Chapter 84

Chapter 84
His confession sent a bliss wave through me, through every part of me, through my blood and bones alike. It was the first time he had said those words aloud, and I believed him completely. I believed his love for me was real. I could feel it deep inside me with a certainty that could not be explained away. A wolf’s beast did not choose where there was no love in the man beneath it. Of that, I was sure.
He moved closer until barely any space remained between us, two people standing on the edge of something that felt impossible to resist. Every part of me wanted to close the distance completely, to melt into him, yet we both held ourselves back as though crossing that final line would change everything between us forever. Even so, I could feel the restraint slipping beneath the desperate pull drawing us toward each other.
I would have given anything to break it.
“I love you, my baby girl,” he said softly, and the tenderness in his voice unraveled me completely. Warmth spread through my body so suddenly it made my breath catch. “And I need to be worthy of you, to be the man who can love you properly and the beast who can protect you. I do not want you giving up pieces of yourself for me.”
“I wasn’t supposed to say it,” he admitted with a faint smile, his eyes fixed so intensely on mine that I could not look away even if I tried. “It’s…”
“Well, you already did,” I whispered back, my voice trembling slightly as my heartbeat spiraled even faster. Heat flooded my skin, leaving me painfully aware of every inch separating us. “And you already know I feel the same way.”
“That’s the problem, baby girl.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t have you feeling the same way for me. My feelings for you will destroy us both.”
“You mean what we both feel?” I countered softly. “Let me make my own decisions.”
Lucien shook his head, his expression torn apart by conflict. “Because I feel it too. Maybe even more than you do.”
“I doubt that,” I whispered.
A low chuckle escaped him. “You are so stubborn.” A sad smile touched his lips before fading again. “I have no problem being damned, but I don’t want that for you. Can’t you see my dilemma, my love?”
“I wish I could rip out my heart and show it to you,” I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes. “So you could finally see how much you mean to me.”
“You don’t have to.” Lucien’s hand lifted gently to my face, brushing away a tear that escaped down my cheek. Earlier, I had thought I was incapable of crying. Now it felt impossible to stop.
His touch was tender, but there was a heaviness in his eyes that frightened me. “I know how you feel, Allison. I see it every time you look at me. I feel it every time I’m near you.” His jaw tightened. “I just wish we could break this damn curse.”
A chill crept down my spine. “What curse?” I asked quietly, fear and curiosity tangling together inside me.
Lucien stiffened immediately, his jaw hardening. “I shouldn’t be telling you this now,” he muttered, his voice strained. “It’s only going to scare you more.”
“But I need to know.” I stepped closer until the warmth of his body surrounded me again. My heart pounded so hard it almost hurt. “We’re already in this together, Lucien. Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”
He exhaled slowly before letting go of my hand and stepping back, almost as though the weight of what he was about to say was too heavy to carry while touching me.
“I was born a wolf, and I’ll die as one,” he began quietly. “But the curse is something more. For centuries, every firstborn son in my bloodline has been born with power far beyond what any wolf should possess. Strength. Speed. The ability to shift into wolves twice the size of others.”
I blinked, struggling to process everything he was telling me. “You’re the firstborn son?”
“I’m my father’s only son.”
“Doesn’t it get lonely being an only child?” I asked softly, something aching inside me at the thought of him growing up alone.
“I got used to it,” he replied, though his distant tone told me otherwise.
“Your parents never wanted more children?”
“They’re both dead,” Lucien said flatly, old pain darkening his eyes.
“Oh God. I’m sorry,” I whispered immediately.
“It’s fine.” He shook his head. “You didn’t know.”
“It was still insensitive of me.”
“You didn’t know,” he repeated more gently this time. “It happened a long time ago. It was hard, but I survived. My pack became my family after that.”
“I’m going to be your family too one day,” I said hoarsely, watching him stand there with distance between us while fighting the urge to close it again. Part of me knew he needed the space. Maybe I did too.
Lucien’s gaze softened completely then. “I want that more than anything,” he admitted quietly. “I want you to be my Queen, to stand beside me as part of my pack, as my family.”
“Then whatever this curse is, we’ll find a way through it,” I said, clinging desperately to hope because I could not bear the thought of losing him.
“Not when true love was the reason the curse began,” Lucien muttered bitterly.
I frowned. “Have you been in love before?”
“You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved,” he said immediately, leaving no room for doubt. “But my father…” His expression darkened. “He was different. He fell in love with two women.”