpha, long live the Alpha.”The crowd cheered loudly, content about the verdict I gave each of the traitors. It was the hardest for me to do. Tos sentence all seven of the council of Elders, but I was sure that was the right thing to do.“It's time for Malcolm Stark's verdict!” One of the guards announced. The ground fell silent as the elders were led away, their fate sealed. I nodded to the guards, my voice firm. "Bring Malcolm in."The guards returned with Malcolm, his eyes gleaming with desperation and anger. He wasn't remorseful. He didn't even reflect on what he had done. To him, he was right and everyone was wrong. He stood tall, his shoulders squared, but I saw the faintest tremble in his lips. As he faced me, his gaze darted around the room, searching for an ally or an escape.“If you're looking for where to run to, I assure you that you wouldn't move two feet without getting stabbed in your neck, so, relax and be good.” I said. The guards chained him
LucienPeris would receive his judgement today. And then the council of Elders too. I didn't want to judge them altogether. I was going to hear each and everyone's side of the story. To me, that was fair and just. I was dressed and ready for the day when Irene came to stand by my side. "It's time for Peris's judgment," I said, my voice firm.She placed a hand on my arm, her eyes searching mine. "I wish you luck, my love,” she took a pause and went on. “Peris is not a man of many words, Lucien. He is timid and loyal, in his own way. Perhaps you should allow him to speak for himself. He might not even understand half of the plan.”I nodded, considering her words. When Silas and I had been listening to the conversation they had in Kael's house, Peris seemed like the last person to understand the plan. He wasn't much of a contributor, just a sleeping accomplice. "Very well," I said. "I'll hear him out. But, why am I feeling like you want me to spare him?”She laughed. “No, silly. I know
Irene's POVI closed the door softly behind Lucien, his kiss still lingered on my lips. He said he wanted to meet with some pack members, to reassure them after the chaos of the arrest.He seemed relieved at least. That was all that mattered to me. Apart from the butterflies tingling at the pit of my belly, I was fine. It was late now and all I wanted was Lucien's presence with me. To hold me, kiss me, and feel me. I couldn't ever get enough of him. He was my strength and my weakness.A knock broke through my thoughts and I answered.“Come in,” I said, rising to my feet, heart thudding for a reason I didn't know.The door creaked open, and Silas stepped inside. He stood, his eyes somber, rimmed with guilt and sadness. He looked pale. I hadn't forgotten that he had been stabbed, his arm had been bandaged.“Silas, are you okay? You look so pale.” I said, already moving closer to him. “Did you eat at all?”“Irene,” he said, his voice low. “Can I talk to you?I nodded slowly and motione