Chapter 5
1148 Words
CHAPTER 5: Be Weary
Ivy's POV
The moment I really looked at him, it hit me hard. That was Lucian Blackthorn.
I didn’t need an introduction. I didn’t need him to say his name. I just knew.
He stood there like the manor belonged to his bones, like the walls had grown around him instead of the other way around. Tall. Broad shoulders under a dark coat that looked far too formal for this century.
His hair was dark, almost black, pulled back loosely like he didn’t care enough to tame it fully. His face was sharp in a quiet way. Not pretty. Not gentle. Just… commanding. His jaw was tense, his expression carved from stone but it was his eyes. God..
They were pale. Cold. The kind of eyes that saw everything and judged silently. The kind that made you feel like lying would be pointless and then something very wrong happened.
My chest tightened. No... worse.
Heat rushed through me, sudden and fierce, like my body had skipped the part where it asked for permission. My breath hitched, my knees went weak, and I actually stumbled back a step.
What the hell was that?
I grabbed the edge of a table to steady myself.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed immediately.
Mila shrank closer to me, clutching her wolf toy.
“Go to your room,” he said, his voice deep and calm and way too steady.
The little girl didn’t argue. She nodded once and scurried away without a word, her feet barely making a sound on the floor.
The moment she was gone, the hall felt bigger. Colder.
Lucian’s gaze returned to me.
“Ivy Harrington,” he said. “Welcome to Blackthorn Manor.”
His tone was polite.
His face was not.
“Th-thank you,” I said, and then cursed myself internally. Why was I stuttering? I never stuttered. “I mean... thank you. Sir.”
Great. Now I sounded like I was in trouble at school.
He studied me like I was a problem he hadn’t decided how to solve yet.
“How was your journey?” he asked.
Weirdly formal. Weirdly distant.
“Um,” I said. “Foggy. Horse-based. Slightly traumatizing.”
Silence.
Okay. Joke not received.
I cleared my throat.
“You’re… Lucian Blackthorn.”
“Yes.”
Right. Straight to the point.
I swallowed.
“I, uh… how do you know my name? And how did you send a letter directly to my address? Because I didn’t apply through any agency. And your… driver… guy… didn’t exactly give me answers.”
His expression didn’t change.
“Your job,” he said, cutting me off, “is to tutor my daughter. You will teach her reading, writing, numbers, and history. You will remain within the manor grounds at all times unless given permission. You will not enter the west wing. You will not wander at night. You will not ask unnecessary questions.”
I blinked.
“Wow,” I said. “Those are a lot of ‘wills not.’”
He continued like I hadn’t spoken.
“You will follow the schedule provided. You will eat when meals are served. You will retire to your room by ten. You will not leave the estate.”
“…Excuse me?” I said.
His eyes flicked to mine. Sharp.
“This is starting to sound less like a job and more like a very fancy prison,” I said. “With better furniture.”
“If you are unhappy,” he said coolly, “you are free to return to your very interesting life.”
Something about the way he said it... flat, dismissive... made my spine straighten.
“Fine,” I said immediately. “I accept.”
One of his brows lifted slightly.
I surprised myself too.
“Look,” I added quickly, “I came all this way. I need the work. And honestly? I’ve lived in worse places.”
That part was true. Lucian watched me for a long moment. Then he said, quietly, “You felt that.”
My heart skipped.
“Felt what?”
He took a step closer and I had to fight the urge to step back.
“The pull,” he said. “The recognition.”
My skin prickled.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His lips pressed into a thin line.
“The mate bond,” he said calmly.
I stared at him.
“…The what bond?”
He didn’t answer.
“Wait,” I said. “No. No, no. You can’t just drop something like that and then go silent. That’s illegal.”
His gaze hardened.
“This conversation is over.”
“Excuse me?”
He turned slightly and spoke into the open space.
“Maya.”
Almost instantly, a woman appeared from one of the side halls. She was tall, dark-skinned, with kind eyes and a stiff posture. She looked about my age, maybe a little older.
“Yes, Alpha,” she said.
Alpha. I froze.
Lucian didn’t look at me again.
“Show Miss Harrington the manor. A brief tour.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Lucian turned and walked away, his steps steady, controlled, like he hadn’t just turned my entire world upside down.
I stood there, staring after him.
“What,” I whispered, “just happened?”
Maya cleared her throat gently.
“If you’ll follow me, Miss Harrington.”
“Sure,” I said faintly. “Why not.”
We walked through long halls and tall rooms filled with old portraits and heavy furniture. Everything smelled like history and secrets.
“So,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Lucian seems… intense.”
Maya nodded.
“Alpha Lucian is the most feared and dreaded Alpha Wolf in these parts.”
I stopped walking.
“Sorry,” I said. “Did you just say wolf?”
Maya stopped too and turned to face me.
“Yes.”
I laughed once.
“Okay. Good one.”
She didn’t smile.
My laugh died.
“…You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
My stomach dropped.
“Oh,” I said quietly. “So my mother wasn’t insane.”
Maya tilted her head.
“Your mother knew the old tales?”
“Used to tell me bedtime stories,” I muttered. “I thought they were metaphors.”
“They rarely are,” Maya said.
We ended the tour in the gardens. Tall hedges. Dark flowers. A strange stillness in the air.
Maya hesitated.
“There is something else you should know.”
I looked at her.
“Let me guess. Don’t pet the wolves.”
“Be wary of the Alpha’s brothers,” she said softly.
I frowned.
“Brothers? He has brothers?”
Her body went rigid.
I felt it before I heard anything.. apresence.
I turned around and gasped…
- Writer
