Chapter 42 Chapter 42
My legs started moving. One minute I was staring at a shadowed figure and the next I was sprinting, my breath trapped in my throat. I didn't stop. Not when I saw the training field or when someone called my name. I didn't look back. I ran all the way to the pack house, down the hall, up the stairs and to my room.
I slammed the door shut and locked it with shaky hands. Then I pressed my back to the door and sank down to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest.
"No" I whispered to myself. "No, it wasn't him watching me. It can't be him" my voice sounded thin.
“He’s not here” I told myself. “You imagined it. You’re just scared because of what Lina said. That’s all”
But even as I said the words, the memory of the figure stuck in my head. It looked so real that I thought he was watching me. I squeezed my eyes shut.
“No. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real”
He was far away. He had no reason to come here. He wouldn’t dare cross Lucian’s territory, not with the history between their packs, not with how dangerous it could be.
My heart wouldn’t stay calm. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling. I curled my fists.
“You didn’t see clearly. That figure wasn’t real. He doesn’t know you are here. Your mind is stressed. It could have been anyone”
But the lie didn’t sound convincing to me.
‘He can’t come here’ my wolf said softly. ‘If he has any ounce of self respect, he won’t come here’
Minutes passed by-maybe an hour, I wasn’t keeping track of the time. I stayed on the floor until my breath steadied and I had convinced myself that it was nothing to panic about. A soft knock startled me.
“Ailsa?”
I stood quickly, brushing off my clothes, bottling up my emotions. I unlocked the door and tried my best to look normal. I smiled as I saw Lina at the door. She stepped inside smiling.
“You look flushed. Were you sleeping?”
“Something like that” my voice came out better than I expected. She didn’t question me, thankfully.
“How did your training with the alpha go?” She had a mischievous look on her face.
“It went well. He wore me out” she smiled. This smile was different and I knew she wanted to say something.
“Spit it out already, what are you hiding” she bounded excitedly.
“The alpha sent me. He said you should join him for dinner tonight” my stomach flipped.
“Dinner? With..him?” She nodded
“In private” she whispered and I blinked.
“Private?” She grinned widely.
“Yes. He also asked that you dress nicely” heat rushed up my face
“D-dress nicely because of dinner? Is there something special about this one”
“Yes Ailsa” she giggled. “You are blushing so much”
“I’m not….” I put a hand to my cheek. It was burning. “….blushing”
“You like him” she said in a sing-song tone.
“That’s not…he’s not…Lina” I said firmly. She laughed and pulled me in for a hug. She then stepped back and clapped her hands in excitement.
“I’m dressing you tonight, just like I did for the party”
Despite my fear from before and the shadow still lingering in my thoughts. I found myself smiling.
“Fine, dress me” I said quietly.
By the time evening arrived, the fear in my chest had completely disappeared. Lina’s chatters and laughs kept me occupied as she prepared me. She combed my hair gently, humming under her breath. She brought a midnight blue dress and it fit perfectly like it had been made for me.
She refused to tell me how she got the dress because I knew Lina didn’t have a dress as beautiful as this. She applied some powder to my face and she stepped back, her eyes shimmered.
“You look beautiful” she whispered. “The alpha won’t be able to eat anything tonight except you”
“Lina” I rolled my eyes at her and she laughed. She was telling the truth though, I looked beautiful. A knock sounded on the door.
“Let me get that” Lina rushed to the door and one of the guards stood there.
“I am to escort you”
“Have a nice night. Tell me everything tomorrow” Lina winked at me and left.
My pulse quickened as I followed him down the hall, down a staircase I had never been before, through places I didn’t recognize.
“Where are we going” I asked softly.
“You’ll see”
He led me to a door, that was carved with patterns of wolves and moon. When he opened it, warm light spilled into the hall. My breath caught. It wasn’t a dining room but it was a private room that was decorated with lanterns, giving it a celestial glow.
There was a fire lit in the room, giving it this cozy feeling. I stepped inside slowly, amazement washing away my fear when I turned to look back, the guard was no longer there and the door was shut. I walked in slowly and at the center of the room Lucian stood.
He wore a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his hair was neatly done. His eyes lifted and heat travelled around my body. His gaze was magnetic.
“Ailsa” he said quietly. I swallowed at the thickness of his voice.
“I…I didn’t know this place existed” his lips tilted slightly.
“Nobody does”
He stepped forward, offering his hand.
“Come”
I placed my hand in his and sparks shot up my arms, making my knees weak. He led me to the table, there was no chair so I guessed we were going to sit on the ground. He helped me sit before he went to his own side.
The cooks brought the food shortly,the dishes still steaming, there were fruits and the wine glistening under the light. He had them taste the food first before sending them away. We sat across from each other and at first the silence felt heavy but Lucian cleared his throat.
“You look more beautiful tonight” my cheeks reddened.
“Thank you. Lina did a great job”
“Then I have to thank Lina specially” I looked up at him and he had a smile on his face. He looked so beautiful as he smiled.
We ate for a while, talking about little things like training, the gardens, some strange habits of warriors amongst other things. At a point, i didn’t think it was Lucian sitting across from me, i thought it was another person. I never knew he had this playful side to him. I laughed so hard at some of the things he said and nearly choked on my drink.
“I like that sound” he chuckled softly.
“What sound?”
“Your laugh. I’ve never heard you laugh like this before. I always get the angry side of you”
“That’s because you bring out the angry side of me” he looked away then.
“Believe me, it’s never intentional. Let’s forget about that so we don’t ruin our dinner. We are starting over tonight” he reached for his drink.
“If you say so” he set his cup down and leaned back, studying me.
“Ailsa” he called.
“Yes” I said setting my drink down. I was starting to feel shy with his intense gaze on me.
“Can I ask you something?” My chest tightened.
“About your past. You’ve never spoken about it, it’s like you want to forget it” he continued and I stiffened. He must have noticed my reaction because his voice softened.
“You don’t have to tell me everything or anything. I just wanted to know you better and I thought we could start from there” I looked down at my fingers twisting on my lap.
“I am a rogue or have you forgotten?” He laughed.
“You are using my words against me. You might be a rogue but all rogues have a past, don’t they?”
Lucian was smart, there was no comeback for this. So instead of trying to change the topic because I knew he would come back to it. I decided to tell him what I’ve been telling others
“I don’t want to talk about it” I whispered. He nodded slowly.
“Then we don’t have to talk about it tonight” relief flooded me.
“Someday, I hope you’ll trust me enough to tell me”
The words struck something deep inside me, fear, longing and hope all tied together. I also hoped that I’d be able to tell him everything someday.
“Let’s talk about what was going on with you earlier today. You were absent minded during training” I gulped my drink.
“Oh about that, I was just being paranoid. I thought the person who tried to kill me was lurking around”
“That’s it?” I nodded.
“I told you, you’re safe. You don’t have to worry anymore. No one is going to try and hurt you again. The person who tried to poison you, would be caught soon”
“Thank you”
“I planned this dinner so you could relax and so we could talk. I hope you like it” I smiled at him.
“It’s beautiful and yes, I like it” he smiled too.
We changed subject and the rest of the night flowed easily. We talked about everything. We laughed. He told me stories about his childhood, his parents and how he became alpha. I was proud of his achievements. He also told me embarrassing stories from his childhood.
For the first time since arriving here, I felt wanted and safe. The plates were cleared and only the lights remained, he stood slowly and came over to sit beside me. He looked at me.
“Ailsa, I owe you an apology” my brows lifted.
“For what?”
“For being an ass when you first came here. For treating you badly. The truth is that I didn’t want a mate. I thought you were going to be a distraction and I didn’t want that. That’s why I tried to push you away”
“So what changed now?”
“Everything. I’m tired of fighting fate and this bond. Let’s just allow nature take its course” I smiled at him surprised at how genuine his words sounded.
The silence stretched but it was not uncomfortable, it was heavy with something new. He reached up slowly brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. His touch was light.
“Ailsa…” he whispered, his voice dipping lower. My heart stuttered. My wolf jumped for joy. Heat shot straight to my core, my body weak from want.
Do it. I screamed in my mind. I wanted it just as much as he did. He leaned closer, his breath brushing my cheek.
“I’m going to…” his voice faltered. “….kiss you” my breath caught and he didn’t wait for a reply as his lips closed over mine in a heated kiss.