002
1612 Words
“A little more curry and the macaroni will taste better,” I murmured, stirring the boiling pot carefully.
“I hope he likes it,” Sierra said from behind me. She was always by my side, helping with the pack duties and the house chores, offering kindness where I received none.
The door creaked open.
My hand froze mid stir as I turned.
Alpha Lucien stood there.
“Good day, Alpha,” Sierra greeted respectfully.
He did not answer. His eyes lingered on me for a brief moment, cold and unreadable, before he turned and walked away without another word.
The moment he left the room, Sierra faced me with a concerned look.
“What is wrong with him today?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I let out a tired sigh.
“I honestly do not know what is ever right with him.”
She shrugged lightly.
“He is probably heading to work.”
“Let us serve his meal before he skips breakfast,” Sierra said quickly.
I dished the food, the aroma filling the kitchen, and carried the plate into the sitting room. Lucien stood there, adjusting his collar and spraying deodorant, not sparing me a glance.
“I made breakfast for you,” I said quietly. “You should eat before it gets cold. You do not want to miss breakfast.”
He scoffed.
“And who told you I would eat anything you prepared?”
I forced a faint smile.
“It is your favorite, Alpha.”
“And do I care?”
I looked at him, disbelief flickering in my eyes.
“I am really tired of all this, Lucien.”
He finally turned to me.
“You barely eat any meal I prepare,” I continued. “You do not love me. You do not even touch me.”
His expression hardened.
“Touch you?” he growled. “Touching you would be the greatest mistake I could ever make.”
I rolled my eyes, bitterness burning in my chest.
“If you knew this was how you were going to treat me, you should have rejected me.”
My voice steadied as I continued.
“You should have done that the moment you felt the bond.”
“I curse the day I claimed you,” he replied coldly.
“You think I did that without reason?” he added. “I only claimed you to gain territory.”
My world shattered.
My knees buckled and my chest tightened painfully.
“I knew it,” I whispered. “They warned me the day you claimed me, but I ignored them.”
I lifted my head and looked at him.
“Only a weak Alpha would claim his mate just to gain territory. Especially when the pack is already failing.”
“End it,” he snapped sharply.
“What if I do not?” I asked quietly.
He stepped closer, towering over me.
“You will not dare.”
“Do your worst, Alpha,” I said, my voice shaking but unbroken. “Kill me if you want. You are nothing but a weak Alpha.”
His hand lifted.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
A sharp gasp echoed behind us.
We both turned.
Sierra stood frozen at the doorway, horror written across her face.
Lucien lowered his hand slowly, his jaw clenched. He grabbed his briefcase without another word and stormed out of the house.
The moment the door closed, my strength gave out. I sank onto the couch as tears poured freely down my face. Sierra rushed to my side.
“He is just too cruel,” I sobbed.
“I know,” she said softly. “But I think he will change with time.”
“Time?” I whispered, turning to her. “It has been almost a year. No love. No care. He does not even touch me.”
I broke into tears again.
“He only chose me to…”
My voice failed me.
“I saw everything,” Sierra said gently. “He is just being wild. He will come back to his senses.”
“He did not mean those words,” she added. “Give him time.”
“I do not think he will ever change,” I said through tears. “Time will not heal him.”
She offered a sad smile and patted my shoulder.
“Everything will be fine,” she said before quietly leaving the room.
I exhaled deeply and stared at the floor.
I did not believe time would change him. I never would.
But something stirred deep within my soul.
If Lucien was never going to change, then I could not continue living like this.
And one thing was certain.
I had to do something.
I needed to act fast.
———
I checked the time again.
Eleven o’clock.
Lucien still was not back.
Each passing minute tightened the knot in my chest. I paced the sitting room, my eyes drifting repeatedly to the wall clock as unease settled deep within me. Even though he treated me like I was nothing, I could not stop myself from caring.
What if something happened to him?
My thoughts spiraled. Kidnappers. Road accidents. Enemies of the pack. The Alpha carried many threats on his shoulders, and tonight, he was late.
Then the door creaked open.
Before I could turn, a heavy scent hit me. Alcohol, sharp and overwhelming, filling the room.
I spun around.
Lucien staggered inside, his steps uneven, his eyes unfocused. He barely noticed me as he moved toward the sitting room, collapsing onto the couch.
“You are drunk,” I said instinctively as I hurried to him.
“Get me my food,” he slurred. “No… my drink.”
“You need rest,” I replied, worry replacing my frustration as I gently reached for him, loosening his shirt so he could breathe more easily.
Before I could pull away, his hand shot out and wrapped around my waist.
My breath hitched.
“I need you, Sara,” he murmured. “On my bed.”
I frowned, shaken.
“You need to rest. You are not thinking clearly.”
But his grip tightened, his Alpha aura flaring unexpectedly. The power of it wrapped around me, heavy and commanding. Before I could react, he pulled me closer, his lips brushing mine.
The world tilted.
My wolf stirred violently inside me, awakened by the bond, by the closeness I had been denied for so long. This was my mate. The one my soul recognized, even if his heart rejected me.
He pulled back just enough to look at me.
“Come with me,” he whispered. “I want you.”
I should have stopped him.
But I did not.
Morning came too quickly.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains as reality crashed down on me. Dark red stains marked the fabric, undeniable proof of what had happened. My chest tightened as I stared at them.
I shifted on the bed and noticed Lucien standing near the mirror, a towel wrapped around his waist. His expression was unreadable.
I sat up slowly.
He turned and looked at me, his eyes cold again.
“Last night was a mistake,” he said flatly.
My heart skipped.
“A mistake?”
“The kiss. The closeness. Everything,” he continued. “It happened because I was drunk. I was not aware of what I was doing.”
I stared at him, disbelief flooding my chest.
“So you are saying none of it meant anything?”
“So you are saying you took my virginity without meaning it?”
“I did not want it,” he said sharply. “Do not misunderstand.”
My voice trembled.
“You cannot say that. You cannot dismiss everything like it never happened.”
He did not answer. He simply turned and walked out of the room.
I sat frozen.
The words he had spoken the night before echoed painfully in my mind.
I really want you.
Now he called it unconsciousness. A lie. A shield to erase what he refused to accept.
I clenched the sheets beneath my fingers.
I would not believe it.
He was not drunk enough to forget the bond. Not drunk enough to awaken my wolf. Not drunk enough to erase the truth. The blood stains were still there. Proof he could not erase with lies.
Lucien had chosen me last night.
And now he was running from it.
As I stared at the closed door, something shifted deep inside me. The ache in my chest twisted into something sharper.
If he thought he could take my virginity just like that and said he did it unconsciously, then he was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because whatever happened between us had changed something.
And whether Lucien liked it or not, there was no turning back now.
- Writer
