The Wrong Conclusion
1448 Words
Cressida POV
“Did you go see another woman?”
The moment I said it, I regretted how sharp it sounded. But I could not take it back. Not when it already sat between us like a blade.
Lucian did not answer right away.
That silence did something worse than denial. It made my thoughts fill the gap.
His eyes flicked to me, then away again. Just for a second. But I saw it.
That hesitation.
My fingers tightened around the basket handle.
“So you did ,” I said quietly.
His jaw tightened. “Cressida—”
“Don’t.” My voice cracked. I hated that it cracked. “Just answer me.”
He finally turned fully toward me. The air in the room changed when he did, like it always did when he stopped being just a man and became something heavier. Something dangerous.
But I was already too far gone to care.
“Where were you?” I asked again.
His gaze held mine. “That is not your concern.”
The words stung more than I expected.
Not your concern.
Of course. Why would it be? I was just part of a contract. A temporary arrangement. Nothing but a salve that had to do as he says.
My throat burned.
“I came here with food for you,” I said, lifting the basket slightly like it suddenly mattered less. “I stood in your kitchen making this like some foolish… like I belonged here.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You shouldn’t have come.”
That was worse.
Not anger. Not denial. Just dismissal.
Something in me snapped.
“I should not have come?” I repeated. “I came because I thought maybe for once—just once—you would not feel like a stranger to me when I stood in front of you.”
His expression shifted. Something flickered there, but it was gone too fast.
“I told you to stay in the fortress,” he said, voice lower now. “You had no permission to leave.”
That made my chest tighten further.
Permission.
Even now, after everything, I was still something to be controlled.
I let out a short, bitter laugh. “So that’s it? I come here, and instead of answering me, you lecture me?”
He stepped closer.
I should have stepped back. I did not.
“You are not safe here,” he said sharply. “Do you understand that? You walking into this place without protection is reckless.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I care that you’re lying to me.”
His eyes darkened at that.
“I am not lying.”
“Then tell me,” I said, voice shaking now, “why you smell like another woman.”
That did it.
The room went completely still.
Lucian’s expression changed. Not anger yet. Something more controlled. More dangerous.
“You don’t understand what you’re asking,” he said slowly.
“Then explain it,” I shot back. “For once, just explain it to me instead of treating me like I am too small to hear the truth.”
A long silence stretched between us.
I saw his jaw tighten.
I saw something in him pull inward, like he was locking a door.
And that only made the pain worse.
I stepped back slightly, my grip on the basket loosening. “Tell me the truth for once. Tell me.”
His eyes flickered again, and for a second I saw something almost… tired.
Then it was gone.
“You are leaving,” he said instead.
My breath caught.
“What?”
“You are going back to the fortress,” he said firmly. “Now.”
“I am not your prisoner,” I said, voice rising.
“Oh but you are,” he said coldly. “You are my prisoner and my slave and will do exactly as I say do you hear me.”
My hands started to shake.
Something inside me burned hot.
“f**k you!” I repeated. “I hate you Alpha Lucian. I hate you!”
I said, tears rising now. I hated them. “You don’t get to bring me here, make me feel like I belong for one moment, and then shut me out again.”
His control cracked.
“Cressida.” My name came out like a warning.
But I was already past warning.
The pressure in the room changed instantly. Like a storm breaking.
Lucian moved so fast I barely saw it.
He stopped inches from me, his presence overwhelming, voice low and deadly.
“You will go back to the fortress,” he said. “And I will deal with the guards who allowed you to come here.”
That made me freeze.
“What?”
“You should never have been here,” he continued. “Not today. Not at all.”
My heart dropped.
“You’re going to punish them?” I whispered.
“For your safety,” he said simply.
That made something inside me break cleanly.
“So I am the problem,” I said softly.
“No,” he snapped.
But it sounded like yes.
I stepped back again, shaking now. “I shouldn’t have come,” I whispered.
Lucian did not respond.
That silence hurt more than anything else.
I turned sharply toward the door.
“Cressida—”
I didn’t stop.
I walked out.
The corridor felt colder than before.
My chest felt too tight, like I could not breathe properly.
Behind me, I heard nothing.
No call.
No explanation.
Nothing.
Just silence.
And that silence followed me all the way down the hall.
By the time I reached the guards, my hands were trembling.
“Take me back,” I said quickly.
The guard looked startled. “My lady, the Alpha just got back. Has he seen your gift?”
“Let’s go back to the fortress” I repeated, firmer this time. My voice broke at the end, and I hated that too.
Something must have changed in it because his expression softened.
“Alright,” he said quietly. “I’ll take you home.”
We moved quickly through the pack streets.
No one spoke but the thoughts in my head were audible.
I don’t belong here.
That thought kept repeating.
Not in the fortress.
Not in Lucian’s world.
Not anywhere near him.
When we reached the outer gates, I stopped suddenly.
“Wait,” I said.
The guard turned.
“I need to go somewhere else first.”
His brow furrowed. “My lady, the Alpha—”
“I don’t care,” I said, more sharply than intended. Then my voice dropped. “Please.”
Something in my tone must have reached him.
He sighed. “Where?”
“Elara’s house,” I said.
He blinked. “You’ve never been there.”
“I know,” I said. “But I need to go.”
He hesitated again, then nodded slowly.
We walked through the lower streets of Blackstone until the fortress faded behind us.
The air felt different outside.
Less heavy.
But my chest still felt like it was collapsing inward.
By the time we reached Elara’s home, the sun was dipping low.
Warm light spilled through the windows.
The guard stepped back. “I shouldn’t go further.”
I nodded. I walked up to the door and knocked.
No answer. I knocked again.
Still nothing.
My heart was too loud now.
I stepped sideways and moved toward the window, pressing up slightly to peek inside.
“Elara?” I called softly.
And then I saw her.
My eyes widened instantly.
Elara was tangled in bed, completely naked. The scarred wrestler from the carnival lay beneath her, his thick c**k buried deep inside her as she rode him hard.
Her red hair was wild, breasts bouncing with every thrust, n*****s tight and flushed. Wet sounds of skin slapping skin filled the room, mixed with her breathy moans and his low grunts.
I froze in the doorway.
A sharp, embarrassed gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
“Elara!” I shrieked and pulled back instantly, covering my face.
Too late.
Her head turned and our eyes met through the glass.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
The guard behind me cleared his throat awkwardly.
I heard movement inside.
The door flew open.
Elara stood there, hair messy, robe half tied, expression somewhere between shock and outrage.
Then she saw me. And slowly, her face changed.
Into something dangerously amused.
“Well,” she said, crossing her arms. “Welcome to my home”
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