Chapter 52
Amelia blinked, clearly caught off guard.
“…Why?”
Confusion knitted her brows together.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing,” Lucian answered immediately.
“It’s not about something he’s done. It’s about trust.”
His tone left no room for argument.
“I don’t trust him. And I won’t let you get close to someone I don’t trust.”
Amelia frowned.
“That’s not fair, Luc.”
She shook her head slowly.
“You can’t just tell me to stay away from him because you have a bad feeling. Kevin has been nothing but kind to me. He’s treated me like a real friend. I don’t think he’s a bad person.”
The last thread of Lucian’s restraint snapped.
His wolf surged forward with a furious roar, demanding control.
“For a reason, Amelia!” he barked, his voice echoing through the office with enough force to make the air itself seem to tremble.
He immediately reined himself in, but the anger still burned behind his eyes.
“Men don’t just walk up to women and become their friends for no reason and without ulterior motives.”
His breathing had grown heavier.
“I don’t believe in coincidences, and I certainly don’t trust his intentions.”
His stare bored into hers.
“So whether you understand it or not…” His voice dropped into a quiet, dangerous tone.
“I need you to stay away from Kevin.”
Amelia stared at him in stunned silence for a heartbeat.
Then her expression hardened.
“So… what you’re really saying is that you don’t trust me.”
The hurt in her voice was unmistakable.
“Of course you don’t. We’re different.”
She let out a bitter laugh.
“I finally make a friend, and somehow that’s a problem? You should’ve just handed me a rulebook the day I got here. You should’ve told me exactly what I’m allowed to do, who I’m allowed to talk to, and who I’m allowed to be friends with!”
Her voice rose with every word, the frustration she’d been bottling up finally spilling over.
Lucian’s own temper was already hanging by a thread.
“Amelia,” he warned, his tone sharpening. “Don’t raise your voice at me.”
She didn’t back down.
“You yelled at me first!”
He stared at her in disbelief before exhaling through clenched teeth.
“I’m doing this because I care about you,” he said, struggling to keep his emotions under control. “You have to trust me. You’ve spent so many years locked away that you don’t understand how dangerous the outside world really is.”
His words hit her like a slap.
Amelia tilted her head, staring at him as disbelief slowly gave way to anger.
“So that’s what you think?”
Her voice trembled.
“You think I’m stupid?”
She took a step toward him.
“You think because I spent years imprisoned, I can’t tell who’s good and who’s bad? That making one friend suddenly makes me an idiot?”
Her eyes searched his, demanding an answer.
“What is your problem, Luc? Then tell me!”
Lucian’s patience finally cracked.
“I’m saying you need to be careful!” he snapped. “You can’t just trust every person who smiles at you! I’m telling you I don’t trust Kevin, and I’m telling you to stay the hell away from him!”
“Bull..shit!”
The word exploded from Amelia’s lips.
Then she slammed both hands onto the desk, standing up.
CRACK!
The solid wooden table split cleanly down the middle.
The deafening crash echoed through the office as papers, folders, and shattered wood scattered across the floor.
Lucian shot to his feet, stunned.
His gaze snapped to Amelia.
Then he froze.
Her eyes…
They had changed.
The soft blue warmth they usually carried had vanished, replaced by a deep, blazing crimson that glowed with barely restrained fury.
It was the unmistakable gaze of a vampire consumed by anger.
He had never seen this side of her and the sight alone stole every word from his mouth.
Amelia glared at him, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.
For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then she turned sharply and stormed toward the door.
Bang!
The door slammed behind her with enough force to shake the walls.
Silence settled over the office.
Lucian remained where he stood, blinking at the empty doorway.
That conversation had gone nothing like he’d imagined.
Slowly, his eyes drifted to the ruined desk, the broken wood, and the papers littering the floor.
A humorless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
So much for his fragile little mate.
Apparently, she came with enough strength to split solid oak in half…
…and an attitude to match.