The night was silent, but Lucian's heart was anything but. She sat on the edge of her bed, fully dressed, her suitcase packed and zipped beside her. The lamp beside her flickered gently, casting long shadows across the room. Her fingers gripped the handle of the case, knuckles pale from the pressure.
She had cried earlier, Just a little, She'd wiped the tears quickly, tears weren't welcome in this house. Not for a Luna who was never truly accepted. Not for a woman whose husband had woken up beside someone else.
Even if he didn't remember it, Even if it wasn't her fault.
Even if she asked to be Luna. She still felt broken. Lucian glanced at the clock. Just past midnight. Everyone would be asleep by now, or too drunk to notice one maid slipping away into the night. She wouldn't take much. Just the essentials. She would figure out the rest later, She always did.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled her suitcase upright, tiptoed toward the door, and gently turned the handle, Only to freeze.
He was standing right there, Alex. Leaning against the wall outside her room, arms crossed, eyes darker than the hallway itself. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then he spoke. "You were really going to leave." Lucian swallowed hard. "You don't have to pretend you care." "I'm not pretending." His voice was quiet, sharp. "I've been standing here for an hour." She looked away. "Why?"
"I saw your door locked. Your light on. I had a feeling." His jaw clenched. "And I was right." She stepped back, letting go of the suitcase. "I have no reason to stay." He took a step forward.
"I didn't touch her." Lucian met his gaze. "You didn't have to. The entire pack thinks you did. I saw you with her. What else do they need?" His face was unreadable. "I drank too much. She planned that, I was drugged."
"And now?" Her voice cracked slightly. "She got what she wanted. Everyone saw. Everyone believes it." Alex took another step forward. "You don't believe it." they was silence for a moment, Then a whisper, "I don't know what to believe."
Lucian wrapped her arms around herself and stepped back, but he followed slowly, carefully, as if she might run. "I won't beg," he said, his voice cold but honest. "But I won't let you walk out that door without the truth."
Lucian blinked, fighting the lump in her throat. "Why does it matter? This was always just a contract. Remember? You made it clear you didn't want anything from me."
Alex's eyes flashed with something deeper than anger. "That was before." "Before what?" Before he could answer, he looked away. "Before you stood by me at the ceremony. Before you defended yourself when they mocked you. Before I realized that your silence spoke louder than their noise."
Lucian was trembling now. Not from fear. From confusion. From the weight of his words. "I don't trust easily," he said, stepping close. "But I trust that you didn't deserve what happened last night."
Lucian's voice was barely above a whisper. "It's not just about last night. You let her stay. She keeps finding ways to come back. And you never send her away." "I was going to," he said, jaw tight. "I was going to tell her to leave after the ceremony. But she moved faster." Lucian looked up at him, eyes wide and unsure. "What do you want from me, Alex?" He didn't speak for a long time. Then: "Stay." Her breath caught.
"I don't care what the pack says," he continued. "Let them talk. Let them gossip. I'll clean the mess up. But stay."
Lucian's heart was beating so loud she thought he could hear it. "I don't know how to do this," he added. "But I'm not letting you walk out because of a lie."
She hesitated. "What if she tries again?" His gaze darkened. "She won't." There was something final in his voice, something dangerous.
Lucian stared at him. For the first time, she saw not just the cold Alpha, not just the man who had once splashed water on her without care. But a man who was finally, truly choosing her. She stepped back, letting go of the suitcase. "Okay."
Alex blinked. "Okay?" "I'll stay," she said quietly. "Not for the pack. Not for the title. But for the truth."
Something in his shoulders relaxed. "I'll deal with Vanessa tomorrow," he said. "And the pack. But for tonight, get some rest." Lucian nodded and walked slowly back to her bed, heart still unsure but a little lighter.
He watched her settle in, his gaze softening for the first time in weeks. Just before he left the room, he paused and looked at her again., "Lucian?" "Yes?"
"I may have started this as a contract but now it's something more." He didn't wait for a reply. He closed the door behind him and left her stunned.
The next morning, Alex publicly confronts Vanessa in front of the entire pack, but before he can say much, she drops a shocking secret that shakes everything