OUTBURST

Freya’s POV:

When I opened my eyes, someone was standing beside the bed… a bit too close. 

Close enough that I could see the outline of their shoulders in the dim light and feel their breath on my neck. 

My heart slammed violently against my ribs as I jerked upright, the room spinning slightly.

“Who-”

The word died in my throat when I noticed that the spot beside the bed was empty.

I blinked once. 

Twice.

Nothing.

No one.

My breathing came out uneven as I scanned the room again, waiting for the stranger to appear out of nowhere, but there was no one.

Everything was exactly the same as if I had imagined it. No, I had definitely imagined it and I knew the reason. 

I swallowed hard and pressed my fingers against my temples as an unfamiliar unease crept into my chest.

My medicine.

I hadn’t taken it since that prom night, and it was slowly starting to get to me. 

The realization settled over me slowly, like a cold hand wrapping itself around my spine.

Before I could think too deeply about it, the door opened and Lucien stepped inside.

His red eyes landed on me immediately, and I could see a brief sense of relief.

“You’re awake.”

His voice was calm as always, but it was too calm for this type of situation. 

I forced myself to relax slightly against the pillows, although my heart was still thumping loudly. 

“I think so,” muttering it more to myself. 

Lucien walked further into the room, studying me with that quiet, unreadable expression he always wore before he said, “You fainted.”

I sighed softly, wiping the sweat on my forehead.

“Yes, I gathered that much.”

He stopped near the bed and leaned against the wall, his eyes assuming my body as if studying me.

“You lost a fair amount of blood,” he mentioned the obvious. 

“That tends to happen when someone drinks from you.”

Lucien didn’t react to the remark. Instead, his gaze lingered on my face, as if searching for something.

“You’re pale,” he said.

I frowned, staring at him in confusion. There was something odd about his behaviour, as if he was testing the waters. 

“I’m always pale,” I replied, not taking my eyes off him. 

That was technically true, but Lucien didn’t look convinced.

The silence stretched between us for a moment before the memory of earlier came rushing back.

Duncan.

My gaze drifted to the door, waiting for Duncan to magically appear, but nothing happened, no matter how much I waited. 

It was obvious that he wasn't nearby and that disappointed me a bit. 

“Where is Duncan?” I asked before I even realised.

Lucien tensed against the wall, his brows furrowing as he stared at me.

I didn't know if he was pissed about my question or if the question brought certain memories that he would love to forget. 

“I sent him away.”

His tone left no room for further questions, so I just concentrated on playing with my fingers.

A certain memory came back and I froze. What Duncan had referred him to and the same word I've never heard ever since my time here. 

My brows furrowed slightly as I contemplated asking. 

“Why did Duncan call you a half-blood?”

Lucien’s expression didn’t change but something in his eyes shifted.

“That bothered you?” he asked.

There was an underlying tone I couldn't exactly pinpoint, but it reminded me of the tone I used when I was conscious of being a late boomer. 

“It confused me,” I said softly, hoping I wasn't crossing a line. 

Lucien let out a sigh before he pushed himself off the wall.and sat on the bedside table.  

The proximity made me conscious of every breath I took, but not only that. It brought back memories of when he drank from me. 

His tongue.

The hungry look he had in his eyes whenever he glanced up at me.

He was hungry for me… for my blood.

My breath started to grow erratic to the extent that I had to task myself with regulating it. 

“My mother was human,” he said simply, distracting me from my dirty thoughts. 

The answer came so easily that it caught me off guard. I stared at him for a long time, trying to process what he had just said. 

“And your father?”

A nasty look that was enough to let me know their strained relationship appeared on his face after the question. 

“The King of Vampires,” he muttered.

For a moment I was certain I had misheard him and asked, “The… king?”

Lucien didn’t elaborate and just simply nodded, looking everywhere but me. 

Shock was clearly written all over my face as I thought about it. No one had ever mentioned his origin to me even though he was the most respected individual here.

I had concluded long ago that he was just an influential Lord-

That's true, Lord Lucien.

“Then why are you called a Lord instead of a Prince?” 

I wasn't sure if I had finally crossed the line with my question, but the way his body tensed made me know that the story behind it was a bad one.

“Because I'm half-blooded,” he explained.

I let out a scoff at how ridiculous it was. It made no sense that a Prince was referred to as a Lord just because his mother was human.

“But is it even possible…” I trailed off, not knowing how appropriate my question would seem.

Lucien seemed to have caught on though and raised up his brow. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes that left me flustered.

“Are you getting some kind of funny ideas?” he asked, staring at me intensely.

I let out a gasp and shook my head vehemently, but he didn't seem to believe me.

“No, that's not it,” I defended myself as if my life depended on it because my dignity actually did.

And my dignity was definitely my life.

“If you say so,” he finally accepted, with no ounce of belief in his voice.

I let out a sigh and gave up because it was obviously useless. I just found it fascinating that a human was able to marry a King.

Was it possible for me to…

I bit my lips at the thought and realised that maybe I was indeed having a certain idea. 

You let her die.

The words echoed quietly in my head and I frowned. 

What had Duncan meant by that? There had been a slight look of regret on his face after he uttered that word. 

I looked back at Lucien and asked without hesitating this time, “Who was the girl that died?”

The change in him was immediate.

Lucien’s entire posture stiffened and the air in the room shifted so suddenly it made my stomach tighten.

His red eyes darkened slightly as his jaw started to overwork itself. 

“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with,” he said with a cold and stiff tone. 

It was final, but instead of me giving up, it made my curiosity grow. 

Duncan had looked pissed when he blamed Lucien for letting the girl die, which meant it was someone close to them. 

“But Duncan sounded like-”

“Freya,” Lucien called my name so sharply that it cut through the room sharply.

He stood slowly, depriving me of his warmth. The movement alone was enough to send a warning through the air.

“Drop it,” he added with his back turned to me. 

I frowned slightly and asked, “Why?”

I wanted to see the expression he was so desperate to hide from me, so I sat up, but his back was fully turned so I couldn't see anything at all. 

“If it isn't so important, then why are you hiding it?” 

The moment the words left my mouth, Lucien’s control snapped. He turned to me swiftly and yelled, “Because it’s none of your business!”

The shout echoed through the room and I froze.

Lucien had never raised his voice before and definitely not at me. 

Not once.

Even when Duncan seemed to test his patience earlier, he didn't raise his voice once.

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on and, for a second, he looked just as surprised by the outburst as I felt.

He closed his eyes and slow breath left his lungs.

When he opened them again, the anger had retreated behind his usual guarded eyes before he said quietly, “You should rest.”

The sudden calm almost made the moment feel unreal and uncomfortable.

“I didn’t mean-”

“Rest well, Freya,” he interrupted before I could finish. 

Just like the other day, he got to the door in the blink of an eye and opened it, then it closed.

And just like that, he was gone.

Leaving me sitting alone on the bed…

Still trying to understand what I had just uncovered and why it felt like I had only scratched the surface of something much darker.