His Christmas Mate

Chapter 13

_Aria's POV_

A soft tapping sound pulled me out of sleep.

For a moment I lay still, staring at the ceiling. The room around me felt strange. The walls were different. The air smelled different. Even the softness of the blanket was not the same as the one I had at home.

My heart jumped.

I sat up quickly, confused. Then it hit me in a slow wave.

I’m not at home.

I was at the FireMoon mansion.

Everything that happened last night rushed back in; sneaking out, Lucien’s voice, the drive in the dark and the room which Lucien had given to me.

There was another tap on the door.

I stood and walked over. I was still half-asleep. When I opened it, Lucien stood there.

“Good morning,” he said softly.

His voice was warm. It filled the whole space between us.

“Good… morning,” I said softly.

He smiled. “You look like you still want to sleep.”

“I do,” I admitted.

“Well…” he tilted his head slightly, “come anyway. Breakfast is ready. You need to eat.”

I nodded slowly. “Okay. Let me just… give me one minute.”

I brushed my hair with my fingers, splashed some water on my face and then stepped into the corridor. Lucien waited patiently, hands in his pockets, eyes following every small movement I made.

When I was ready, he said, “Come with me,” and we walked together down the long corridor.

The mansion felt different in daylight. It was brighter and warmer but still so large that it made me feel small. The carpets were thick under my feet. Sunlight poured through tall windows and painted golden patches on the floor.

We reached a wide dining room. Several people were already seated at the long table. They looked up when we entered but quickly lowered their gazes as if they did not want to make me uncomfortable.

The table was full of food: eggs, fruit, bread, meat, pancakes and so many things I had never seen before. It looked like the breakfast buffet of a fancy hotel.

Lucien pulled out a chair and nodded for me to sit next to him. I sat down slowly. I was trying not to stare too much at the food.

“Choose whatever you want,” he said with a small grin. “If you don’t eat something, I will think you don’t like my cooking.”

I blinked at him. “You cooked all this?”

He placed a hand on his chest and let out a dramatic sigh. “No, but it sounded impressive, didn’t it?”

I couldn’t help it...I laughed. It felt strange but nice. Like something soft brushing against all the fear inside me.

I filled my plate carefully. When I sat back down, Lucien watched me like he was trying to read every expression on my face.

“So?” he asked. “Do you like breakfast at the Firemoon pack?”

I tasted a piece of warm bread and nodded. “It’s good.”

“Only good?” he teased. “Not excellent? Not life-changing?”

I rolled my eyes lightly. “It’s… maybe a little excellent.”

He smirked. He seemed to be satisfied and continued eating.

I felt the eyes of the other people in the room sometimes drift toward us but Lucien didn’t seem bothered. He sat close to me. He was relaxed as if everything was normal.

Halfway through breakfast, a tall man with dark brown hair walked into the room. His shoulders were wide and he had green eyes that looked sharp and alert. He came straight toward us.

Lucien looked up. “Dylan,” he said. “Good timing. Come here.”

The man stopped beside Lucien then bowed his head slightly toward me.

“This is Dylan,” Lucien said. “My Gamma.”

Dylan smiled. “It is good to meet you, Aria. And it is good to have a new member in the pack.”

I blinked. “I’m… a member?”

Lucien answered before Dylan could. “For now, yes. You are under my protection, which means you belong to the FireMoon pack.”

Dylan nodded, still smiling. “You will be safe here.”

His voice was warm and sincere. It made me relax a little. Dylan did not seem to be bothered that I was a human.

Lucien looked over at another man at the far end of the table. “And you already know Jack. He is my Beta,” he said.

Jack lifted his head and gave me a small nod. I nodded back.

After breakfast, Lucien wiped his hands on a napkin and stood. “Come,” he said. “I will show you the mansion. You should know your way around.”

My stomach tightened. “A tour?”

“Yes. To make you feel comfortable.”

I followed him out of the dining room. Dylan joined us, walking a few steps behind, but he soon left once we reached the main hall.

Lucien started pointing things out.

“This is the main living room,” he said while opening a pair of double doors. Inside there were long sofas, tall shelves, and a fireplace big enough for a person to stand inside. “Pack members gather here for meetings or to talk.”

We walked again.

“This is the kitchen. You don’t have to cook, but if you ever want to, you can. The staff will help you.”

Then to another door.

“This is the training hall. You don’t have to go inside but you can watch from the glass window if you’re curious.”

We walked through wide corridors, past large windows and past shadowy corners where the mansion seemed to hold old secrets.

Lucien walked slowly. He was matching my pace. He explained everything simply, making sure I understood.

Then we turned down another hallway. This one felt different. The air was colder. The shadows were thicker.

Before I could ask, Lucien stopped.

He pointed toward a long corridor stretching to the east side of the mansion.

“This,” he said in a calm but firm voice, “is the eastern wing. You must not go there. Ever.”

I stared at him. I was surprised by the sudden change in his tone. “Why?”

“There are dangerous warriors who train there,” he said first. “And… the prisons for criminals are also on that side.”

I blinked. “There’s a prison in this mansion?”

“Yes,” he said. “Every pack has one. It is used for criminals. Or for rogues.”

I frowned. “What are rogues?”

Lucien ran his hand through his hair. “A rogue is a werewolf without a pack. They choose to live wild, without rules. Many become dangerous. They attack pack members, steal food and injure people. Some are murderers. Some are thieves. Some are too violent to live near others.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “We keep them locked away so the pack is safe. Some stay for days. Some stay forever.”

A chill ran down my arms.

Lucien softened his voice. “Don’t worry about it, Aria. Just stay away from that area. Promise me.”

I swallowed. “I promise.”

“Good.” His shoulders relaxed a little. “It is for your own safety.”

We continued walking. Lucien showed me the training yard outside, a sunlit garden with stone paths and a balcony that overlooked the forest. Everything was beautiful in a wild and mysterious way.

Eventually he led me up another staircase.

“Last thing before I leave you,” he said, “is the library.”

My heart jumped. “You have a library?”

His lips curved. “Of course. A good Alpha must have a good library.”

He opened the door.

I gasped.

The library was huge. It was three floors tall with shelves that reached the ceiling. There were ladders on wheels, soft chairs, reading tables and lamps that glowed gently. Sunlight streamed through tall windows and made the dust in the air look like tiny stars.

“This is…” I could barely speak. “Amazing.”

Lucien watched my reaction with a smile. “I thought you might like it.”

“I love it,” I said without thinking. “I love reading.”

“Good,” he said while stepping closer. “Then you can spend your morning here. I have to attend an important meeting.”

I nodded and forced a small smile. “Okay.”

He leaned in slightly.

I felt his hand brush my cheek. Then he pressed a soft kiss there.

It was quick, gentle and warm.

But my whole face burned.

“I will see you at dinner tonight,” he said.

My heart raced, my breath caught and all I could whisper was, “Okay.”

Lucien smiled, touched the side of my arm and walked out of the library.

The door closed.

I stood alone. The room was huge and quiet around me and my cheek was still warm where he kissed me.

I didn’t know why it affected me so much.

“What is happening to me?” I whispered to the empty room.

My heart was beating too fast like it didn’t know whether to run or stay. I walked slowly toward the big chair near the window and sat down. My head felt full. My thoughts were a mess.

Was I… falling for Lucien?

The idea made something twist inside my chest. I shook my head quickly, trying to stop it, but the feeling didn’t go away.

“No,” I murmured. “I barely know him.”

But that wasn’t the full truth.

I felt things around him...things I didn’t understand. Things that made me want to move closer even when my brain said it wasn’t safe. He was kind. He was patient. He made me feel seen in a way I had never felt before. When he looked at me, it was like he was really looking, not just glancing through me like I was invisible.

But was that enough to fall for someone?

I dropped my face into my hands and sighed deeply. “Oh no… this is bad.”

It felt too soon...too sudden...too intense. I had only been here a short time and my life had been falling apart before I even stepped into his car. Maybe my heart was just confused. Maybe I was holding on to anything that felt warm because everything else had been cold for so long.

Still… the way he said my name…

The way he watched me like he was ready to step in if anything scared me…

The way he smiled like he wanted to make me forget every pain I had ever tasted…

My chest tightened again and I pressed a hand over my heart.

“This is not normal,” I whispered. “This is not me.”

I wasn’t someone who fell easily. I wasn’t someone who trusted quickly. I had learned to protect myself long ago. I had learned that love usually came with conditions or lies.

But Lucien…

He talked to me like I was important.

He walked beside me like I was someone he cared about.

A soft laugh slipped out of me. “Oh god… I’m really in trouble.”