It's Either You, Alpha, or the Rogue

009: The Rogue

CHAPTER 9

~LUCIEN~

I stood at the door, watching Thane with his hands all over the woman I had warned him not to touch. Anger boiled inside me as I saw the bruises on her body. She looked so small, so broken. It reminded me of my own past, how I had been treated like nothing, just like her. The way she was held down, the way she couldn’t fight back... it was all too familiar.

She was an Omega, that much was clear. I could sense it from the way she moved, from how she didn’t even try to fight back anymore. But there was something about her, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something that made me give the order earlier: Do Not Touch This One.

I wasn’t soft, far from it, but something in me stirred when I saw her. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t care to understand it. I just knew I didn’t want her hurt any more than she already was.

But Thane, of course, couldn’t listen. That i***t never knew when to stop.

I had given it some time, thinking maybe he’d actually listen to me for once. But when I walked in, there he was, his dirty hands all over her, tearing her clothes like she was some kind of prey.

I became angry immediately, and before I could stop myself, I roared, “I told you not to touch this one!”

Thane glanced up and saw me standing there. He narrowed his eyes and spat, “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Lucien.”

I ignored him, my focus already on the Omega. She was sitting there, tears in her eyes, trembling like a leaf. My chest tightened. I had told him to leave her alone, and yet here we were.

I turned back to Thane, barely able to contain my anger. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I growled. “I told you not to touch this one. This is the first time I’ve ever asked for something like this. What’s your deal?”

Thane crossed his arms, his face twisted with a sneer. “She’s a prisoner,” he said coldly. “And prisoners get treated like prisoners. You know that.”

Without another word, I walked over to the Omega and knelt down beside her. Her wrists were raw from the chains, and she was shaking all over. I couldn’t just stand by and watch her suffer like this. I had to do something.

I reached up and unshackled the chains from her wrists, gently pulling them off. Thane stared at me, clearly surprised that I was actually doing this. But I didn’t care what he thought. I wasn’t about to let him treat her like some piece of meat.

“You’re coming with me,” I said softly to the Omega, carefully picking her up in my arms. She was light, she didn’t fight me. She look too exhausted to resist.

Thane scoffed, but I ignored him again. “This isn’t over, Lucien,” he muttered under his breath as I walked past him.

I didn’t bother replying. All I cared about was getting the Omega out of there, away from the hell Thane had put her through. She wasn’t just another prisoner to me. There was something about her, something I couldn’t explain, but I knew she didn’t deserve this.

~ARIA~

Lucien carried me into his quarters and laid me gently on the bed. I couldn’t believe what was happening. My heart raced, unsure if I should feel relieved or scared. He wasn’t an Alpha... that much was clear from his appearance. His long blonde hair and the rough look about him told me he was something different. But why was he helping me?

I sat up slowly, still feeling weak. I looked at him, trying to figure him out. “Why are you protecting me?” I asked, my voice shaky. “I’m a prisoner… and you’re a…” I stopped myself, not wanting to say the word ‘rogue’ out loud. What if he got angry?

He scoffed at how carefully I was choosing my words, almost like he found it funny. “I’m Lucien,” he said, giving me a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “And you are?”

I hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “Aria.”

Lucien nodded, like my name mattered to him. But I didn’t understand why. Why was he being so kind when he had no reason to? I was just an Omega, weak and unwanted. He could’ve let Thane do whatever he wanted, but instead, Lucien had stopped him.

“You’re safe now,” Lucien said, sitting in a chair across from me. “No one’s going to hurt you while you’re here.”

I blinked at him, still not understanding. “But why? I don’t get it. You’re a rogue… why would you care about me?”

He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair like he was trying to figure it out himself. “Maybe I don’t know either,” he said quietly.

His words hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I was used to being treated like I didn’t matter, but here was this rogue, someone I should be afraid of, telling me he wanted to protect me. It didn’t make any sense, but I couldn’t deny the relief I felt knowing he wasn’t going to hurt me.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. I wasn’t sure if I should trust him, but right now, I didn’t have much of a choice.

Lucien stood up and walked toward the door. “Get some rest, Aria. You’ve had a rough day. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

I watched him leave, still trying to wrap my head around everything. I was supposed to be a prisoner, but for the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel like one. I felt… safe. It was strange, being in a rogue’s territory, yet feeling safer here than I ever did in the Moonshadow Pack.

As I lay back on the bed, exhaustion finally catching up to me, I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucien. Who was he really? And why did he care so much about someone like me? One thing was for sure... there was more to him than met the eye.