CHAPTER THREE
1031 Words
I didn’t sleep.
Not even a little.
I lay curled on the velvet couch in the red room, staring at the ceiling, Lucien’s words repeating in my mind like a curse.
“You’re mine now.”
“Your soul remembers me.”
“Stay, and I’ll help you find your brother.”
I had never believed in fate. Never believed in mates or magic or any of that supernatural soulmate crap. My life had been survival—cold, real, and bloody. And yet… one touch from him, and my world cracked open.
I had seen visions. Flashes of another time. A blood moon. Trees burning. A kiss that made my soul ache with longing. None of it made sense, and yet every part of me felt it.
Lucien Draven—the monster I was supposed to fear—had unlocked something buried inside me.
And now… I didn’t know what I was anymore.
A soft knock at the door made me jolt upright.
I said nothing.
The door opened anyway. A girl stepped inside. She was young, maybe nineteen, with copper-brown skin, sleek black hair in a braid, and eyes the color of warm earth. She carried a tray of food and clothes folded neatly over her arm.
“I’m Luma,” she said quietly. “Alpha Lucien sent me to prepare you.”
“Prepare me?” I asked, voice hoarse.
“For the claiming ritual.”
My stomach dropped. “What?”
She placed the tray down on a small table. “He’s giving you a choice,” she said gently, “but if you stay… you have to be marked. You’ll belong to him by law. You’ll be protected. No one in the city will touch you.”
“Belong to him,” I echoed. “Like a possession.”
She gave me a look that was both sad and knowing. “It’s not like that for us. Being claimed isn’t about control. It’s about safety. Territory. Magic. If you’re his, the Crimson Vires can’t take you. They’ve been hunting halfbloods like you.”
That caught my attention. “Like me?”
Luma nodded slowly. “Wolves with other blood in them. Fae. Demon. Witch. They want us wiped out. You think Lucien’s the monster?” She stepped closer. “He’s the only reason I’m alive.”
I sat back, heart thudding. “So I’d be safe… but trapped.”
She offered the clothes—soft black silk, a dress with golden thread around the sleeves and waist. It looked ceremonial.
“You don’t have to decide now,” she said. “But if you do… the ritual is tonight. Midnight.”
She left me alone with the food, the dress, and a thousand raging thoughts.
By nightfall, the sky outside turned an eerie shade of violet, like twilight was holding its breath. A guard escorted me through candlelit hallways, past glass windows and thick stone walls, to a staircase that spiraled upward like something out of a fairytale—or a nightmare.
The top floor was warm, lit by firelight, but empty.
Lucien stood in the center of a massive circular room with runes carved into the floor. He wore black—a dark shirt rolled at the sleeves, slacks, and leather cuffs around both wrists etched with golden symbols. He looked every bit the Alpha. Power curled off him in invisible waves.
He turned when he heard me.
His gaze dropped to the dress I wore, and something primal flickered in his eyes. “You came.”
I folded my arms. “To listen. That’s all.”
“Fair enough,” he said, stepping forward. “I won’t bite.”
“You already did,” I muttered.
That made him smirk. “Clever. I like that about you.”
“Why me?” I asked, cutting through the tension. “There are hundreds of she-wolves who’d kill to stand where I’m standing. You could’ve had anyone.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Because my wolf chose you.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“It’s the only one that matters.”
I stared at him. “And if I say no?”
He held my gaze. “Then I’ll let you walk away. I meant it when I said it’s your choice. But if you do… you’ll lose your chance to find your brother. The Vires are coming. War is coming. You don’t want to face it alone.”
I bit my lip, heart pounding.
“What does the ritual involve?” I asked softly.
He stepped closer. “You give me your blood. I give you mine. The bond seals through fire and moonlight. You don’t lose your freedom, Aria. You gain protection. You gain me.”
“And the visions?” I asked. “The memories? What are they?”
Lucien’s expression darkened. “Old lives. Yours. Mine. We’ve been here before. This isn’t the first time you’ve run from me.”
I shivered.
He extended his hand.
I hesitated.
Everything inside me screamed to run. To hold onto my freedom. To not fall into the arms of a creature I barely knew.
But another part—the part that saw Kai’s face every night in my dreams—knew this might be the only way.
Slowly… I placed my hand in his.
A bolt of fire surged between us.
Lucien pulled me close. “This may hurt.”
Then he bit.
His teeth pierced the side of my neck, and pain exploded—sharp, hot, and deep. But underneath it, pleasure bloomed. Something ancient unfurled inside me, responding to him, welcoming the bond.
He pulled back, eyes glowing gold.
Then he sliced his palm with a silver dagger and pressed it to my mouth.
“Drink,” he commanded.
I hesitated… then obeyed.
His blood was wild, magic-laced, filled with fire and smoke and moonlight. The moment it touched my tongue, I gasped.
The runes on the floor lit up.
Power crashed into me like a wave.
I screamed.
The world burned white.
And when it cleared…
I was no longer just me.
I was his.
- Writer
