chapter 6
896 Words
Lucien hadn’t slept.
Three thousand years and he had survived wars, plagues, betrayals, and curses that should have broken any other man. Yet one stupid decision had him pacing his penthouse like a caged animal.
The rejection was supposed to work. It was supposed to create distance and cut the bond before it grew stronger. Instead it felt like a blade driven into his chest and left there.
He stood by the window staring at the city while rain battered the glass. Every few minutes a sharp ache tore through him.
His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin.
Go to her.
Lucien clenched his jaw. “No.”
Go to mate.
“I rejected her.”
Pain hit again, stronger this time. Lucien gripped the edge of a table until the wood cracked under his fingers.
A familiar voice came from the doorway. “You look terrible.”
Drew stepped inside with coffee. One look at Lucien’s face and he sighed. “Oh. This is worse than I thought.”
“Leave.”
“No.”
Drew set the coffee down. “You rejected her.”
Lucien turned away, wordlessly.
“You actually did it?”
Lucien didn't answer immediately. Then he finally spoke. “It was necessary.”
“Sure.”
“She’s human.”
“Still your mate.”
Lucien’s eyes flashed but Drew ignored it. “You thought rejecting her would make things easier.”
“It should have.”
“But it didn’t.”
The room went quiet because both of them knew the truth. It didn’t. Not even a little.
The bond still pulled. Still hurt. Still whispered her name with every breath.
Lucien hated it. Hated how worried he was. Hated how badly he wanted to know where she was. Hated how the image of her standing in the rain refused to leave his head. Then pain exploded through the bond.
Lucien froze. His head snapped up. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
His wolf surged forward.
Mate is afraid.
Lucien was gone before Drew could say another word.
*. *. *
The city was cold. Gwen sat curled under a bus shelter with her ruined box beside her. The rain had finally stopped. Her clothes were dry in some places, damp in others.
She hadn’t gone anywhere after leaving the hospital. There was nowhere to go. No apartment. No money. No family except her mother.
The ache in her chest hadn’t left either. Every time she remembered Professor Quin’s words, something twisted inside her. She barely knew him. So why did it hurt?
Gwen rubbed her tired eyes. Maybe she would stay here until morning. Exhaustion won and she drifted off.
A voice woke her. “Look at this.”
Her eyes snapped open. Her stomach dropped. Trent. Kade. Both stood a few feet away with their arms in slings, anger twisting their faces.
Gwen stood immediately. “What do you want?”
“What do we want?” Kade laughed scornfully. “You put Mason in a coma.”
“I didn’t…”
“Shut up.” Trent stepped forward, his injured arm hanging useless at his side. “It was because of you that the psycho professor showed up, and beat us up.”
Fear slid down Gwen’s spine. “What does that have to do with me?”
Kade’s face darkened. “Everything.”
Gwen stepped back. Then again. The bus stop felt too small. Too empty. There were no witnesses. No help around.
“We should’ve finished this earlier,” Trent muttered.
Gwen’s pulse hammered. “Leave me alone.”
Kade laughed. “Or what?”
Neither of them looked scared anymore. Not with Mason gone. Not with her alone.
Trent grabbed her shoulder, hard. Pain shot through her arm.
Gwen shoved at him. “Let go!”
He didn’t. Kade moved closer and the look in his eyes made her stomach twist.
Panic exploded in her chest. Then a cold voice cut through the dark.
“Take your hand off her.”
Everything stopped. Kade froze. Trent froze. Even Gwen froze.
A figure stood at the edge of the street. Tall, still, terrifying. Professor Lucien Quin. The streetlights painted silver across his eyes.
Trent swallowed. “What the hell do you want?”
Lucien took one step forward. Just one. But the air got heavier and dangerously predatory. His gaze locked on Trent’s hand around Gwen’s shoulder. “Three seconds. Remove your hand.”
No one moved.
Lucien tilted his head. “One.”
Fear flashed on Kade’s face.
“Two.”
Trent dropped her arm immediately.
Lucien kept walking. Slow, controlled, deadly. Kade backed away first, then Trent. Every instinct told them to run.
Lucien stopped beside Gwen, his gaze never leaving the two boys.
“You had one lesson already. It seems you require another.”
For the first time since meeting them, Gwen saw real terror on their faces. Neither boy waited to argue. They ran, disappearing into the night.
Silence returned. Gwen stared after them, then slowly turned to Lucien. The same man who had saved her. The same man who had broken something inside her.
For a moment neither spoke. Then Gwen looked away.
“Why are you here, Professor?”
Lucien had faced kings, monsters, and gods. Yet somehow her question unraveled him faster than any curse ever had.
- Writer
