Chapter 10
Lucian came to see me just as I was climbing into bed.
When he reached my side, I scooted over, making room for him.
He sat down on the edge of the mattress and asked softly, “You went to see the Luna Queen today?”
I sat up, crossing my legs.
“Lucian,” I said, wide-eyed. “She told me you have a heart condition.”
I wasn’t sure if she was lying-Emery felt like a bad person.
Lucian paused for a beat, then gave a small nod under my anxious gaze.
“Does it hurt?” I crawled closer and started patting around his chest.
It was firm—nothing like mine at all.
He chuckled and caught my hand, tugging gently until I tumbled into his arms.
“If you blow on it, maybe it won’t hurt anymore.” He whispered, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
I nodded seriously, found a comfy spot against his chest, and began blowing soft puffs of air.
After just two breaths, he clapped a hand over my mouth.
Before I could react, he flipped us both, easing me back onto the bed and hovering above me.
His eyes were darker now, warm and soft like melting snow under sunlight. His Adam’s apple
bobbed once.
“Does it still hurt?” I mumbled under his hand.
He pulled away quickly and sat up straight again, letting out a quiet sigh.
His scent flooded the room-vanilla and something sweet this time, like honey melting into tea.
“Lyra,” he said, voice rougher than before. “Have you been taking your medicine?”
That made me huff.
“Are you mad because I’m too stupid? Because I don’t have a wolf yet?”
He looked down at me and gave a faint, crooked smile. His fingers brushed gently along my brows. “You’re not stupid,” he said quietly.
“But I do want you to grow up quickly.”
I sat up, ready to argue, when I spotted something behind him—right at the edge of the bed.
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The little bottle.
I nearly forgot.
“Your heart,” I said, reaching over. “If you don’t take medicine, are you really going to die in a few years?”
He blinked, surprised I brought it up again.
I glanced around to make sure no one else was in the room before pulling the bottle from under the
covers.
“Can you check if this works? Will it help?”
Lucian took the bottle and uncorked it, sniffing once.
“…It would,” he admitted softly.
My heart skipped.
So Emery hadn’t lied?
“But,” he added coldly, “it’s been laced with poison. It would kill me before it cured anything.” He lifted his eyes to mine. “You got this from my mother?”
I nodded furiously. “I knew she was evil!”
The bitterness rolling off him had started to fade, replaced by a smirk. “You knew, huh? How?”
I couldn’t exactly tell him I sniffed it out. That was my secret.
“She’s your mother, Lucian! How could she-why would she-“I was so angry I couldn’t find the
words.
Even when I scraped my knees, my mother would cry harder than I did.
Why would his mother want him dead?
Lucian let out a low laugh-but it was cold and bitter.
The bitterness surrounded him again. This time, it was so strong, it made my throat ache. I couldn’t
help but throw my arms around him and gently pat his back.
“It’s okay, Lucian,” I whispered. “My mom would’ve loved you too. And I-I’ll love you.”
That’s when I finally understood. His bitterness wasn’t because he lacked sweets. It wasn’t even
about sadness.
We lay there in silence for a while, just breathing.
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His scent wrapped tightly around him like a shield. Like he was drowning in it.
“I never had a mother,” he said eventually.
I turned to look at him.
He was staring at the ceiling, his dark eyes reflecting nothing but the night.
“She was taken by the former Alpha King-my father. Forced into this place. After one night, she was pregnant with me. She hated me from the start. Locked me away, never touched me. My father didn’t want me either. I was ignored. Forgotten.” His voice turned hollow. “Three years later, they had another child. That one-he was loved. Raised like a prince. Praised by everyone. My mother would use me like a blade if it meant keeping him safe.”
He swallowed hard.
“We were both her sons. But I was dirt beneath her feet, and he… he was everything. The heir. The future.”
“And since I was born to be a monster-a ruthless killer-a traitor to be hunted… Then I-”
I slapped a hand over his mouth before he could finish.
It was too bitter. The kind of pain that clung to your teeth and burrowed into your bones.
He didn’t have candy like I did.
I leaned forward and kissed the corner of his eye, where it had turned red.
Lucian flinched like he couldn’t believe I’d just done that.
I tilted my head, looking him in the eye.
“You’re the mighty Alpha King,” I whispered. “Before winter, I overheard some pack members
saying that rogue attacks have gone way down. I bet that’s because of you.”
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