The fire crackled between them, its light carving shadows into the chief's weathered face. She hadn't rushed him. Hadn't interrupted.
She just waited, her hands folded in her lap, as Lucas sat across from her with his fists clenched against his knees.
Lucas swallowed. Then he began.
"I met in the rain."
Lucas's voice was hoarse, like the words were clawing their way out, too fast for his liking.
"I was tracking a rogue werewolf near the borders of the La Ber beach. I didn't realize I had crossed into their territory; then I saw him there—standing in front of me like a goddamn ghost. Pale. Unsmiling yet beautiful to look at."
A dry breath escaped his lips.
"It scared me when I realized where I was. I should've run. Escaped and let the rogue wolf die in a place filled with bloodsucking demons, yet he just…looked at me."
Lucas pressed a hand to his chest, right over where he felt the bond hooked him up.
"In his eyes, I saw our past, present, and future. A future that neither of us would want at the moment."
The chief's gaze flickered to his trembling fingers, but she said nothing. Lucas took a deep breath as his mind remembered Sebastian's reaction.
"He hated it." He hated me.
Words left unspoken like a curse. A curse only Lucas and Sebastian knew about.
"He…called it a mistake. A weakness. A desperate plea to be loved. But the bond…it hurt when we were apart."
Lucas gulped; a huge lump stuck in his throat. He felt the bond try to soothe his aching heart.
"So we decided to ease up the pain by sleeping together."
The young Alpha scoffed, realizing how stupid that sounded against his lips.
"We meet up at any motels or hotels nearby for just one day. Sometimes, he'd show up, smelling like someone else's perfume—most of the time, he won't."
He cleared his throat and drew circles around his chest.
"At first, we'd fuck until the morning like it was a punishment. No kisses. No talking. Just him taking what he needed and leaving before the sun came up. But lately, he had been clinging to me as if we were lovers."
The memory twisted in his gut. He could still feel the bruises.
"I liked the idea of me and him as lovers. But we know the whole truth behind it. Especially when Beatrice entered the picture."
Lucas clenched his palms tight until his knuckles turned white.
"Beatrice. She was my best friend growing up. The girl he truly fell in love with. His real partner. The one he actually wanted. She was draped over him in the gardens that one night, laughing at something he'd said. And he'd—"
His voice cracked, tears forming in his eyes, memories slowly flickering at the painful scene.
"He was smiling. Like I'd never seen him do that with me."
The Chief shifted, her voice quiet but firm. "And you stayed?"
Lucas's eyes burned as he nodded. "I did. I know it's stupid."
Lucas sniffed as his trembling breaths escaped his lips.
"I did it, because everytime I tried to leave, the bond would drag me back. It made me think that maybe this time, he'll see me. Maybe this time, I'll be enough."
He wiped his tears away as he looked at the old lady with a bitter smile.
"But I wasn't. And for so long, I kept this bitterness in me until it became toxic and unhealthy. So, I left, this time for real. Didn't say goodbye. Didn't look back. Just walked away from everything until I couldn't smell him on my skin anymore."
Silence.
The Chief had absorbed everything, contemplating and calculating her next move. She stared at Lucas, seeing a frail wolf trying to survive without his imprint.
"Have you considered severing the bond?"
Lucas gave her a suffocating laugh.
"I did. My father almost choked me to death when I told him. My friends didn't like the idea of severing the bond or me suffering from the pain inflicted by the enemy."
"But you are in pain, aren't you?" Lucas nodded.
Heaving a deep breath and slowly releasing it, "I hid it from them. They don't have to know."
The chief nodded, leaning forward, her voice trailed with softness and care.
"And if he comes for you?"
Lucas gave her a boyish smile. "Then I hope he's ready to hear no."
The chief gave her a smile, standing up from her comfy chair, hands on her cane.
She cleared her throat and called out, "Elijah!"
The door swung open, too eager for Lucas as he flinched at the sudden breezy air coming from outside.
"He'll stay."
Lucas' breath hitched.
He hadn't realized how badly he'd needed to hear those words until they were spoken.
Meanwhile, Elijah and Mara had been waiting outside, ears undoubtedly sharp enough to catch every word.
"Take him to Rohan's cabin near the eastern ridge."
Mara's eyebrows shot up. "Rohan's? But Chief…Rohan will—"
"Take him. Whether he likes it or not." The chief cut in, her voice firm.
Lucas could see how Elijah's tightened, but the male wolf nodded.
Mara, ever perceptive, glanced at Lucas with something almost like a pity.
They turned away from the door, towards the direction of the outside.
The chief ignored them, turning back at Lucas. "You coming, pup?"
Lucas immediately stood up and trailed behind Elijah and Mara, the chief following by.
"You'll meet the others tomorrow. For tonight, you must rest." The young Alpha looked back and nodded towards the chief.
"And Lucas?" The young pup looked up, waiting for her next words. "Breathe. You are safe now."
And Lucas did just that. Breathe. No one would bother to hurt him now. There was no longer a Sebastian looming around him.
I can do this. I will survive through this.
He chanted it, like giving a finality to his decision to leave La Ber.
I will live through this.
Yet his heart whispered a name. A name he would try his hardest to forget.