The Lost Beta 4 - Turn Between Blood and Bond

Emily’s heart pounded heavily as Lucien’s words echoed over and over in her mind.

"You never belonged here."

The world swayed. She drew away from Alexander's hold, her fingers shaking and her breaths shallow. Her father was in front of her and alive, the same man she had seen in spurts of blood and fire in her dreams.

Alexander spoke in a tense, hardly contained rage. "Don't listen to him, Emily."

Lucien’s red eyes gleamed. “She already is.”

Emily's throat was dry as she swallowed. A tempest was raging deep inside of her. For a long time now she had searched for answers, but now that the answers were stirring to her face, she wasn't certain she wanted them.

Lucien stretched his hand towards her and in a softer tone uttered. “Come with me. I will show you the truth.”

A choice.

And she didn’t know which path would destroy her more.

---

Alexander stepped forward, placing himself between Emily and Lucien. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”

Lucien sighed, almost amused. “It’s not your decision, Beta.”

Alexander growled, his muscles tensing as if ready to shift. “Like hell it isn’t.”

Emily looked between them, torn. With the weight of her choice bearing down on her chest, the air crackled with tension.

She turned to Alexander, voice trembling. "I might never get the answers I need if I don't go."

His expression hardened. "And you might never return if you leave."

She felt sick deep inside her stomach and felt reluctant to leave him. However, she was unable to ignore the void in her heart and the parts of herself that Lucien held.

“I have to know,” she muttered.

Alexander tightened his jaw. And for the first time, she saw it, the fear in his eyes.

Fear of losing her.

---

Lucien smirked. "Don't you sense it? The pull toward your true pack?”

Emily recoiled. She aimed to avoid developing any feelings for this man, yet her body deceived her. A whisper of familiarity. A flicker of connection.

Alexander saw it, and his wolf bristled. “You’re manipulating her.”

Lucien chuckled. “Am I? Or is she just realizing the reality?

Emily pressed a hand against her chest gently where her heart raced intensely. There was this strange feeling she suddenly experienced. She felt something was stirring inside of her. But was it the truth or just another lie?

She turned to Alexander. “Will you let me go?”

His expression darkened. “Not without a fight.”

Lucien’s smirk deepened. “Then fight me.”

---

Alexander made no hesitation.

With a deep growl, he charged forward, his wolf seizing control. Lucien evaded with ease, his actions overly calculated, overly exact.

Emily gasped as the two clashed, claws tearing through the air.

Alexander was strong, relentless, but Lucien was faster. Like a ghost, he moved in anticipation of each attack before it came.

And then…

A blur of movement.

Lucien dodged, twisting behind Alexander, his claws pressing against his throat.

Emily’s breath caught. “Stop!”

Lucien stilled. Then, slowly, he released Alexander and stepped back. “See, my child?” he said smoothly. “This pack has made you weak.”

Alexander wiped the blood from his chin, golden eyes blazing. “She’s not yours.”

Lucien’s lips curled. “Then let her decide.”

---

Emily stood frozen, heart hammering against her ribs.

She turned to Alexander. His body was battered, his chest rising and falling heavily. But his eyes, his eyes were filled with nothing but her.

And then she looked at Lucien.

Her past.

Her blood.

Her truth.

Her voice wavered. “If I go with you… will I remember?”

Lucien smiled. “Yes.”

As though fighting the want to seize her, Alexander's fingers trembled. "If you accompany him... Bringing you back will be very difficult.

Emily's throat became constricted.

One step. That was all it would take.

One step toward the past.

Or one step back to the man who had never stopped fighting for her.

---

Emily exhaled shakily.

And then

She stepped forward.

Alexander's whole body became rigid as his breath caught.

Lucien grinned more broadly.

But Emily didn’t stop. She moved slowly, deliberately

And then, at the last second, she turned back, her fingers brushing against Alexander’s.

A silent promise.

One he didn’t understand yet.

Lucien’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. “A wise choice.”

Emily forced herself to breathe.

She wasn’t doing this for Lucien.

She was doing this for herself.

---

As they moved deeper into rogue territory, Emily felt the shift in the air. The trees loomed taller, the scent of wolves unfamiliar yet strangely comforting.

She should have been afraid.

But she wasn’t.

Not yet.

Lucien led her to a hidden stronghold, nestled deep within the forest. A place untouched by the Moonshadow Pack.

The moment she stepped inside, whispers filled the air.

“She’s back.”

“The lost heir.”

Emily’s stomach twisted. They had been waiting for her.

But why?

And what had she just walked into?

---

Lucien took her to a dimly lit chamber, walls lined with old scrolls and faded maps. At the center, a massive crest was carved into stone.

A crest identical to the mark on her shoulder.

Her breath caught.

Lucien stepped forward, his voice quiet but firm. “This is your legacy.”

Emily’s fingers traced the symbol, a strange heat blooming beneath her skin.

She turned to Lucien. “Tell me the truth.”

His red eyes gleamed. “You were never meant to be their Luna, my child.”

He took a step closer, his voice dipping into something almost reverent.

“You were meant to rule.”

---

Emily has walked into the heart of the rogues, only to discover that she isn’t just their lost Beta but she’s their rightful leader. But can she trust the truth Lucien is feeding her, or is she being shaped into something she was never meant to be?