the pull
1339 Words
Chapter Four: The Pull, The Threat…
sunlight broke through the heavy velvet curtains, casting golden streaks across the room like gentle flames. Eliana stirred beneath the crisp white sheets, her body aching, her mind thick with fractured images.
Walls cracking.
Chains snapping.
Bones shifting.
Her own scream—raw and monstrous—echoing like it came from the earth itself.
Her breath hitched, throat tight as panic clawed its way up. She sat up too fast—dizzy, disoriented.
And then she realized… she wasn’t chained anymore.
This wasn’t the cold, sterile room she’d been confined to. This room was warm. The sheets soft. The scent in the air achingly familiar.
Cedarwood. Stormy wind. And something darker—something uniquely Lucian.
She wasn’t afraid of it. That terrified her most.
Footsteps approached—measured, calm, dominant. The door creaked open.
Lucian.
He entered with quiet grace, sleeves rolled to his elbows, a tray in his hands. His dark eyes found hers instantly, their intensity unrelenting.
“You’re awake,” he said.
Eliana’s voice was brittle. “You… brought me here?”
He set the tray down gently on the nightstand. “You fainted after the shift. I had no choice.”
“You should’ve chained me again,” she whispered.
“I wasn’t going to chain you, Eliana.”
“Why not?”
Lucian studied her for a long moment, the silence thick with things unspoken. “Because what happened wasn’t madness. It was survival.”
Her hands trembled. He noticed, reaching forward slowly, brushing a damp curl from her forehead. His touch was warm—too gentle for someone like him.
The contact sent a current through her—an ache in her chest, and something lower… hotter.
“You fought your wolf to protect yourself,” he murmured. “There’s no shame in that.”
“I broke a wall.”
“You broke free.”
Those words cracked something open. A dam she hadn’t known was holding. Her shoulders shook before the sob escaped, sharp and sudden.
She didn’t cry for the wall. Or the chains.
She cried for the little girl who lost everything… and woke up in a body she didn’t understand.
Lucian pulled her against him, arms strong and sure. She stiffened for a heartbeat, then melted.
“I’m here,” he said softly, his lips brushing her temple. “I’m not leaving.”
And that pull—that dangerous, magnetic pull—tightened.
---
“ELI!”
The door flew open. A wild storm of hair and fury barreled inside.
“Kira—?”
Eliana barely had time to blink before her best friend crashed into her, hugging her so tight it stole the air from her lungs.
“I was going to murder you if you didn’t wake up,” Kira muttered, swiping tears away with the back of her hand. “What the hell, Eliana?”
Chris stepped in behind her, always calm, always watchful. He lingered near the doorway, protective even in silence.
“I didn’t know what to say,” Eliana whispered, eyes wide.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Kira snapped, holding her tighter. “You’re here. That’s all I care about.”
Lucian cleared his throat, voice quiet but firm. “I’ll give you girls a moment.”
Eliana felt his eyes on her as he walked out. Protective. Reluctant.
Kira didn’t miss it.
As soon as the door shut, her eyes went wide. “Oh my goddess,” she whispered. “He’s totally into you.”
Eliana flushed. “What? No! He’s just—he’s Lucian.”
“And you’re his weakness,” Kira said, dead serious. “I saw the way he looked at you, El. Like you’re his air.”
Eliana shook her head. “It’s complicated.”
Chris finally spoke, his voice calm but pointed. “You’ll need to talk about it soon. The pack’s already whispering.”
“About me?”
Kira nodded. “And about you coming back to school.”
Eliana blinked. “School?”
“I enrolled you for next week,” Kira said quickly, avoiding Chris’s gaze. “You need normal again. Structure. People who aren’t terrifying Alphas with brooding complexes.”
Chris raised a brow. “And you didn’t run that by the terrifying Alpha first?”
“I will,” she said breezily.
Eliana didn’t say anything.
But for the first time in days… she didn’t feel completely numb.
---
Later that afternoon, the door creaked open again. Eliana sat curled in a blanket on the sofa, sipping lukewarm tea. She looked up.
Lucian’s nephew stood there, holding a box of supplies.
He was taller than she remembered. Maybe her vision had been hazy before. But now, the silver streaks in his dark hair caught the light, and his sharp cheekbones gave him a kind of careless, boyish arrogance.
He froze when he saw her.
“Oh,” he said. “You’re… wow.”
Eliana tilted her head. “Hi?”
He scratched the back of his neck, smile crooked. “Sorry. I mean—hi. I’m Zayden.”
His eyes lingered on her. A beat too long. Too bold.
Eliana shifted in her seat, something twisting in her stomach. Not fear. Something else. Unease.
Lucian stepped in, sharp as a blade.
“Drop the supplies. Leave.”
Zayden blinked. “What? Uncle, I was just saying hi.”
Lucian’s voice turned to steel. “Now.”
Zayden gave an awkward grin and backed out with hands up. “Alright, alright. Sheesh.”
Kira arched a brow as Lucian glared after him.
“You growled at your nephew, Alpha,” she said, amused.
“He was staring at her.”
Kira grinned. “Because she’s beautiful. And you’re…” she paused, “you.”
Lucian didn’t answer, but the tightness in his jaw said enough.
Kira turned to Eliana, eyes shining with mischief. “He’s in deeper than he realizes.”
---
Lucian stood on the porch that night, the cool breeze brushing over him like a warning. His wolf stirred, restless.
“Do you think if her parents were alive… they’d allow this?” he asked aloud.
His wolf growled low, primal.
“Her mother left you because she found her mate. And now… you’ve found yours.”
Lucian flinched. “She was my first love.”
“And Eliana is the last. The moon goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”
He looked up at the stars, fists clenched.
“I don’t want this.”
“But your soul does. Wait. Protect her. But do not run.”
---
The knock came just past midnight. Lucian turned as his Beta entered, his face grim.
“We found something,” he said.
“From the ruins?”
The Beta nodded. “A boy. Rogue blood. Barely alive. Said he’d been watching the house before the fire. Said he knows Eliana.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean knows her?”
The Beta hesitated. “Said her name. Said he was there that night.”
Lucian’s blood ran cold.
Unseen in the hallway, Eliana froze.
She had heard everything.
---
The fire crackled low in the hearth when Eliana approached him after dinner. Lucian poured wine into a glass, his movements slow, careful.
She swallowed hard. “Can I go back to school?”
Lucian’s hand paused mid-pour. “Why now?”
Kira jumped in quickly, voice light. “She needs routine again. I already did the paperwork.”
Lucian turned his gaze to her. “You did this without asking me?”
She smiled sweetly. “I knew you’d say yes. Eventually.”
Lucian narrowed his eyes. “Why the rush?”
Kira hesitated. “There’s… a new transfer student.”
His posture stiffened. “From where?”
“The Northern Pack.”
His jaw clenched. Darkness flickered in his eyes.
Kira cleared her throat and stood. “Anyway, time for bed! Right, El?”
Eliana nodded slowly, her mind reeling.
- Writer
