Chapter Twenty Eight

whispers in the dark

 Lucien

The door to my chamber closed behind me with a dull sound.

The room was dark.

At first, I thought I was alone. I loosened my coat and took a step forward, my body still heavy from the night. My leg ached, my head throbbed, and my thoughts would not settle.

Then a voice spoke from the shadows.

“You came back late.”

I stopped.

“Irene,” I said.

She sat on the edge of my chair near the window, her shape barely visible in the low light. The curtains were drawn. Only a thin line of moonlight slipped through.

“I was waiting,” she said.

“I didn’t ask you to,” I replied.

She stood slowly. “You didn’t need to.”

I sighed and moved toward the table. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“This is my room too,” she said calmly. “Isn’t that what everyone believes?”

I did not answer.

She stepped closer. I could sense her now, even without seeing her face clearly.

“You left earlier,” she continued. “You didn’t finish what you started.”

My jaw tightened. “Nothing was started.”

She laughed softly. “You were angry. That kind of anger does not disappear on its own.”

I turned to face her. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” she asked. “Speak the truth?”

“Irene,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “this is not the time.”

She moved closer still. “Then when?”

I could finally see her face. Her eyes were sharp. Calculating.

“You wanted me earlier,” she said. “You wanted control. You wanted to feel powerful.”

“That is not true,” I said.

She tilted her head. “Isn’t it?”

I looked away.

She took that as permission.

“If you take me now,” she said quietly, “everything changes.”

I felt my chest tighten.

“You’re the eldest son,” she went on. “If I carry your child, no one will dare question your place.”

I clenched my hands. “Stop.”

“They already mock you,” she said. “Your father. Your brother. The elders. They watch you waiting for you to fail.”

Her words hit where it hurt most.

“But a child,” she continued, “a child silences them.”

I closed my eyes.

“You would be Alpha sooner,” she said. “They would have no choice.”

My thoughts spun. Images rose in my mind. My father’s cold eyes. Darius’s smile. The council’s whispers.

Power.

Protection.

An end to their doubts.

“You don’t have to love me,” Irene said. “This isn’t about love.”

I opened my eyes and looked at her fully now.

“That is exactly the problem,” I said.

She frowned. “You think love matters in a pack like this?”

“I know it does,” I replied. “Even if no one admits it.”

She stepped closer again. “You are tired of fighting alone.”

I did not deny it.

“You are tired of being weak,” she pressed. “I can help you change that.”

My heart beat hard against my ribs. For a brief moment, the idea tempted me. Not her. Not truly. But the escape she offered.

A simple answer to a complicated life.

But then another face came to mind.

Erwin.

The way he looked at me without fear or pity. The way he challenged me. The way my chest tightened every time he walked away.

I stepped back.

“No,” I said.

Irene’s eyes widened. “Think carefully.”

“I have,” I replied.

“You’re throwing away power,” she said sharply.

“I am choosing myself,” I said.

She scoffed. “You think that boy you favor will save you?”

I stiffened. “Leave him out of this.”

She crossed her arms. “You protect him more than you protect yourself.”

I turned toward the door. “This conversation is over.”

“You won’t find another chance like this,” she called after me. “Your brother already has one.”

I paused with my hand on the door.

“Then let him keep it,” I said.

I opened the door and stepped out into the hall, leaving Irene standing alone in the dark.

The door closed behind me, but the weight in my chest did not ease.

I stood in the corridor for a moment, staring at the stone wall across from me. My thoughts tangled together, each one pulling in a different direction. Power. Survival. Shame. Anger. Irene’s words still echoed in my head, sharp and calculated.

You would be Alpha sooner.

I shook my head. “No,” I muttered to myself.

I began to walk.

My steps were uneven, my bad leg slowing me down, but I did not stop. I needed air. I needed space. I needed to think without her voice pressing into my mind.

The castle was quieter at this hour. Torches burned low along the walls. Shadows stretched long across the floor.

Then I heard voices talking softly and carefully. 

Guards.

I recognized their armor by the faint sound of metal shifting as they leaned close to one another. Normally, I would have ignored them. Guards always whispered. It was their way of passing the long nights.

I kept walking.

“…I’m telling you, it’s not a rumor.”

I slowed.

“Lower your voice,” another guard hissed.

My steps faltered.

“I heard it myself,” the first continued. “She was there. The woman. Irene.”

I stopped walking.

My chest tightened.

“What about her?” the second guard asked.

The first guard snorted quietly. “You think she came alone? She’s been meeting with the prince’s brother.”

My fingers curled slowly at my side.

“That’s dangerous talk,” the second guard warned.

“Dangerous or not, it’s true,” the first replied. “They’re planning something. I don’t know all the details, but it’s about Lucien.”

My name hit me like a blow.

“They said he’s weak,” the guard went on. “That he won’t last. That this marriage thing is just a way to finish him off.”

The air felt thick.

“And Irene?” the second guard asked.

“She’s in on it,” the first said. “Using him. Stirring things up. Making sure he looks unstable.”

My vision darkened at the edges.

“So the brother can take over,” the second murmured.

“Yes,” the first replied. “That’s the plan.”

I did not hear anything else.

The sound of my own blood rushing in my ears drowned out their voices. My chest burned. My wolf stirred, restless and furious, pressing against my ribs.

Sabotage my life.

I turned around.

I did not walk back to my chambers.

I stormed.

My footsteps echoed through the corridor now, loud and uncontrolled. Servants flattened themselves against the walls as I passed. No one dared stop me.

I reached my door and shoved it open.

“Irene,” I growled.

She turned from the window, surprise flashing across her face. “You’re back already?”

I crossed the room in three strides and grabbed her arm.

“Hey!” she shouted. “What are you doing?”

I did not answer.

I dragged her toward the door. She stumbled, trying to pull free.

“Let go of me!” she screamed. “Have you lost your mind?”

I yanked the door open and hauled her into the corridor.

Guards snapped to attention. Servants froze mid-step.

“Lucien!” Irene cried. “You can’t do this!”

I stopped suddenly and spun on her.

“How dare you,” I roared.

The sound came from deep in my chest, raw and full of rage. The corridor fell silent.

“How dare you use me,” I continued, my voice shaking, “and plan my ruin behind my back?”

She stared at me, her face pale now. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t lie to me,” I snapped. “I heard it. Your meetings. Your plans with my brother.”

Her eyes flickered.

Just once.

That was enough.

“You think I am blind?” I said. “You think I am stupid?”

She tried to pull away again. “You’re imagining things!”

“I heard guards whispering your secrets,” I said coldly. “You chose the wrong man to play.”

Fear crept into her expression, but she lifted her chin. “You have no proof.”

“I don’t need proof,” I said. “I see you now.”

She laughed sharply, but it sounded forced. “You’re nothing without allies, Lucien.”

I leaned closer. “Then you should have thought about that before you tried to destroy me.”

She swallowed hard.

I released her arm slowly, my hands trembling with barely controlled fury.