Moonbound

Chapter Two

The instant the door slammed shut behind him, Lucien wanted to tear it off its hinges.

His wolf was clawing to get out.

His chest heaved. Every step echoed with too much power, too much restraint. His boots pounded the hallway floor as his mind raced against the voice clawing at the inside of his head.

“She’s ours.”

“No,” Lucien growled under his breath. “She’s the enemy.”

“She’s our mate.”

His wolf snarled again, louder this time, like it had finally woken after years of being buried beneath rage and duty.

Lucien burst into his quarters and slammed the door shut behind him. He didn’t turn the lights on. He didn’t need to see. He could feel the storm churning in his chest, flooding every nerve with fire.

He crossed to the fireplace and braced both hands against the cold stone mantel. His knuckles turned white. He leaned forward, taking deep breaths, sweat sliding down the side of his face, the remnants of her scent still burning in his lungs.

Pine. Warmth. Honeyed fire.

Maya Rivera. She was beautiful.

Enticing.

Captivating.

His.

His Mate.

No.

The word echoed inside him, but it didn’t matter. He had already said it aloud. Had already walked away. And yet…

The bond was still alive. Crackling beneath the surface.

Waiting. Watching.

Lucien could feel it. Even now, as he struggled, he was drawn to her. He could smell her, and worse, he remembered seeing the pain and surprise in her eyes when he said, “This was a mistake”.

Lucien squeezed his eyes shut. His wolf paced behind his ribs, restless, snarling, heartbroken. He prayed for calmness and strength, as his wolf warred with him. Trying to get to the surface, but he knew letting him would be disastrous.

He had waited years for vengeance. Rebuilt his entire pack from ashes. Mourned silently while pretending to lead with strength. But now, of all times, the Moon Goddess had chosen to shackle him to the daughter of the very man who murdered his family?

It was cruel. Life was f*****g cruel!

He turned and drove his fist into the wall.

The drywall cracked. Blood bloomed across his knuckles, as his skin tore. But the pain was grounding, familiar.

He didn’t notice the door open until he heard footsteps—sharp and familiar.

“Did you forget how meetings work?” Naomi’s voice was clipped. Cool. She stepped into the room without permission, as she always had, her braid swaying behind her like a whip.

Lucien didn’t move.

She crossed her arms. “You just stormed out of a council treaty session. In front of the elders. In front of both packs. And walked out on the treaty. Want to tell me what the hell just happened?”

Lucien turned slowly, blood dripping down his wrist. “She’s my mate.”

Naomi blinked once. Her jaw twitched. “Excuse me?”

“Maya Rivera,” he spat her name like poison. “She’s my fated mate.”

Naomi laughed—but it was hollow. “You’re joking.”

He didn’t answer.

Her laughter faded.

“You’re not joking.” Her voice was flat now. Sharp. “The Moon Goddess hates you.”

“She’s wrong.”

“Lucien—”

“She made a mistake.”

Naomi stepped closer. “The Moon doesn’t make mistakes. But sometimes she tests you.”

Lucien’s cold glare cut through her. “This isn’t a test. This is a curse.”

Naomi’s expression shifted. She tilted her head, studying him like a wolf circling a wounded rival. “You rejected the bond?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s done.”

“No,” Lucien hissed. “It’s not.”

Naomi’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

He stepped away from the wall, blood still dripping from his fist. “I can still feel her. The bond hasn’t broken. My wolf refuses to let go.”

Naomi’s golden eyes darkened. “Then force it. Sever it.”

Lucien’s silence was an answer in itself.

“You can’t,” she said, quieter now.

“No,” he admitted. “I can’t.”

Naomi’s eyes narrowed. “So what? You’re going to accept her? A Rivera? After everything they did to your family?”

Lucien turned to face the fire again. “She didn’t set the fire.”

“She didn’t stop it either,” Naomi shot back. “She’s Rivera blood. That’s all that matters.”

“She was a child—”

“She’s dangerous.”

Lucien spun around. “To whom?”

“To you,” Naomi snapped. To everything we’ve built. You’ve worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to let one girl rip open old wounds.”

Lucien’s silence stretched.

Naomi stepped closer, her voice softer now. “You don’t have to do this alone, Lucien. You never have. You’ve always had me.”

Lucien’s gaze didn’t shift. He didn’t take the bait.

Not this time.

Not when her voice suddenly sounded like chains.

Naomi’s expression flickered. She masked it quickly, but he saw the flicker of hurt beneath the steel.

“Leave Naomi. I want to be alone.”

Naomi stared in bewilderment, the wheels spinning in her brain. Lucien's refusal to consider her yet again meant he was considering taking the Rivera girl as his mate.

That couldn’t happen.

She reached out to him. “Lucien, you can’t be considering mating her…she’s the enemy.”

Lucien flinched at her touch, making her draw back. Her hand fell to her side as bitter jealousy and anger washed over her face.

“Leave Naomi. As your alpha, I command it. I want to be alone.” Lucien walked to the cabinet, poured himself a shot, and downed it at once.

Naomi bristled with anger at his curt dismissal. “Yes, alpha, but…”

Before she could speak again, a knock sounded on the door.

Elias entered without waiting.

Lucien’s shoulders stiffened.

The seer looked between them and nodded once at Naomi. “Out.”

Naomi frowned. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Elias said. “Out.”

Lucien didn’t intervene.

Naomi’s jaw clenched, but she turned and left, the door slamming behind her like a promise.

Elias approached slowly, his old white robes brushing the floor. His eyes held too much knowledge.

“She’s awake,” Elias said, settling onto the edge of a chair. “Her wolf.”

Lucien sat heavily on the armrest opposite him. “Yeah.”

“She’s never heard her wolf before. And it woke for you.”

Lucien’s throat tightened.

“That’s not a bond you can run from,” Elias continued. "It’s a choice now. One you must make soon.”

Lucien rubbed his face. “The treaty—”

“It has been rescheduled,” Elias said. The elders were insulted. Tensions are high. "Your actions today nearly shattered what little trust remained.”

Lucien looked up sharply. “I’m supposed to sit across from them and pretend like—what? That I’m not tied to her? That I don’t see my mother’s burnt hands every time I hear the Rivera name?”

“No,” Elias said softly. “You’re supposed to sit across from them and decide what kind of alpha you want to be. One who leads with pain—or one who survives it.”

Lucien said nothing.

Elias stood. “You don’t have to love her. But you can’t hate her either.”

As he left, Lucien stared into the fire.

The flames whispered memories.

And somewhere beneath the skin, his wolf curled tight, whispering her name.

Later That Night

Lucien stood outside, on the high balcony overlooking the dark stretch of forest. The air was colder now. Still. Stars winked above the treetops.

He barely heard the footsteps behind him.

“You look worse than I expected,” Derek said, stepping up beside him.

Lucien didn’t look away from the trees. “You’re late.”

“I got here as fast as I could. Word travels slowly through the marshes.”

Lucien exhaled. “She’s my mate.”

Derek’s brows lifted. “So, the rumors were true.”

Lucien nodded once. “And she’s a Rivera.”

“Damn.”

They stood in silence for a long while.

“She doesn’t seem like a killer,” Derek finally offered.

“She’s not,” Lucien said quietly.

“Then maybe she’s what the pack needs.”

“She’s what I don’t want.”

“But maybe she’s what you deserve.”

Lucien turned to him sharply. “Don’t start that spiritual garbage.”

“I’m serious,” Derek said. “You’ve been carrying this alone for too long.”

Lucien leaned on the railing, eyes still locked on the trees. “I saw her. And I didn’t see Maya. I saw fire. I saw my mother’s screams.”

Derek didn’t answer immediately. Then he said, “Do you think she saw you? Or just the Alpha who walked away?”

Lucien closed his eyes. “I think,” he said softly, “she saw a man too broken to stay.”

He exhaled. “I need to get out of here, feel the earth, hunt. I feel caged. I need a run, a release.”

Derek nodded in understanding. “I feel you, man. Let’s go for a run.”

They both leave the pack house, going deep into the woods. The moon shone bright in the sky- a full moon. Letting their wolves take over, they change into their wolf forms and howl into the night.