Chapter 25: Shadows From The past

Annabeth’s POV

Once Mrs. Halloway led me back to my room, I locked the door the second it shut. I backed away from it like something was going to burst through any second.

I sat on the bed, staring at the door, my knees pulled to my chest.

I kept seeing his face.

Lucien.

He had a slight resemblance to Kael now that I thought about it. The same aura, almost the same eyes, the same chiseled jawline. But he was also completely different. Like a total opposite of Kael. Kael’s hair was black, almost midnight. But Lucien’s was blonde and grown out, tied back in that messy knot that made him look wild. Dangerous.

I thought about the sight of his bare chest.

And I shivered at the thought.

Did all Lycans have that physical allure? Was it part of being them? Or was it just them? Kael and Lucien, carved like weapons and left loose in the world.

I lost count of how many minutes I sat there, staring blankly into space. My heart was still hammering, slow but heavy, like it hadn’t gotten the memo that I was safe now.

I was brought back to reality when I heard a knock on the door.

I tensed up instantly, every muscle going rigid.

“Annabeth, open up. It’s me.”

Kael’s voice.

I let out a shaky breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and rushed to unlock the door.

He pushed it open before I’d even stepped back, eyes scanning me from head to toe in one sharp sweep. His hands found my arms, warm and firm, checking me over like he was making sure I was still in one piece.

“I’m fine,” I said, but he didn’t stop until he was satisfied. His gaze lingered on my neck, my wrists, anywhere Lucien might have touched me.

When he saw I was truly fine, he let go of me. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t name. Guilt, maybe. Rage, definitely.

“Forgive me,” he said, voice low and rough. “For the intrusion we had today. I wasn’t expecting any visitors. If I had known, I wouldn’t have left you alone. Again.”

“It’s fine,” I managed to say. My throat felt dry.

“No. It isn’t.”

He stepped back, running a hand through his hair, pacing once before stopping in front of me again.

“You didn’t tell me you had a brother,” I blurted out. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I needed to know. Needed to understand why the air changed when Lucien walked in. Why Mrs. Halloway looked like she’d seen a ghost.

Kael’s expression shuttered.

“No,” he said quietly. “I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

He exhaled through his nose, like I’d asked him to explain the sky. “Because he isn’t someone I speak of. Saying his name in this house feels like inviting trouble for myself. I have a lot to deal with already as enforcer.”

“But he’s here now,” I said. “He’s in your house. Sitting in your chair. What will you do?”

Kael’s jaw clenched. “Lucien isn't someone who can be forced to make a decision, I can't force him to leave unless he decides to. If I tried, it might get.... bloody.”

“He would try to make a scene. And I can't let him bring harm to you to prove a point to me.”

His words hit me harder than I expected.

I swallowed. “But he's your brother. why would he try to do those things?”

Kael looked at me for a long moment, like he was deciding how much to tell me.

“Lucien and I… we’ve never gotten along,” he said finally. “Yes. We’re brothers by blood, but nothing more. Our father made sure of that. He pitted us against each other from the moment we could hold a blade. Lucien wanted everything I had. He wanted control. When he heard I was appointed as the Enforcer, it probably hurt his feelings and that's why he's here. To taunt me some more.”

“So he hates you,” I said.

“Yes,” Kael agreed, “He hates that I got the control he's always wanted.”

“Do you hate him?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I don’t. But he's not my favorite person in the world as well.”

I studied him. The tension in his shoulders, the way his hands were clenched at his sides like he was holding himself back from tearing the room apart.

“What about Mrs. Halloway?” I asked. “Why did she look like that when she saw him? And why did he call her Martha?”

Kael’s eyes flickered. He didn’t answer right away.

“Mrs Halloway has been with us for the longest time,” he said eventually. “ She knew us After our mother died. She was the only one who treated us like we were close to normal and Not weapons. Just boys. And she most of the time favoured me more than him. Lucien never forgot that. He uses it against her whenever he gets the chance.”

“Have you tried working things out with him?” I asked softly.

Kael’s head snapped up, surprise flashing across his face. Then something softer replaced it.

“No,” he said. “I don't owe him anything. He should be the one trying to work things out with me.”

“Why did Lucien come here now?” I asked.

Kael’s expression darkened again.

“To test me,” he said. “To see if I’ve gotten weak. And to remind me that he’s still out there.”

Kael stepped closer, his eyes locking onto mine.

“I'm afraid now that he's here, he might find out that I've found my mate. And I'm not sure how he’d react to it.” he said, voice low and certain.

My breath caught.

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Kael seemed to read the silence, because he softened slightly.

“I should have told you about him,” he said.

“Should I be afraid of him?” I asked but I was already afraid. Afraid of what he could do to me If Kael or Mrs Halloway wasn't around.

Kael’s lips twitched. “No. Don't let him see your fear little one. You're mated to a powerful Lycan. Don't be intimidated by him.”

I simply nodded.

This wasn't an easy task. It was impossible not to get intimidated.

We stood there for a long moment, the tension between us shifting into something quieter. Heavier.

Kael cleared his throat, stepping back half a step.

“Lucien won’t be staying long,” he said, “He'll live if no one engages or provocate him. Two days max. But until then, I won’t leave your side again until I'm sure he's gone.”

“Okay,” I said.

Kael nodded, then hesitated.

“Get some rest,” he said. “I’ll go get you something to eat. Your stomach grumbled.”

I hadn’t even noticed I was getting hungry.

“Okay,” I said again.

He lingered for another second, like he wanted to say something else. Then he turned and walked to the door.

Before he left, he paused.

“Annabeth,” he said without looking back.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t go near him. Don’t speak to him. If he tries to talk to you, walk away. Do you understand me?”

He didn't need to tell me twice.

“I understand,” I said.

He nodded once, then left, shutting the door softly behind him.

The room felt emptier without him.

I sank back onto the bed, my legs shaking now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

Lucien was Kael’s brother.

He hated him.

And he hated anything Kael cared about.

Which meant me.

I pulled the blankets over my lap, trying to shake off the cold that had nothing to do with the room.

Kael said he wouldn’t let Lucien hurt me.

I believed him.

But then I remembered the way Lucien looked at me… and I felt uneasy. There was something in his stares.

I closed my eyes, trying to push the image away.

But It didn’t work.

~