Chapter 116 Chapter 116
LUCIAN’S POV
We put on our clothes after we had both caught our breath. Ailsa looked so beautiful with her hair ruffled and she looked thoroughly fucked. My groin tightened thinking about how she looked on the desk.
Don’t start, I said to my cock.
“I’ll see you later” Ailsa pecked me on my cheek before turning to leave.
The door closed softly behind her. I remained where I was, my palms braced against the edge of the desk, I bowed my head as if the weight of the room had suddenly doubled.
The scent of her lingered everywhere, it was warm, familiar, grounding. Normally, that alone was enough to settle my wolf, enough to bring my breathing back into rhythm.
But, it didn’t.
My wolf paced beneath my skin, restless and irritated. He was not angry but agitated.
I straightened slowly, frowning. That wasn’t right. After her, after them, mu wolf should have been content. Heavy with satisfaction and calm. After all, that was what he wanted. Instead, he prowled.
My gaze drifted to the desk, the disheveled papers, the chair pushed back too far, the faint imprint where Ailsa had been only minutes ago. My jaw tightened. I replayed the moment in his head, the way she had walked in, the question in her eyes before she’d even spoken. The way doubt had flickered there, sharp and painful.
And damn it, I had snapped at her for doubting me.
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair. I hated that part the most. I hadn’t meant to make her feel bad but my temper had risen so fast, so violently, like something had reached inside me and yanked the reins loose. That wasn’t me.
But it all ended happily, I thought.
Perhaps if I hadn’t snapped at her, she wouldn’t have shut me up with that kiss.
My wolf growled low and I stilled. The growl wasn’t directed outward. It wasn’t territorial or defensive. It was confused. My eyes lifted, scanning the room, trying to find out what had put my wolf in a sour mood all of a sudden. And then I caught it.
A scent.
Faint. Sweet in an annoying way. It was flowery but wrong. Like perfume layered over something sharp and metallic.
Elara.
My spine stiffened. Her scent threaded through the office, not overpowering, but persistent. As if it had been worked into the air and deliberately woven into the space. My wolf reacted violently, hackles rising, heat flaring low in my gut, then twisting into something unpleasant. A flash of emotion surged through me
Not desire or attraction. It was disorientation.
I swore under my breath, stepping back as if distance might help. The sensation faded as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste.
My hands curled into fists.
“No” I muttered. My wolf snarled in agreement.
My wolf and I have lived as one, my entire life. He knew every shift of emotion, every instinctive response. This…this was foreign and intrusive. Like someone had reached into the bond and stirred it.
The memory of Ailsa’s face rose unbidden. The way she’d apologized. The way she’d kissed me first, as if she trying to smooth something broken between us. Guilt cut sharp and sudden. A knock sounded at the door, interrupting my thoughts.
“Enter” I said, my voice clipped.
Aiden stepped inside, shutting the door carefully behind him. One look at my expression and his shoulders tensed.
“Do you feel it too?” I asked flatly. Aiden hesitated. That alone confirmed it.
“I didn’t want to bring it up without certainty” Aiden said slowly.
“But yes” I turned fully toward him.
“Explain”
“I noticed it a while ago” Aiden continued.
“Your aura spikes when she’s near. Not in anger or dominance. Something erratic” my jaw clenched.
“And when Ailsa is with me?” Aiden met my gaze steadily.
“Your wolf is settled. You are very calm when she’s around”
Silence slammed between us. I closed my eyes briefly. That single distinction made my blood run cold.
“So I’m not imagining it?” I asked.
“No” he replied.
“And that’s not the worst of it” my eyes snapped open. Aiden inhaled, choosing his words carefully.
“This agitation and volatility. It only happens around Elara. It’s like you’re trying to fight the attraction you felt for her in the past. That day, when the Luna touched you, your control wavered” Lucian flinched internally. Aiden didn’t soften the blow.
“It’s still obvious you are drawn to Elara not by choice. Maybe the mark she still bears it’s what’s keeping the bond fresh” The word echoed.
Bond.
I felt something inside me fracture not loudly, not completely, but enough to hurt. My bond was sacred. To tamper with it was an act of war older than any law written by elders. My hands trembled once before he forced them still.
“Ailsa doesn’t trust me. She thinks I want to chase the connection with Elara”
“It’s not you she doesn’t trust. It’s Elara”
“I feel like I’m torn between my past and present” I admitted honestly.
“You have no business with your past and I assume you know what or who you want” I nodded.
I wanted Ailsa and I knew that but it feels like she doesn’t believe me and I didn’t know how to convince her.
“It’s Ailsa I want. But how do I convince her?”
“Have you told her you love her?”
I froze. I had not said those three words to her. Even though she had said it, I still couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“You how do you expect her to know you want her when you’ve not said those words to her. Or don’t you love her?”
Another question. Did I really love her?
‘You shouldn’t even think twice’
Of course, I knew the answer. I loved her.
“Then tell her” Aiden said. I nodded.
“She wanted her to see” I said suddenly. Aiden frowned.
“See what?”
“The undone button” my voice dropped, thick with fury.
“She wanted friction between us” Aiden’s expression darkened.
“Elara was here?”
“Yes. Just before Ailsa barged in and accused me of wanting Elara. She came here to plead for me to let her walk around”
“Did she try seducing you?”
“No. She only came here to plead, she might have wanted something more but I didn’t look her way. She must have seen Ailsa on her way out and said something to her. The first thing she noticed was my undone button and she thought something had happened”
“Then Elara succeeded”
I looked away, the truth burning. Even for a moment, Elara had slipped between me and Ailsa. And I hated that I hadn’t realized her intentions.
“I want her summoned” I said. Aiden tensed.
“Alone?”
“Yes”
“That’s not advisable” my eyes glinted.
“So is letting her roam freely. I need to talk to her about something. Go and bring her here”
Minutes later, Elara entered the office. She wore a green dress. Making her look innocent, which she was far from. Her hair loose around her shoulders, her expression carefully concerned.
“You asked for me, Alpha?” she said gently. I watched her without speaking. She took a step closer.
My wolf stirred, heat flaring, irritation sharpening and confirmation slammed into me. I moved faster than I had expected. One moment, I was behind his desk, the next my palm struck the surface hard enough to crack the wood. Power rippled out of me,the air thickening.
“Do not come closer” I said coldly. She was startled, here eye widening.
“Lucian…”
“You will not use my name”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Why are you so angry at me. I thought you called me to grant my wishes” Her lips curved faintly. I scowled.
“What exactly do you want, Elara?”
“I just want to help you” she said softly.
“You carry so much alone. Ailsa is not doing anything to help you” my wolf snarled. I stepped forward, towering over me.
“You will not mention my mate. Whatever you are trying to do to my wolf, you’ll stop it” Elara gasped.
“I would never…”
“Lies” I snapped.
“I felt it the day, the elders were here. You were trying to trigger my wolf” She swallowed, fear flickering, then something else.
“I didn’t touch him” she whispered.
“He answered to his real mate”
Rage exploded through me, it was violent and blinding. For a heartbeat, I considered ending it, ending her, right here. But another image overrode it.
Ailsa.
Her laugh and her warmth. The softness in her face when she tried to calm me down. I forced my rage down with brutal effort.
“Leave!!” I growled. growled. Elara inclined her head, her eyes glittering.
“As you wish, Alpha. I’ll be waiting for you”
When the door closed behind her, I sagged against my desk, running a hand through my hair.
Aiden entered moments later, already reading the tension in the room.
“She’s growing wings” Aiden said grimly. I nodded.
“And she’s not after just power” I realized.
“No”Aiden agreed quietly.
“She’s after Ailsa and she wants that position” my chest tightened.
A sudden pull wrenched through the bond, it was sharp and urgent. I didn’t know which bond it was. Whether it was the one with Ailsa or Elara. I straightened instantly.
Something was wrong. Very wrong. And this time, I knew whatever Elara was planning, it was already in motion.
I needed to find a way to break the bond I had with Elara and that was making sure my mark no longer remained on her neck.