FROM THE ASHES OF REVENGE

Mate!?

Chapter 4

Alicia;

Lucien’s face changed to an expression of disbelief and anger, “You’re lying. You must be lying.”

Emily let out a cry, “Lucien, she’s lying! She’s trying to turn you against me!”

Lucien hesitated, torn between the two of us, “How do you know that, Alicia?

“There's one more thing you should know,” I continued, my voice steady, but my heart pounding in my chest. I met Lucien's gaze, the weight of my next words hanging in the air. “I am pregnant.”

“What?” Lucien's eyes widened and he almost dropped Emily, “What did you just say?”

“I said I'm pregnant, Lucien and that Emily was never…” I didn't get to finish my words because Lucien rushed towards me, his hands gripping my shoulders, I winced in pain but I didn't move away. I needed to do this.

“If I find out that you're lying to me…”

“You can go ahead and check. Emily never allowed you to check her pregnancy, did she? I'm not hiding anything, Lucien, go ahead.” I stepped away from him, stretching out my hands so that my palm was facing downwards. There was a way that the father of the child would be able to check if a woman was truly pregnant with his child.

Lucien's gaze shifted between Emily and me, his eyes dark and calculating, he hesitated, torn between the truth and the web of lies he’d been spun into.

Emily whimpered, her voice frail and pleading, “Lucien, please, don’t believe her lies. She’s only trying to turn you against me!”

But Lucien’s face was unreadable, his eyes hardening as he looked back at her. Slowly, he let go of my shoulders and took a step toward Emily, his face contorted with anger and suspicion, "Emily." He said, his voice dangerously low, "Why did you never allow me to confirm your pregnancy?”

Emily’s eyes widened, darting from him to me, her desperation clear, “I… I thought you trusted me. Why would you question me like this?”

“There's only one way to find out.” He growled under his breath and suddenly turned towards me, slapping his palm with mine and injecting a bit of his power through my body. I felt a bit of a sting rush through my veins and a second later, Lucien dropped his hands, shock and shock on his face.

“When did this happen?” He asked softly.

“The first time you took me. I got pregnant after that.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” He asked angrily.

“Tell you?” I scoffed, “I was suddenly thrust into becoming a maid for someone who had always tried to come between us and you chose her as Luna over me, how was I supposed to tell you as I was being watched as a hawk?” I said, my anger spiking.

“Don't… Don't be…” Lucien sighed, “How do you want me to deal with her? Just say the word, and I'll do anything you want.” Lucien's voice was softer now, almost loving, but I would never believe him again. I wanted power.

I almost wanted to laugh out loud, at his acts. Was it this easy?

I smirked, “Alright then. Make me Luna, give me power over her and you can have me once more. Without any qualms.”

“You b***h!” Emily screamed, her face finally changing and her innocent façade tearing away, “Lucien, don't listen to her, okay? She's lying, she's trying to frame me. You promised me that I would be Luna, this child… Our child was lost because of her, you can't make her Luna!”

“Make your choice Lucien, deep down, you know just who is telling the truth and who is lying. I'm willing to be yours once again if you give me the justice that I deserve. If not, then I'll kill myself and you'll never have me nor the child.” I threatened, squeezing the cup with all my might, making it shatter, and then I held a piece of the shard to my neck.

“No wait… Wait! I'll… I'll do as you want, you'll become Luna just like you want. We'll hold a banquet to announce you as Luna in a few days, is that okay with you? If it is, just… Just put that down. Hm?”

I had never seen Lucien with a gaze as pitiful as this. So pitiful that I wanted to crush him.

“What about her? What will you do with her?” I pointed at Emily who flinched, her eyes were brimming with hatred and anger.

“She… You can do whatever you want to her, I don't care. You're Luna now and she's just trash, I can make her become your servant from now on if that's what you want.”

“Good.” I smiled at the look of horror on Emily's face, “Very good.”

I had no idea that things were about to change pretty fast. I had no idea that Lucien would play according to my strings this way.

The next few days were all about preparing the banquet to introduce me. I had been sitting in my room all day, doing nothing but to test dresses, sleep,p or eat. Lucien hardly made me do anything.

And finally, it was the daughter of the banquet.

“Please welcome, Luna Alicia!” I was announced as I walked into the hallway, all eyes were on me. My purple satin dress flowed behind me. Lucien'scolorss. I felt hostile eyes on me, shocked eyes on me, all different emotions in their eyes as they stared at me long enough to bore a hole into my back.

But none of them were as intense as the one coming in front of me. That made me freeze in shock.

No.

That couldn't be.

I could smell his scent, I could feel the air that he breathed, and I could see only him.

Molten gold eyes, which were narrowed, face chiseled to perfection, tall and fit. My heart stuttered as I locked eyes with him, feeling an inexplicable pull as if invisible threads bound us. A tingling sensation spread through my body, and I knew this was something more, a mate bond. The room fell away, blurring into insignificance as he held my gaze, his expression unreadable yet intense.

The murmurs in the room grew louder, guests exchanging confused glances as he stepped forward, his gaze never wavering from mine. Each step he took echoed through the hall, a magnetic power radiating from him that caused everyone to fall silent. I felt rooted to the spot, the bond between us flaring so strongly that it felt like a pulse in my veins.

He finally stopped in front of me, his golden eyes piercing mine with an almost overwhelming ferocity. His voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of a thousand promises, and he spoke in a tone that left no room for doubt, shocking me and everyone who attended this gathering.

“Mate.” He said softly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

My eyes widened and all hell broke loose.