It was a long journey. Though the distance from the capital to the southern town of Balton wasn't far, it felt like the longest Lucian had ever traveled.
He couldn't stop thinking about his Seraphina. The dull ache in his chest pulsed endlessly, calling out for her. Lucian resented that he couldn't simply teleport to wherever she was.
How would she react when she saw him? Would she be glad, surprised, or furious? He didn't care. As long as she responded to him—anything at all—he would accept it.
Maybe he would remain arrogant, keep teasing and chasing her, prolonging this game forever. Because perhaps… it was the only way he could stay close to her. The bond, the idea of fated mates, those had long since lost their meaning.
When Seraphina stepped down the stairs in a simple dark dress, her porcelain skin seemed to glow against the fabric. Every curve of her body still matched the image burned into his dreams, still fanned the flame that had never stopped smoldering inside him.
But her emerald eyes no longer shone with that fierce light, they were dull, weary, as if she might collapse at any moment. Bloodshot veins streaked across them, each one slicing into Lucian like a blade.
Was she crying?
"Sera…"
Lucian moved before he could think, driven by instinct, ignoring the wary, guarded look that returned to her eyes the moment she saw him. He grabbed her hand. His voice dropped to a dark, low timbre. Was it anger, or pain?
"Who made you cry?"
Seraphina was startled by his sudden movement. Her body instinctively recoiled, pulling away from him before her mind could catch up. The nightmare still lingered, the trauma still raw. She was afraid of him.
"What are you doing here, Your Highness?"
Lucian held on tightly, pulling her into his arms. One hand wrapped around her slim waist. The heat of his rut surged again the moment their bodies touched, her scent had haunted his every dream. He fought hard to suppress it, because in her gaze, for the first time, he saw a flicker of fear.
"I missed you."
His voice softened, not possessive now, but pleading.
For the first time, Seraphina froze, no longer resisting. She looked up into the storm still raging in Lucian's eyes, as if seeing a stranger.
"Is this some twisted tactic now? Playing soft to tie me down tighter?"
"No…"
Lucian released her wrist and wrapped both arms gently but firmly around her, not tight, but just enough that she could hear the erratic beat of his heart calling her name.
"I've run out of tactics…"
It was a quiet surrender from a man who'd always looked down from the highest peak.
Seraphina's heart skipped a beat. His words, light as a feather landing on a frozen lake, somehow managed to create a crack beneath the ice.
But in the next instant, she snapped back into reality. With clenched teeth, she broke free from the arms that no longer tried to restrain her.
She would not allow herself to feel again.
"Please return to the capital, Your Highness. And stop disturbing me."
Lucian took a step back at her push. He hadn't intended to force her, anyway. A bitter smile tugged at his lips. He had lowered himself, accepted defeat, bared his soul, and still, she refused him.
What more could he do? Even he no longer knew.
"Where did I go wrong?"
Was he asking her… or himself?
Seraphina had already withdrawn into her perfect mask again. She looked him dead in the eyes, emotionless.
"Because you're an Alpha."
Her voice was cold and distant, like a fog Lucian could never penetrate. But this fog was poisonous, it suffocated him.
Because he was an Alpha?
Lucian wasn't sure if he should laugh in bitterness. Was she just throwing out an excuse, one he couldn't argue with? Or did she truly hate his nature down to her bones?
His anger surged once again. He knew he shouldn't be angry at her. He knew it would only push her further away. But what else could he feel? He was utterly helpless.
He stepped forward slowly, his pheromones bleeding into the air like silent ghosts, surrounding Seraphina. Her body reacted again, but she stood her ground.
Mary, who had been watching silently, shrank back in fear.
Lucian and his Alpha scent drove Seraphina into a corner. With nowhere left to run, she held her head high, trying to mask the fear spreading through her with every breath.
"Because I'm an Alpha?" Lucian's voice was steady, not threatening in the slightest.
"Or is it because you're afraid of Alphas?"
Seraphina held her breath to keep her pheromones from spilling out.
"I'm an Alpha too. Why would I fear another?"
"Then why… do you look at me like that?"
Lucian's fingers tilted her chin up, capturing the faint resistance in her gaze.
"What look, Your Highness?"
Lucian let out a low laugh. His breath was thick with pheromones. He had figured it out. She always deflected his questions, responded with another, drawing him into an endless loop. A mental game she played to keep him off balance.
"You're never going to give me a straight answer, are you?"
"I have no obligation to answer you, Your Highness."
"Do you realize you're defying a prince?"
Lucian's fingers tightened just slightly around her delicate chin, half caressing, half restraining.
The air grew dense. The only sound left was their ragged breathing.
Mary trembled at the side, helpless to do anything.
Just as the tension was about to snap, a knock came from the door. Mary seized the chance and rushed forward to break the scene.
"Coming!"
Lucian and Seraphina stepped apart at once, both reining in their unruly pheromones.
The door opened to reveal a young man, perhaps in his twenties, with light brown hair and dark eyes, wearing a nervous yet excited smile. In his hand was a blooming blue-and-white iris.
"Hello, is Lady Seraphina available?"
Lucian hadn't yet calmed down, and the moment he heard another man speak her name, his gaze shot toward the door.
He saw… a Beta.
But what truly struck him still… was the smile Seraphina gave as she walked toward the door.
***