Chapter 3

Lucien's POV

There was a time when I believed love was stronger than destiny.

Now I know better.

Love was nothing more than a weakness people exploited until there was nothing left of you.

I swirled the amber whiskey in my glass before emptying it in one gulp, yet the bitter burn sliding down my throat did nothing to drown out the memories that refused to leave me.

Everywhere I looked…I saw her.

Fifteen years after my mother died, my father remarried.

He brought home a beautiful human woman and her shy, eighteen-year-old daughter.

The entire pack looked down on them from the very beginning.

As the future Alpha of Crescent Fang, I should have ignored her.

Instead...I fell in love.

Somewhere along the way, my stepsister became my entire world.

I knew what everyone would say if they found out.

She was human,and wasn't born into an Alpha bloodline and was my stepsister.

Every reason told me to walk away but I never could.

I had already decided that if loving Elena meant giving up my right to the Alpha throne, then I would gladly surrender it.

My father saw things differently.

The day he discovered our relationship was the first time I had ever stood against him.

He demanded that I end things with Elena and reminded me of my duty to the pack, of the alliance he had spent years arranging with Alpha Magnus Ravencrest's daughter, Lady Celeste Ravencrest.

I told him I didn't care.

He threatened to strip me of my birthright.

I looked him in the eye and told him he could have the throne..

All I wanted was Elena.

A week before I left for my Alpha training and business program overseas, I believed that when I returned, I would marry the woman I loved.

Fate had other plans.

I walked in on Elena lying naked in my uncle's bed.

I remembered every word she had said as though they had been carved into my soul.

"I love him, Lucien, I was only using you.

Go abroad. Forget about me and marry Celeste. She's the woman your father chose for you."

Every sentence had shattered another piece of me until there was nothing left.

I had walked away that day without looking back.

When I finally returned to Crescent Fang four months ago, I discovered that everything had changed.

My uncle was dead.

Elena had vanished without a trace.

Her mother had been imprisoned by my father for bringing disgrace upon the Ashthorne family and encouraging the forbidden relationship between the future Alpha and a human girl.

I argued, begged and demanded that my father release her.

For months, he refused.

Until he finally offered me a bargain.

"Marry Celeste Ravencrest and the moment she becomes your Luna, I'll release Elena's mother.”

I accepted, not because I wanted to.

But because an innocent woman shouldn't continue paying for mistakes that belonged to me.

Even so...Every time I looked at the engagement ring waiting in my study, one thought echoed through my mind.

Marrying Celeste would be the greatest mistake of my life.

She deserved a husband who loved her but unfortunately...My heart still belonged to a ghost.

I hated her.

No…

Hatred wasn't even a strong enough word for what I felt.

I despised Elena with every fiber of my being, and I swore I would never forgive her for what she had done.

She had betrayed me, humiliated me and turned me into the biggest fool in the entire Crescent Fang Pack.

A sharp knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Gideon walked inside wearing the infuriating grin he always had whenever he thought he was about to solve one of my problems.

"You've been hiding in this suite all evening," my Beta said. "If you keep staring at whiskey instead of drinking it, people are going to think our mighty Alpha has gone soft."

"I'm not interested."

"That's because you haven't heard my suggestion yet."

He dropped into the chair opposite me.

"There's a place in Astridge human pack called Velvet Eclipse.”

I didn't bother looking up.

"So?"

"They've got a masked performer there."

He smirked.

"The entire city is obsessed with her. They call her Coco…every man who's had her can't stop talking about her. Best lap dance in the city, and apparently she doesn't stop there…she gives the best blow jobs too”

I arched an eyebrow.

"And why should that concern me?"

"Because for one night..."

He shrugged.

"...you might actually stop thinking about Elena.”

I let out a humorless laugh.

"You seriously came all the way here to recommend a stripper?"

Gideon smirked.

"I came here because you're driving everyone crazy, you've been drowning yourself in work ever since you came to crescent fang. And before you come up with another excuse, I already cleared your schedule for the next twenty four hours”

My fingers curled around the whiskey glass.

"I don't need a distraction."

"No," Gideon said quietly. "You need a break before you lose your mind."

He stood, straightening his jacket.

“The private jet is fueled and waiting on the runway.  Go get this out of your system and come back tomorrow, then you start making plans for your wedding to Celeste and be the Alpha everyone expects you to be”

***

Three hours later, the private jet touched down in Astringe.

A black SUV was already waiting on the tarmac.

Within twenty minutes, it pulled up in front of Velvet Eclipse.

The nightclub was every bit as extravagant as Gideon had described.

Brandon, the club's owner, hurried toward me the moment I stepped inside.

"Mr. Ashthorne." He bowed respectfully. "It's an honor to welcome you to Velvet Eclipse."

I gave a curt nod.

Without another word, he personally escorted me to the exclusive VVIP lounge on the top floor.

The room was designed for absolute privacy.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering city and expensive whiskey sat untouched on the table before me.

Brandon cleared his throat.

"I hope you'll enjoy tonight's company."

I didn't answer..

He smiled awkwardly before gesturing toward the doorway and a woman stepped inside.

She wore crimson lace that hugged every inch of her voluptuous figure, while a black lace mask concealed the upper half of her face.

Brandon couldn't stop talking.

"This is Coco…our star attraction. Every influential man who walks into this club asks for her. She's elegant, captivating, and unlike anyone you've ever met…”

His voice faded into the background.

For some reason…

I wasn't listening anymore.

My eyes remained fixed on the woman standing silently a few feet away.

Something about the woman standing before me made every instinct inside me stand at attention.

Five years had passed, Elena was gone and yet for the briefest moment...I could've sworn I was looking at her.

I dismissed the thought immediately.

Impossible.

Without taking my eyes off the woman, I lifted a hand and gave Brandon a silent signal.

Leave.

Understanding at once, he offered a polite bow before slipping out of the lounge, the door clicking shut behind him.

Silence settled over the room.

Only then did the woman slowly step forward.

She kept her head lowered, her face remained hidden behind the black mask.

I adjusted my dark sunglasses, grateful they concealed my identity.

The last thing I needed was for anyone to recognize the Alpha of Crescent Fang in a place like this, especially with my wedding only weeks away.

For several long seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then I finally broke the silence.

"I don't like talking to strangers behind masks.”

I leaned back in my chair and looked directly at her.

"Take it off, I want to see your face.”