Chapter 3: Claimed Before the Pack
872 Words
Emerald's POV
My heart pounded so violently that I thought everyone in the room could hear it.
No...
This couldn't be happening.
The most feared prince in the world had just called me...
His mate.
I stood frozen, unable to move or even breathe.
The broken pieces of the serving tray lay scattered around my feet, but I barely noticed them.
All I could see were those breathtaking eyes.
Red...
Then gold.
Like fire and sunlight battling for dominance.
They were fixed on me with an intensity that made my knees weak.
No one had ever looked at me like that before.
Not with hatred.
Not with pity.
Not with disgust.
But with fierce determination.
A strange warmth spread through my chest.
For the first time in twenty years, my wolf stirred again.
She let out a soft, joyful howl.
"It's him..."
Tears filled my eyes.
"You came back..." I whispered silently.
She hadn't spoken to me since my parents died.
I had spent years believing she was gone forever.
Yet the moment Lucian appeared...
She awakened.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my arm.
"Ah!"
My uncle's fingers tightened around my wrist as he yanked me behind him.
His face was pale with fear.
"Your Highness," he stammered, forcing a nervous smile. "There must be some mistake. She's only a servant."
Only a servant.
Those words cut deeper than they ever had before.
"She has no wolf," he continued quickly. "She's useless to you. I can introduce you to my daughter instead. She's beautiful, powerful, and from the Alpha's bloodline."
My stomach twisted.
Even now...
He was trying to trade me away like I wasn't standing there.
Before I could speak, Lucian's expression darkened.
The temperature inside the hall seemed to drop.
In a single blur, he appeared before my uncle.
His hand wrapped around the Alpha's throat.
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
My uncle's feet left the ground.
His face turned red as he struggled to breathe.
Lucian's voice was calm...
Too calm.
"Did I ask for your daughter?"
"N-No..."
"Did I ask for another woman?"
My uncle shook his head desperately.
Lucian's crimson eyes flashed with deadly anger.
"Then never insult my mate again."
The hall fell into complete silence.
Every warrior lowered his head.
Every elder looked away.
No one dared interfere.
I stared at Lucian, unable to understand why someone so powerful would risk everything for a girl like me.
He slowly released my uncle, who collapsed onto the floor, coughing violently.
Then Lucian turned toward me.
The fury in his eyes disappeared.
In its place was something gentle.
Something warm.
He walked closer until only a few steps separated us.
"Emerald."
Hearing my name on his lips sent a shiver through my body.
His voice was soft...
As though he feared frightening me.
I swallowed hard.
"H-How do you know my name?"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"My wolf told me."
My cheeks flushed.
For some reason...
That answer made my heart race even faster.
He lifted one hand slowly.
"I won't hurt you."
I hesitated before placing my trembling hand in his.
The moment our fingers touched...
A burst of warmth rushed through my body.
It felt like sunlight melting years of darkness.
My wolf purred happily.
"Home..."
Tears slipped down my cheeks.
Lucian gently wiped them away with his thumb.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I should have found you sooner."
Those words shattered the walls around my heart.
No one had ever apologized for my pain.
No one had ever cared enough to notice it.
Before I realized what was happening, he bent down and lifted me effortlessly into his arms.
A startled gasp escaped my lips.
"W-What are you doing?"
His eyes met mine.
"Taking my mate somewhere she can finally rest."
The entire hall watched in stunned silence as he carried me through the manor.
No one tried to stop him.
Not my uncle.
Not the elders.
Not even the warriors who once mocked me every single day.
For the first time in twenty years...
The people who had treated me like dirt looked at me with fear.
And perhaps...
A little regret.
As Lucian carried me up the grand staircase, I rested my head against his chest.
His heartbeat was strong.
Steady.
Safe.
A feeling I had almost forgotten.
When we reached the small servant's room where I lived, Lucian stopped.
He looked around the tiny, cold space.
The cracked walls.
The thin blanket.
The worn mattress on the floor.
His jaw clenched.
"This..."
His voice trembled with anger.
"...is where they made you live?"
I lowered my eyes.
"It's all I've ever known."
Lucian closed his eyes for a brief moment.
When he opened them again, they burned with quiet fury.
"They will answer for every tear you've shed."
As he looked at me, his expression softened once more.
"I promise you this, Emerald."
"You will never suffer alone again."
Outside the room, hidden in the shadows, Alpha Victor watched with hatred burning in his eyes.
"If I can't control the Vampire Prince..."
He clenched his fists.
"Then Emerald must disappear."
A sinister smile spread across his face.
The game had only just begun.
- Writer
