CHAPTER SIX
824 Words
The Blackthorn gardens were a labyrinth of winding stone paths, wild roses, and ancient oaks whose roots seemed to whisper secrets through the soil. At night, the air was cooler here, carrying the soft hum of crickets and the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures.
It was the kind of place Selene had always loved — quiet, hidden, free from the suffocating politics of the packhouse. Tonight, however, she wasn’t here for peace.
She was here because of him.
Lucien was already waiting when she arrived, leaning casually against the low stone wall near the fountain. Moonlight silvered the sharp lines of his face, catching in his dark eyes. He straightened when he saw her, his lips curving in that practiced, dangerous smile.
“Selene,” he said smoothly, as though her name tasted sweet on his tongue. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come.”
“I shouldn’t have,” she replied quietly. “But I need answers… and Kael isn’t giving them to me.”
Lucien stepped closer, slow enough to make it look unthreatening. “Kael guards his truths like a dragon guards gold. And sometimes, he doesn’t realize the cost.”
Her gaze flicked away, unsure if she should even be having this conversation. “The cost?”
“Yes.” His tone softened, coaxing. “Trust. Love. Connection. The very things that bind a mate to her Alpha. If he withholds too much for too long, you start wondering… why?”
Selene hesitated. She hated that his words rang true.
Lucien watched her carefully. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The distance. The way he avoids certain topics. The late nights where he says nothing about where he’s been. That’s not what a mate should do.”
She looked at him sharply. “You don’t know Kael.”
“Oh, but I’ve known men like Kael all my life,” Lucien replied smoothly. “Powerful. Proud. But blinded by the belief that their mate will stay loyal no matter how neglected she feels.”
Selene’s heart tightened. “Neglected is not the right word.”
Lucien’s brow lifted slightly. “Then what is the right word?”
She didn’t answer. The truth was too tangled to name.
Instead, she crossed her arms and asked, “Why are you telling me this? What do you gain?”
His smile softened — or at least, it looked softer. “I gain nothing. I simply… respect you. You’re strong, Selene. Intelligent. You deserve more than to be left in the dark.”
She wanted to push back, to tell him she didn’t need his validation — but part of her, deep down, wanted someone to say that. Someone other than Kael.
“Kael thinks you’re dangerous,” she said at last.
Lucien’s chuckle was low, almost amused. “Of course he does. Men like Kael see danger in anyone who challenges their control.”
He took a slow step closer, close enough that she caught the faint scent of cedarwood on him. “I’m not your enemy, Selene. But I could be your ally… if you let me.”
Her breath caught for a moment — not from attraction, though Lucien was undeniably magnetic, but from the knowledge that every second she stood here, she was crossing a line Kael had drawn.
“I should go,” she said quickly, turning toward the path.
“Selene.” His voice stopped her. She glanced back to see him watching her with a gaze that was both piercing and unreadable.
“Think about what I said,” he murmured. “And if Kael’s pride keeps him from giving you the truth, you know where to find me.”
She left without replying, her footsteps quick against the stone. But as she walked, her thoughts churned.
She told herself she didn’t trust Lucien. That she had only come here because she wanted clarity, not because she believed him. Yet she couldn’t deny that some of his words had lodged deep inside her, like splinters she couldn’t pull free.
When she returned to the packhouse, she found Kael waiting in the main hall. He was leaning against the banister, his gaze locked on her the moment she stepped inside.
“Where were you?” His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the steel underneath.
Selene met his gaze evenly. “Walking in the gardens.”
“Alone?”
She hesitated a fraction of a second too long. “Yes.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. He stepped closer, searching her eyes for the truth. But if he saw it there, he said nothing.
Instead, he murmured, “It’s late. You should rest.”
And then he turned away, heading for his study.
Selene stood there for a moment longer, her pulse still racing — from Lucien’s words, from Kael’s gaze, from the knowledge that the wall between them was growing higher with every passing night.
- Writer
