Chapter 120 Chapter 120
They jerked apart instantly. Lucian shoved Elara so fast that she stumbled against the wall. His head snapped towards me and I saw something flickered across Lucian’s face. Shock, horror, panic or regret. I didn’t know the particular reaction it was.
My heart beat fast and I wasn’t sure if it was really me. I couldn’t remember breathing well at that moment.. I had an erratic heartbeat. I felt like the air had been forcefully removed from my lungs and my ribs hurt a lot.
The only thing that kept playing in my head was what I had just saw. Lucian’s hands on Elara. Her fingers curled into the front of his suit. Their mouths pressed together. My body was still frozen like I had watching someone else’s life collapse.
“Ailsa…” his voice trailed.
He ran to me. I took a step back suddenly feeling suffocated in the open garden.
“She was the one who kissed me” he said immediately, his breath uneven.
“It’s not what you think. I could never betray you like this”
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t blink or breathe. The image replayed over and over in my head. It was etched in my mind like a permanent memory.
His hands on her. Her lips on him. My chest burned. I watched as Elara recovered. She smoothed her dress calmly, her expression almost amused.
“That’s not entirely true. You initiated the kiss” she said softly. Lucian’s head snapped toward her.
“Shut the hell up, Elara”
His tone was dangerous but it didn’t matter to me. The damage had been done. I felt hollow
and humiliated.
“Don’t act like a saint now. You were a willing participant. Don’t put the blame on me” Elara continued, her voice honeyed and poisonous.
“You didn’t push me away, you enjoyed it. Tell her the truth”
My stomach twisted violently and I curled my fists. Lucian turned back to me.
“That’s not…Ailsa, look at me”
I couldn’t, If I looked at him, I might shatter completely. My wolf whimpered inside me. She was hurt and confused just like I was.
“It’s not what it looked like” he said again, stepping closer. I took another step back.
I didn’t want him to touch me. His expression crumbled when I moved away from him.
“I can’t…” My voice trembled.
“Ailsa…”
“I can’t do this” He froze.
“What are you saying?”
I finally forced myself to look at him. And I hated that I still loved him. Even now, looking at him. I still loved everything about him.
“You told me she meant nothing” I whispered.
“She doesn’t. I swear to you, I would never go back on my word”
“I saw you” my voice broke.
“You saw a moment, not the truth. Just before you came, she forced herself on me. She planned this”
The bond flared, he was pleading for me to believe him.
“I won’t be a second option. I already told you” I said quietly. His face went pale.
“You’re not”
“If you can’t choose…”
“I already did” he cut me off.
“You kissed her”
“She kissed me” he retorted.
“You didn’t stop it fast enough because you were enjoying it” I heard Elara snicker behind.
The words cut both of us. His jaw tightened, anguish flashing in his eyes.
“That’s not fair”
“Neither is this pain you are putting me through” My voice broke.
“I cannot stand beside you wondering if she’ll always be there. Waiting for you to choose me. Hoping you’ll change your mind” He stepped closer again.
“I don’t want her. I’ve not wanted her for a very long time”
“But she wants you”
His silence lasted a heartbeat too long. That was all it took.
“I’m leaving” I whispered.
The words tasted like poison in my mouth. His face shattered completely.
“No”
“Yes”
“You’re not leaving”
“I can’t stay here anymore”
My wolf howled in protest. But my pride, my heart and my dignity were bleeding. I turned toward the hall. He grabbed my wrist gently.
“Please..”
His voice broke. I had never heard him like that before. It was not commanding but desperate.
“It’s not what you think” I he repeated.
Behind us, Elara’s voice floated through the garden.
“Let her go, Lucian” she called softly. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. You can finally have me”My blood ran cold.
“She doesn’t deserve to suffer. We can finally stop fighting what’s inevitable. She’s out of the picture now”
My chest cracked open. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. I pulled my wrist free and walked. Then walked faster. I almost ran. I heard Lucian behind me.
“Ailsa, wait” he begged.
I could hear Elara again, closer this time.
“Let her go, Lucian. We can finally be together”
“Enough!” Lucian roared. He sounded enraged. His voice echoed down the corridor.
But I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to. The hall doors came into view. Light spilled from beneath them. Music drifted through. I just had to go through the door and pretend like everything was normal. Even though nothing felt normal. I pushed through the doors.
The music was still loud and people were laughing, talking and enjoying themselves. I barely registered the sea of faces. I just wanted to grab a drink and leave immediately but that seemed impossible.
“Ailsa!”
Lucian’s voice thundered across the room making me halt. I was so sure everyone had heard that too. The entire hall went silent. Every single person turned toward us. My heart began to beat so violently I thought I might collapse.
Through the bond, I whispered desperately.
Don’t. Please. Don’t do this here.
But he was already walking toward me. His steps were fast and determined. The crowd parted instinctively. Elara entered behind him slower and composed, a smile on her face.
Lucian stopped in the center of the hall.His chest rising and falling hard. His eyes locked on mine.
“I love you”
The words shattered through the silence. Gasps rippled across the room. My heart stopped. He had never said it. Not once or out loud. Not like this. He swallowed hard.
“I should have said it before” he continued, voice rough but steady.
“I should have told you every day” my eyes burned.
“I thought you knew” he went on. “I thought showing you was enough” He shook his head.
“But maybe I am just a coward who doesn’t deserve you”
The hall remained frozen. Everyone was watching. Every Alpha, Luna and pack members were listening to Lucian.
“I was afraid” he admitted.
“Afraid that if I said it, I would lose control. Afraid that loving you this much would make me weak.”
My chest ached so badly I could barely breathe.
“But losing you?” His voice broke slightly. “That would destroy me”
Tears blurred my vision. He turned slightly.His voice hardened.
“Elara” he called and she stilled.
“I, Alpha Lucian of the Shadow Pack, reject you, Elara as my mate”
The words cracked like thunder. A collective gasp filled the hall.
“I reject your claim. Your manipulation. Your interference in my bond”
Elara’s composure flickered. Her hands went to her neck as she screamed.
“You are nothing to me” he continued coldly. “You are my past and Ailsa is my future”
Silence. A deadly silence. My heart pounded in my ears and I thought everyone could hear. He turned back to me. His gaze softened instantly.
“I choose you, Ailsa” he said.
“I have always chosen you. If you’ve doubted it before, I’m saying it in a room filled with people so you can know how sincere I am”
My emotions overwhelmed me. From hurt to humiliation to hope and then love. I felt all of it.
“I love you, Ailsa”
The bond surged again. This time it flowed with joy, happiness, love and everything that I was feeling. My hope leaped for joy.
He crossed the remaining distance in three long strides. Before I could say a word, he swept me into his arms. Gasps erupted again and then, He kissed me. It was not careful but desperate and claiming.
His hand cradled the back of my head. His other arm locked around my waist. The kiss was fire and apology and promise all at once. The hall erupted in cheers and claps. Everything seemed to vanish to me and there was only him. And the truth in the way he held me.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine.
“I will spend the rest of my life proving it. I’m sorry it took me this long to say this” he whispered.
My tears fell freely now. He wiped the tears and looked at me lovingly. For the first time since I saw him in the garden, I believed him.
“There’s something else I have to do” my eyes snapped up to his. I looked at him in confusion and his eyes had darkened.
Then he moves my neck to the side and does what I had hoped for him to do since.
He sank his teeth into my neck.
He marked me.