Chapter 169 TRUE MATE

Chapter 169 TRUE MATE
MALIA'S POV:

‘​Because you're a monster!’ Whore growls in my mind, her voice is filled with pure venom now as she struggles against the mental binds I erected around her. ‘Why would you betray Mate? You’ve ruined everything!!!’
‘​I didn't ruin anything!’ I scream back and tears well up in my eyes. ‘Our ‘Mate’ killed my family! He slaughtered my father! He beheaded my brother! He deserves this! He deserves to pay!’
​‘Liar! Traitor!’ Whore howls, clawing frantically at the mental walls I built around her and I shove her farther away. 
When I return to the Manor, I am shocked to find the hall buzzing with unusual activity… Servants are rushing back and forth carrying polished platters, fresh linens, and… lanterns?
​Before I can make sense of the chaos, a familiar figure bursts through the double doors at the end of the hall.
​It’s Laena… Her eyes light up the second she spots me and a bright smile spreads across her face. She rushes over and throws her arms around me in a tight hug.
​"Malia! You're back!" she gushes, pulling away to hold me by my shoulders. "Where have you been?… He's been waiting for you!"
​"Who? Lucien?" I blink, completely bewildered by her high energy. “Wait… Laena, what is going on here? Why is everyone running around?"
​"No questions! You’ll find out soon enough.” Laena laughs, spinning me around and giving me a firm shove toward the a set of doors that lead out to the rear courtyards. "Go on then! He's waiting for you! Hurry up!"
​I stumble forward with my heart pounding as I smooth down my dress, taking a deep breath as I push open the doors and step outside.
​I walk down a wide stone pathway I have never explored before… The path winds through a towering archway of stone, leading into a magnificent garden! Rows upon rows of vibrant, breathtaking flowers stretch out as far as the eye can see… deep violet roses, stark white lilies, and brilliant golden blossoms I don't even know the names of.
​In the center of the sprawling garden stands a small, rustic wooden shed with climbing vines covering its roof.
​My stomach does a sharp flip… Wait a minute. I have been here before!
It's the same shed where Lucien had pinned me against the door…
​I swallow nervously and my shoes crunch softly against the gravel path as I walk deeper into the garden.
​Standing right in front of the shed, looking completely out of place among the delicate flowers, is Lucien…
​He is dressed in a dark shirt with his broad shoulders squared and as he turns to face me, I notice something utterly shocking. He looks... nervous.
​He is also holding a thick, messy bouquet of freshly picked white and violet flowers in his large, calloused hands!
What the hell is happening right now?!
​I watch as Lucien steps forward awkwardly with his jaw tight as he clears his throat, holding the bouquet out towards me.
​"I... Uh… I picked these for you," he grunts gruffly with his cheeks carrying a faint, unbelievable flush of red! "I hope you like them."
​Anxious to understand what on earth is happening, I reach into his mind, catching the faint, chaotic whisper of his thoughts…
​‘Loki keeps swearing that females like flowers... Fuck! I probably look like an idiot right now… What if she hates them? What if she thinks this is stupid?…I’ll strangle Loki if this ends badly…’
​The sight of his giant frame standing in a field of blossoms, worrying if I like a bunch of wild flowers, hits me right in the chest and a fresh wave of agonizing guilt washes over me, so thick I can barely breathe…
​I reach out with trembling hands, taking the bouquet into my arms. I press my face into the soft petals, drawing in their sweet scent. They are lovely…
​"I... I love them, Lucien," I whisper softly with my voice cracking slightly. "Thank you…”
​Lucien lets out a tiny relieved breath and he steps closer, “I’m glad you like them…” He mutters then reaches into his pocket to pull out a small, velvet-lined box.
​He opens it, revealing a stunning necklace! Nestled in the center is a teardrop-shaped blue stone that seems to glow in the sunlight.
​“I want you to have this… It… It belonged to my mother," Lucien says quietly and his voice drops into a low, somber cadence. He pulls the necklace from the box, stepping behind me to drape it gently around my neck. His warm fingers brush against my skin, sending shivers down my spine as he fastens the clasp. “It’s a family heirloom… She always told me it should be given… to the female who holds my heart... my true Mate."
​My hand flies up to touch the cool blue stone resting against my collarbone and tears prick at the corners of my eyes, burning hot and bitter… Shit… Now why am I crying…
​Lucien steps back around to face me, staring down at the necklace resting on my chest and there is a deep shadow of grief in his silver eyes… a raw sorrow I have never seen in him before.
​“I think she would’ve liked you… This was her garden…” Lucien continues quietly, looking around at the endless rows of blossoms. “Her favourite place in the world… She loved these flowers, nurtured them with her own hands.”
​He looks back at me and his eyes soften with a rare vulnerability. “Every time I come here, I miss her.”
My heart feels like it’s ripping apart now…
​"I miss my father too..." I choke out suddenly, the words burst from my chest before I can stop them and the tears spill over my lashes, trailing down my cheeks as the crushed weight of my grief crashes over me. "And my brother, Maddox... I miss them so much it hurts to breathe. But I’m never going to see them again... I never got to even say goodbye…“
Because you killed them…
I whisper that part in my mind and more tears pool in my eyes…
​Lucien shifts uneasily on his feet and a strange, hesitant expression crosses his face.
​Of course… the uneasiness on his face is guilt. Maybe, he is finally feeling remorse for murdering my family in cold blood. But it’s too late now…
​Suddenly, he reaches out to stroke my cheek slowly.
“Perhaps… you might see them again. If they ever stop running and surrender that is… All they have to do is accept our sovereignty and surrender control of their pack indefinitely so we know they will not be a threat.”
​I freeze.
​The sound of the wind dies down in my head… The rustling of the flowers ceases… The world around me seems to stop in a violent, deafening halt!
​I stare up at him and my breath catches. "What... what do you mean I might see them?” I whisper. My voice is shaking so hard now it barely sounds like mine. "They… ‘They’re dead. You... you killed them!”
​Lucien’s brows lift at that and he looks at me as if I have just said the most absurd thing in the world.
​"Killed them?" he repeats, frowning deeply. "Malia, your father is the Alpha of the Crescent Pack… There are no reports of him being dead and we never caught him. Last I remember, He and your brother escaped with the rest of the runaways who we are still actively hunting down... Wait.. You thought I killed them?“
​My blood turns to ice and my vision sways. The ground beneath my feet feels like it's tilting dangerously on its axis.
​No... No, no, no...
​"My... my father is... alive?" I stutter with my chest heaving as air refuses to enter my lungs. "He's alive?!"
​"It is more than likely…” Lucien says calmly, rubbing the back of his neck in confusion. "Aside from the Kade Pack's Alpha, your father is the only other Alpha who managed to evade my forces during the raid… I didn’t kill your father, Malia.” 
​A deafening roar echoes in my ears as the reality of Lucien’s words crashes down on me!
​Kieran lied…
​Kieran lied to me!!!
He’d told me Lucien slaughtered my family! He manipulated my grief, used my rage, and turned me into a weapon! Lucien didn't kill my father! Lucien didn't murder Maddox!
​And I...
​Goddess above...
​I just stole Lucien's blood… I just handed the key to his destruction to Kieran. I just betrayed him for a disgusting, manipulative lie!
​My knees completely give out beneath me and ​I collapse heavily onto the gravel path, the bouquet of flowers falls from my limp hands and scatters across the dirt as tears stream down my face.
Oh no… What have I done???
​"Malia?!” Lucien cries out in alarm, instantly dropping to his knees beside me and grabbing my shoulders. "Malia? what's wrong??!”
​I can't answer him… I can't even breathe. I stare at the scattered flowers in horror as my heart shatters into a million pieces.
​I betrayed my Mate... for nothing!