CHAPTER 8 — The Alpha’s Warning
834 Words
Mirabel barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the intruder’s golden eyes…
Esther’s cruel smirk…
Kelvin’s cold betrayal…
and Lucian’s silver gaze burning into her soul.
When morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, she pushed herself up slowly, her body aching.
She wasn’t used to comfort.
Not after the hell she came from.
As she swung her legs off the bed, the door opened.
Lucian stood there.
Tall.
Composed.
Unnaturally quiet.
His hair was damp, like he had just taken a shower, and he wore a dark shirt that stretched across his broad chest.
Mirabel’s throat went dry.
“Good. You’re awake,” he said.
His voice was steady, but something in his eyes looked… stormy.
“Did you sleep?” Mirabel asked.
Lucian stared at her for a moment before answering.
“No.”
“Why not?”
His jaw tightened. “Because the idea of someone else breaking into this house kept me awake.”
Mirabel’s heartbeat stumbled.
“Lucian… I’m fine. Yesterday was just—”
“No.”
His voice dropped, deep and firm.
“Don’t minimize what happened.”
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Mirabel suddenly felt trapped—not because she wanted to run, but because she didn’t trust what her heart was doing around him.
Lucian’s expression softened slightly as he approached her.
“I need you to understand something,” he said quietly.
Mirabel’s breath caught at the intensity in his eyes.
“In my world, claiming a mate means everything. It means I protect you. Provide for you. Fight for you. Die for you.”
Her pulse jumped.
“But I didn’t choose this,” she whispered. “Neither of us did.”
Lucian exhaled harshly. “Maybe not. But the bond is real. Stronger than anything I’ve felt.”
Mirabel swallowed.
His nearness was overwhelming.
Warm.
Dangerous.
“Lucian… this bond won’t change what I need to do,” she said. “I have to go back. I have to finish what Esther started.”
His eyes darkened.
“Revenge?”
“Justice.”
“Same thing,” he muttered.
Mirabel looked down, her voice cracking.
“She tried to kill me. And Kelvin—he believed her lies. He hit me. He humiliated me. He replaced me with her.”
Lucian’s fist clenched so tightly the veins in his forearm tightened.
His wolf was close—too close.
“You will never go back to that man,” he growled.
“I will,” she shot back, lifting her chin. “Because they need to pay.”
Lucian stepped closer until she could feel his breath.
“Mirabel,” he said softly, dangerously, “if you walk into that house alone, you won’t survive. Not now. Not with what’s coming.”
She froze.
“What do you mean?”
Lucian hesitated.
Then he cupped her cheek lightly, carefully, as if afraid she would break.
“You are changing.”
Mirabel blinked. “Changing? How?”
“The poison Esther gave you didn’t kill you,” Lucian said. “It did something… else.”
“What do you mean ‘else’?” she whispered.
Lucian’s thumb brushed her cheek, sending sparks down her spine.
“You didn’t just survive the toxin. You awakened something inside you.”
His eyes searched hers.
“Something not human.”
Mirabel’s stomach dropped.
“What are you talking about?”
Lucian leaned in, his voice a whisper against her lips.
“You’re becoming one of us.”
Everything inside her froze.
“N-no. That’s impossible. Humans don’t turn into—”
“Wolves?” Lucian finished.
“Some don’t. But the rare ones… the chosen ones… do.”
Mirabel shook her head violently.
“No. I never asked for this. I don’t want this!”
Lucian caught her hands gently before she could pull away.
“But you’re not alone,” he whispered. “I’ll guide you. I’ll protect you. I’ll make sure the transformation doesn’t kill you.”
“K-Kill me?” she stammered.
Lucian’s eyes softened with something she couldn’t name.
“Mirabel,” he murmured, “your body will choose whether it survives… or breaks.”
Mirabel felt her knees weaken.
Her heart pounded.
Her breath trembled.
“Why me?” she whispered. “Why would the universe choose me?”
Lucian stepped closer, his forehead brushing hers.
“Because you were never meant to be ordinary.”
Mirabel’s breath hitched as his fingers slid down her arms.
Heat spread through her chest—fear, attraction, confusion.
“Lucian…” she breathed.
“Yes?”
“I’m scared.”
He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her with fierce protectiveness.
“You’re allowed to be scared.”
His breath warmed her ear.
“But you’re mine now. And I will not let you die.”
Mirabel closed her eyes.
And for the first time since her death—
since her rebirth—
she didn’t feel alone.
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- Writer
