CHAPTER0005
1031 Words
New Chapter Title: Shadows at the Doorstep
A low, angry growl echoed from behind, causing my body to freeze as if submerged in a lake of ice. My heart kicked up, pounding so hard I thought it might break through my chest. Everything from that attack back at Lauterbrunnen Crest slammed into me all at once.
But I wasn’t going to fall apart. Not again.
I ran.
My boots slammed against the ground as I made a dash toward the front of the house. Wind whipped past me. Trees blurred. The shadows stretched longer with the falling sun.
"Slow down," Aurin whispered inside my head, calm but firm. "It’s someone you know. They’re not here to hurt you."
"How do you know that?" I muttered, not stopping.
"The scent’s familiar... just too faint to be certain."
I kept going but eased up just a little, scanning the space in front of the house. Nothing moved. Still, I reached for the blade tucked at my hip, fingers tight around the handle.
"Come out!" My voice rang loud and sharp. No way was I letting anyone sneak up on me.
Nothing. Then...
"It’s me, Selene."
My breath caught. That voice.
Lucien stepped out of the shadows like some bad memory crawling back to life. The last light of the sun made him look even more distant. Cold. Like always.
"How the hell did you find me?" I snapped.
"I came for answers," he said, eyes locked on me. "Why the divorce? Why disappear?"
I didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. "You know exactly why, Lucien. After Soraya lost her mate, everything between us cracked. You stopped showing up. So I did what I had to."
He laughed, low and sharp. "That’s your excuse? You think this is justice?"
He reached for me.
"Don’t," I growled, jerking back. "You don’t get to touch me. You lost that right. You lost Lea. You don’t get either of us, no."
He crossed his arms like he was still in charge. "I was your husband. I am entitled to visit my family home. To see my daughter."
"No, you don’t! We’re done, Lucien Eigenmann. You're not my husband, and I'm not your Luna. Go bother Soraya and Mia. Isn’t that who you care about now? Planning your sweet trip to Black Vale Pack?"
"That’s for tomorrow," he said coolly. "I came for you today. You belong in Matterhorn. With me."
"Belong?" My throat burned. "I stopped being part of your life the day you stood by and did nothing while our daughter died." You failed us, Lucien. Failed her. And you didn’t even look back."
His eyes darkened. "I never agreed to the divorce."
What?
The words struck him hard. He thought he still had control? Did he believe this was a game in which he set the rules?
Before I could say anything, the door creaked open.
"Selene? Everything okay out there?" My mother called, her voice casual but concerned.
"Just an old school friend," I called back, forcing a fake laugh. "Linnea Hartmann. We’re heading to the café to catch up."
"Don’t stay out too long," she warned. "Lea’s funeral is tomorrow. Get some rest, love."
As soon as the door clicked shut again, I grabbed Lucien’s arm and shoved him toward the side of the house.
"You need to leave. Now."
He yanked free. "Since when do you make choices without me? What happened to our daughter?"
I stared at him, jaw tight. "You remember the explosion, right? When we were trapped in the rubble? Where were you then? Oh yeah—holding Soraya’s kid while your lay buried."
"Soraya’s a widow. She needed—"
"You made me a widow the moment you chose her over us! Don’t you get it? I’m done. Go play joyful family with your real mate and her son."
He stepped closer. "You don’t get to just leave. We talk things out. We fix things."
"No, you don’t get to rewrite what you broke. I was begging for your attention, for help, for love. You gave it all to her. I felt like a ghost in my own house.
His face cracked just a little. I saw it. Hurt. Regret. Then it vanished under his usual smirk.
"You’re just being emotional. This tantrum won’t change anything. I’m here now. I’m fixing it."
A laugh bubbled up, bitter and hollow. "You think I’m confused? I’ve never been more sure. You stopped mattering the moment I saw how little I mattered to you."
"You’re blind with anger. Whatever lies you’ve fed yourself, I’m still the one who cares. Still the one who came back."
"Back? For what? Did you expect me to still cling to you? I won’t. You led everyone to believe that I was inferior. I stood by you while the pack whispered behind my back, while you played perfect mate with Soraya. You let them shame me."
"You really think I did that? On purpose?"
"Did you stop them? Did you stand up for me? No. You watched. And now you come back like I’m supposed to be grateful?"
He blinked. "Are you saying you found someone else? Is that what this conversation is about?"
"No, Lucien. This is about me choosing peace. Choosing myself. Something I should’ve done long ago."
His voice dropped. "You’re throwing away six years because of gossip and grief?"
"No. I’m walking away from six years of feeling invisible. I mourned our daughter alone. And when I needed you most, you were at Soraya’s side. Not mine. Never mind."
He opened his mouth, but the words got stuck. I could see it now—he thought he still had time. He still had a chance. He didn’t.
"You don’t belong here anymore," I whispered.
"You think it’s that easy?" he asked, a note of disbelief in his voice. "You only need to utter a single word to disappear?"
"Yes. That’s precisely how this works."
He stared at me. He was not the cold, heartless Alpha from before. He appeared to be a man who had finally come to terms with his loss.
"Goodbye, Lucien."
He turned without another word.
And I didn’t stop him.
- Writer
