Chapter 2
1271 Words
Lucien’s POV
The hall reeked of fear. I could smell it in every trembling breath, hear it in the heartbeat of the guards who dared to raise their blades. The King’s voice cut through the heavy silence.
“Seize them.”
No one moved.
The moonlight poured through the high glass ceiling, bathing her face in silver. The human girl. Aria. Her name burned into my mind the moment the bond ignited. Her pulse thrummed with mine. Her scent had slipped past every wall I had built to contain the beast inside me. Pine, smoke, and something pure I could not name.
The curse that had silenced my wolf for years stirred. My control began to tremble, a dangerous edge licking at my calm. The guards hesitated, glancing at the King. I stepped forward.
“Touch her,” I said quietly, “and I will break every bone in this hall.”
The nearest soldier’s blade wavered. He was brave, but not foolish. No wolf here was.
The King’s gaze locked on me. “You forget your place, Lucien. The bond is forbidden.”
I met his eyes. “Then perhaps the laws are wrong.”
The murmur that followed sounded like wind before a storm. I felt Aria behind me, small and still, her fear pressing against my senses. I turned slightly. Her eyes lifted to mine, wide and unsure, but the silver light on her wrist glowed steady. Fate had already chosen, no matter how the King raged.
“You would destroy everything for a slave?” the King spat. “For a curse that will kill you both?”
“I would destroy everything for what is mine.”
The beast in me growled low, deep enough that the torches flickered. The guards drew closer again, and Aria’s hand brushed the back of my coat. The faint touch set my skin on fire. My wolf pushed forward, desperate to claim, to shield.
Her heartbeat called to me like a drum in the dark.
“Lucien,” she whispered. Just my name, but it steadied me.
I glanced down. She was pale, her lips trembling, but there was strength in her eyes. She did not run. That alone set her apart from every other soul in this hall.
The King gestured toward the priest. “Break the bond. Now.”
The priest’s voice shook. “Your Majesty, it cannot be undone. The mark...”
“Then burn it from them,” the King snapped.
I moved before he finished speaking. My hand shot out, catching the priest’s wrist. The power beneath my skin flared. “You touch her, and I’ll show you what the curse truly is.”
The priest froze, face draining of color.
Aria’s fingers caught my sleeve. “Stop. Please.”
I turned to her slowly. The bond made her voice sink into me like a blade wrapped in silk. “You think mercy will save you?” I asked.
Her voice was barely a breath. “No. But I don’t want blood because of me.”
That was when I understood. She wasn’t like the others—no hunger for power, no craving for control. She was afraid, yet her heart stayed gentle. And for reasons I didn’t want to face, that gentleness hurt worse than any wound.
The King’s tone softened with venom. “Lucien, I raised you. You owe me your loyalty.”
“You raised a weapon,” I said. “And now it turns against you.”
He snarled, the crown glinting as he stepped forward. “You defy your King for a human?”
“For my mate.”
The words fell heavy and absolute. The crowd gasped. Aria’s breath hitched behind me. I could feel the bond tighten, threads of energy binding us closer. My wolf stirred again, whispering her name inside my head.
The King’s voice rose. “Guards. Take them both!”
They came from all sides this time, blades glinting under the torches. I shoved Aria behind me and let the wolf surface just enough to taste the power. My vision bled silver. The first guard lunged; I caught his wrist and twisted until bone cracked. Another charged, and I threw him into the wall.
The hall erupted in chaos.
Aria gasped as the runes around the floor sparked again, reacting to the bond’s strength. My claws broke through my skin, half-shifted, half-controlled. The King stepped back, realizing too late that the curse he had feared for years was no longer bound.
I felt the surge of energy burning through my veins. The curse wasn’t killing me anymore—it was waking me.
And she was the reason.
Aria stumbled forward, reaching for me as I tore through the last guard’s blade with my bare hand. The moment her fingers touched mine, the power stabilized. The beast quieted. For the first time in years, my control didn’t break, it bent, balanced by her touch.
The King’s voice thundered again, but I barely heard it. My gaze was on her. “You steady me,” I said.
Her lips parted, shock and confusion flashing across her face. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“You will,” I promised. “But not here.”
I turned to the crowd. “Anyone who stands in our way dies tonight.”
The room went still. No one moved.
Then, from behind the throne, the royal guards began to form a circle, silver-tipped weapons gleaming. The King smiled coldly. “You can’t protect her from all of them.”
I let out a slow breath. “Watch me.”
Aria’s hand tightened on my arm. “Lucien, we can’t fight everyone—”
“Trust me.”
Her eyes locked on mine, and for a brief, fragile moment, something passed between us. Not the bond, not the magic, something human. A silent agreement.
I pulled her close and whispered to her ear, “When I tell you to run, do it.”
“But...”
“Promise me.”
Her voice was barely audible. “I promise.”
The guards lunged again. This time, I unleashed the curse. The air split with a roar that wasn’t mine alone. Shadows erupted from the ground, sweeping through the hall like living smoke. The guards were thrown back, screaming as the runes shattered under the force.
Aria cried out as light burst around us. I wrapped my arms around her, shielding her body as the ceiling cracked. The King’s shout faded behind the chaos.
When the light dimmed, half the hall was in ruins. My chest heaved. Aria was still pressed against me, trembling but alive.
Her eyes found mine. “What are you?”
I brushed a lock of her hair from her face. “Cursed. Until you.”
She blinked, confused. “Until me?”
Before I could answer, a horn sounded in the distance. Reinforcements.
I lifted her into my arms, ignoring her gasp. “Hold on to me.”
The King’s voice echoed faintly behind us. “Run if you wish, Lucien. The curse will hunt you both.”
I looked back once, meeting his gaze across the wreckage. “Then let it come.”
We vanished into the night, the bond between us burning brighter than the moon.
As we reached the dark forest beyond the castle walls, Aria’s wrist flared with light again. She gasped, pain twisting her features. The mark pulsed wildly. I tightened my hold, realizing with dread and awe that the curse was not just mine anymore, it had claimed her too.
- Writer
