Chapter 50 50

Chapter 50 50
The door swung open, revealing Trixia Kriss as she stepped gracefully into the office. 

She wore an overly bright, insincere smile that didn’t quite reach her sharp, calculating eyes.

“Hello, Luc… ah, forgive me, Alpha Lucian,” she purred, her voice laced with false sweetness. “I couldn’t help but remember that our last conversation ended on rather… unpleasant terms.”

Lucien remained seated behind his desk, his expression cool and unreadable. 

He studied her for a moment, still wondering what had prompted her to seek him out today of all days. 

“Indeed, it didn’t,” he replied evenly. “So tell me, Trixia, what brings you here?”

Trixia didn’t bother with pleasantries or small talk. She dove straight into dangerous territory, as she always did, meddling in matters that were none of her concern.

“You’re aware, of course, that rumors about your vampire mate are already beginning to spread like wildfire throughout the pack?” she said, tilting her head with mock concern. “It won’t be long before every wolf within our borders knows the truth. And once it leaks beyond our territory… well, we both know how fast word travels. All thanks to that rather peculiar little meeting you held with the vampires.”

As always, Trixia had a talent for inserting herself into situations where she didn’t belong, stirring the pot with poisonous elegance.

Lucien’s gaze hardened, but his voice remained firm. “I’m done hiding her,” he declared, leaning forward slightly. “It’s time the entire world knows that my mate is a vampire. Let them talk. Let them whisper. What can anyone truly do about it?”

Trixia’s bright smile faltered, replaced by a thoughtful, almost pitying expression. She crossed her arms, her tone laced with genuine worry, or at least the performance of it.

“It’s a very risky move, Alpha. Aligning yourself so openly with a vampire could create deep confusion and division within the pack. Now that she’s your mate, who knows what new enemies we’ll suddenly find ourselves facing? The old rivalries, the ancient hatreds… everything could explode overnight.”

Lucien knew she was right. Revealing Amelia’s true nature would open floodgates he had long kept sealed. He had spent years cultivating an image of unshakeable strength and dominance, never showing weakness, never giving his enemies an opening.

But now, with the elders already sharpening their blades and accusing him of murdering Alpha Connor Vale, throwing the revelation of a vampire mate into the mix would be like pouring gasoline on an open flame. 

The entire pack could erupt into chaos.

Still, a low, dark chuckle rumbled from his chest. Things were definitely getting interesting around here.

“You might be surprised, Trixia,” he replied calmly. “Vampires are merely one piece of the growing list of enemies we’ll have to confront. But tell me, what’s so terrible about living surrounded by enemies? I’ve thrived in worse conditions. Besides, with a vampire as my mate, I no longer have the luxury of avoiding them. I’ll have to find a way to navigate this new reality… whether the pack likes it or not.”

Trixia scoffed loudly, shaking her head in disapproval. 

“A vampire mate?” she repeated, her voice dripping with disdain. “Your precious vampire mate is currently parading around the pack grounds with Kevin Russell. Everyone is talking about it. She’s spending more and more time with him, forming what looks suspiciously like a bond with another male,  while our Alpha simply sits back and watches the whole spectacle unfold like it’s some kind of entertaining movie.”

She let out a mocking laugh, her eyes gleaming with wicked amusement.

“It’s almost hilarious how you haven’t ripped his throat out yet.”

Lucien remained silent for a long moment after Trixia’s cutting words, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. 

Choosing not to eliminate Kevin had been a deliberate, conscious decision, one rooted not in weakness, but in a fierce desire to protect Amelia from the darkest, most ruthless side of him. 

He didn’t want her to witness the cold-blooded Alpha who could rip out a throat without hesitation. Not yet. Not when he still had no real understanding of the kind of vampire she truly was beneath that fragile, beautiful exterior.

What effect would witnessing raw violence and bloodshed have on her? Would it awaken something monstrous inside her… or would it shatter the delicate trust they were only beginning to build?

A heavy, frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he finally lifted his gaze to Trixia. 

As usual, she was meddling where she had no business, poking at wounds she had no right to touch. He couldn’t help the deep resentment that flared in his chest at her intrusion.

“Trixia,” he muttered, shaking his head slowly, his voice low and edged with irritation, “sometimes I genuinely wonder why I even bother responding to you at all.”

But Trixia was undeterred, her chin lifting with stubborn confidence. “You can’t deny that I’m not entirely wrong, Alpha Lucian,” she shot back. “That vampire girl doesn’t seem to value your feelings or understand the sacred weight of the mate bond. If she did, she wouldn’t be gallivanting around the pack grounds with Kevin Russell like she has all the time in the world. Their closeness has already sparked rumors that go far beyond innocent friendship. Perhaps… she simply doesn’t feel the mate bond the way you do. After all, she’s a vampire. Their hearts don’t beat like ours.”

Her words struck deeper than Lucien wanted to admit. A dark seed of doubt took root in his mind, twisting uncomfortably.

Amelia and Kevin had indeed grown exceptionally close in such a short time. Too close. 

The image of them laughing together earlier flashed through his thoughts, and the unease in his chest sharpened into something almost painful. 

‘Why the hell is she allowing this? Why is she letting another male get so near when she knows what we are to each other?’

Trixia’s expression softened, shifting into something that resembled concern as she looked at him. “I truly care about you, Alpha Lucian. You know that, don’t you? I’m not sure you fully grasp how complicated it is to accept a foreign girl, a vampire, no less, as your mate and welcome her into the heart of our pack. It seems I’m the only one who is genuinely worried about your well-being… because she clearly doesn’t share that concern. She’s one of the undead. Feelings don’t come naturally to them. They’re cold. Detached. Predatory by nature.”

With her words echoing in his mind, Trixia turned and left his office.

As she shut the door, Lucian couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that her words had ignited. 

Her persistent interference, while exasperating, held a hint of truth that he couldn't entirely disregard.

He moved back to the tall window overlooking the pack grounds, but this time, his gaze searched for only one person.

Amelia was nowhere in sight. 

His brows furrowed deeply. “Where the hell had she gone now?”

Without wasting another second, Lucien reached out through the mind link, connecting instantly with the vigilant sentinels stationed across the territory.

“Where is Amelia?” he demanded, his mental voice sharp and commanding.

The response came back almost immediately, “She was last seen with Kevin Russell, Alpha. They were heading toward the beach together.”

A violent surge of raw anger exploded through Lucien’s veins like wildfire. His fists clenched at his sides until his knuckles turned white, and a low, dangerous growl rumbled deep in his chest.

Why? The question burned hot in his mind. Why was Amelia doing this, openly parading around with another male when she knew he was right here, when she knew what they were to each other? Did she have any idea how this looked? How it undermined him?

Didn’t she understand the vulgarity, the disrespect of her actions? She was his mate. His. And he was the Alpha of this pack. Her behavior wasn’t just careless, it was bordering on humiliation.

Lucien’s patience, which had already been stretched to its breaking point, was now fraying dangerously thin. 

It was becoming painfully clear that Amelia still had a great deal to learn about what it truly meant to stand beside an Alpha. 

The mate bond might have brought them together by fate, but she seemed completely oblivious to the rules, expectations, and boundaries that came with that position.

Her ignorance was testing every ounce of his hard-won control.

He couldn’t allow this to continue unchecked.

It was time for Amelia to understand exactly what it meant to be the mate of Lucien Draven.