Chapter 53 53

Chapter 53 53
Chapter 53

Rhea’s POV

The door opened into a wide, softly lit room. Warm beige and brown tones wrapped the space in a quiet calm. A large white bed sat at the center, plush and inviting, its pillows stacked neatly against the headboard. A sleek bedside table rested to one side, holding a small lamp and a small vase.

Across from the bed stood a vanity, its surface clean except for a single mirror and a cozy armchair sat tucked near the window, bathed in the glow of soft afternoon light. 

Everything felt curated, lived in, yet untouched.

“Do you like it?” Lucien asked, behind me, his voice a soft caress on my nape.

I exhaled a breath, still stunned by the beauty. “It is… big.”

“That’s a good sign then.” Damian clapped, urging me with his hand on my back. “Come on.”

I stepped in completely, taking more of the room in before turning to them. “Thank you.”

Damian rolled his eyes boredly. “For what?”

Lucien’s hand found my waist, drawing me closer to him and leaned into my neck. A soft kiss landed there before his words came next. “We should be thanking you for coming with us.”

“We know it was hard for you.” Damian agreed, kissing my forehead.

The corners of my lips tipped up into a teasing smirk. “Well, I guess you will have more of me around now.”

“Damn right. We will.” Lucien pulled back, a smile still on his lips. “We need to go. You can spend the rest of the day here. Lunch would be brought up to you and when it’s time for dinner, we would officially introduce you to the family.”

My throat tightened at the thought of family. I hadn’t expected to be introduced to theirs so soon. The closest I’d come to that was Mark, but that had all been a lie. And now, he was a threat to my kind.

“See you later,” they said in unison, each pressing a lingering kiss to my lips before heading out. I watched them go, the door clicking softly behind them, and let out a slow breath.

I could only hope this would go well… that their family wouldn’t see me as a threat for being a hybrid.

I spent the rest of the day practically doing nothing. Just laying on my bed endlessly while trying to keep myself entertained with videos online. It was fun until I almost contacted Isolde. I had to reach out to her at some point but I knew that right now wouldn’t be the best. While she acted weirdly strange the last time I saw her, she would probably want to know where I was… I think.

Like Lucien said, lunch was brought to me by a lady. We didn’t interact much, and I was grateful since I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know what to say during dinner which was happening in fifteen minutes. 

A groggy sigh slipped from my lips as I pushed myself off the bed and padded toward the bathroom. Like the bedroom, it was tastefully designed: sleek basins, a wide tub paired with a glass-walled shower, everything polished and elegant. Not exactly what I expected from an exiled pack.

I had barely undressed when a knock sounded at the door, halting my movement.

Another knock, but this time followed by a voice. “It’s Damian. Can I come in?” 

My mind skittered briefly as I glanced at my nearly bare reflection, then toward the door. “Yeah… I guess.”

There wasn’t much point pretending; he’d already seen everything.

The door creaked open, followed by the soft sound of footsteps.

“Are you in the bathroom?”

“Yes.”

“Should I wait outside for you?”

My brows lifted at that. The fact that he was offering to wait instead of walking right in caught me off guard, but… well, I guess.

“If you want.”

Silence followed. I turned back to the shower, stepping under the stream and letting the warm water rush over my skin.

Within a few minutes, I was done, and Damian’s stare hit me the moment I stepped out of the bathroom.

I locked eyes with him, a slight smile tugging at my lips when I noticed his Adam’s apple bob.

“Like what you see?” My voice carried a teasing edge as I moved away from the door.
His gaze flicked slowly… torturously… over my legs before settling on my face.
“You know I do. Fuck…” He rose to his feet, his lips curling into a deliberate smirk as he dragged me closer by the waist. “You’re so hot. I want to eat you up right now.”
Laughter bubbled from my lips as I lifted a hand to swat his chest. “Not now. We have dinner, remember?”
“Urrgh…” he groaned, pulling away with a reluctant sigh.
He pointed toward the bed, where a short black gown lay neatly arranged. “Lucien ordered it for you… for now. You can shop for more clothes tomorrow.”
I nodded and planted a kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Damian whispered and stepped aside as I moved to dress. Minutes later, I slipped into the short black gown, smoothing the fabric down my thighs before stepping out with him.

The walk to the dining room felt like a nervous blur. My palms grew warm and slightly damp. With each step, my heart hammered harder, like the morning was replaying itself all over again. There was that same fluttering anticipation coiling tightly in my chest, but this time it wasn’t frightening, just overwhelming in a new way.

We reached the stairs, and my breath caught as we descended. Damien’s presence beside me was steady, a quiet anchor beneath all my scrambling thoughts.

Then we turned left, and the dining room unfurled in front of me.

My throat constricted.

There were more people here than I could count at first glance… far more than ten, all seated around a long table. Their conversations halted immediately as their gazes shifted to me. 

I tried not to look at their faces, focusing on searching for a more familiar face. Lucien was standing across the room in deep conversation with Noah, but the moment their heads turned in our direction, they both paused.

Heat crept up my neck.

Something between desire, fear, and anticipation, my heartbeat thudded loud enough that I was sure everyone could hear it.

Without hesitation, Lucien broke away from Noah and crossed the room toward us. The small crowd watched both him and me curiously.

When he reached us, his arm slipped around my waist, firm and familiar. Damian’s fingers laced through mine on the other side, giving me a sense of calm.

All eyes stayed fixed on us as I stood between the two most important men in the room.

“This is Rhea,” Lucien announced, his arm still wrapped around my waist, his voice steady. “Our mate.”

“And future Luna,” Damian added from beside me, his words making my eyes widen.

Soft gasps rippled through the room, mingling with exchanged glances and whispers that fluttered like wings in the still air.

My breath hitched, and for a moment, everything around me stilled.