TERESA’S P.O.V.
Lucian’s arms were strong around , his warmth an anchor in the storm of emotions. My tears had begun to dry on his shirt, but my heart was still heavy from everything he had just told . I felt like I was holding two versions of him at once—the alpha with the sarcastic smirk and the broken man that was terrified of love.
He leaned back slightly, his blind gaze fixed sowhere over my shoulder. "I’m okay now," he murmured, his voice soft but resolute. "And I’m sorry, Teresa. Sorry for everything. For making you pay for what wasn’t your fault. For being too wrapped up in my fears to see what I was doing to you. You didn’t deserve that."
"Lucian..." My voice trembled, but I forced it to steady. "It’s not your fault that you’ve been through hell. What I fault you for—" I stopped, gathering my words carefully. "What I fault you for is not trusting enough to tell your fears. Instead, you hurt deeply. You pushed away."
He exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening before he pulled closer. His strong arms enveloped in a way that felt both comforting and suffocating. "I was stupid," he admitted, his voice raw. "So damn stupid. I should’ve told you the truth, I should’ve trusted you. I should’ve..." He trailed off, his grip tightening as if he were afraid I’d vanish. "I thought I was protecting myself from you, and you from but all I did was break us. I’ll never forgive myself for that. I’m sorry, Teresa. Truly."
His vulnerability chipped away at the wall I’d so carefully built around my heart. I wanted to tell him it was okay, that we could work through this, but I couldn’t lie to him—or myself. I wasn’t sure of anything. So instead, I pressed my forehead to his chest and let the silence speak for us.
Wanting to lighten the mont, I took a deep breath and forced a small smile. "Okay, okay. Enough apologizing. Let’s talk about sothing else before we both drown in this emotional swamp."
Lucian chuckled—a deep, rumbling sound that was far too attractive for its own good. "Alright, how about this?" His lips curved into a mischievous smirk. "Do you want to hear sothing cool?"
I glanced up at him, raising a skeptical brow. "Depends. Is this ’cool’ thing going to make cry again?"
He chuckled again, the sound making my heart flutter. "Not unless you’re the emotional type. It’s... well, it’s about werewolves."
I blinked. "Okay, now you have my attention."
He leaned in slightly, as if he were about to share a state secret. "Werewolves—and so other supernatural beings—have sothing called a mind link."
I blinked at him. "A what now?"
"A mind link," he repeated, his tone smug. "It’s a way for us to communicate with each other through our thoughts. No words, no phones. Just... telepathic chatting."
I squinted at him, waiting for the punchline. When none ca, I crossed my arms. "Lucian Blackwood, if you’re ssing with right now, I swear—"
"I’m serious," he interrupted, his smirk widening. "We can talk to each other through our minds. It’s how we communicate in packs. Saves ti during battles, and honestly, it’s just convenient."
I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. "You’re telling you’ve got a built-in group chat in your brain?"
He laughed—a deep, genuine laugh that made my lips twitch despite my disbelief. "Pretty much. Ares is in there too, of course. He never shuts up."
I didn’t know what was more shocking: the concept of mind link or the fact that Lucian was being this... lighthearted. "Okay, hold on," I said, holding up a hand. "You’re saying you can talk to people through your mind. Like, right now, you could just say sothing to Juliette, and she’d hear you?"
Lucian nodded. "Exactly."
"And you can do this... with ?"
His smirk faded, replaced by a look of hesitation. "Yes," he said carefully. "Because you bear my mark."
My heart skipped a beat. "Wait, what mark? What are you talking about? When did you—" My words tumbled out in a rush before I stopped myself. "Lucian, if you’ve done sothing to without my permission, so help —"
He raised his hands defensively, though his expression turned cautious. "Calm down, Teresa. It’s not what you think."
But his hesitation was telling. "Lucian," I said slowly, narrowing my eyes. "What aren’t you telling ? Don’t you dare hold back on now."
He hesitated, his jaw clenching as if waging an internal battle. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. But promise you won’t freak out."
"No promises," I shot back.
He winced but nodded. "It’s about Ares," he said, his voice low. "He... he’s the one who marked you. It’s a werewolf thing. A claim, of sorts. It happened the night we—"
"Wait, what?!" My voice ca out louder than intended, and I instinctively slapped a hand over my mouth. "Lucian, are you saying your... your inner wolf placed a mark on ? Without my knowledge?!"
Lucian looked like he wanted to shrink into the log. "I didn’t an for it to happen that way," he said quickly. "Ares is... stubborn. He acts on instinct. And—"
"And you just let him?" I interrupted, my voice shaking with a mix of anger and disbelief.
"I didn’t know until it was too late! Actually, I was unconscious when it happened..." Lucian shot back and then trailed off, frustration coloring his tone. "Teresa, you have no idea how hard it is to control him sotis."
"What do you an unconscious?" I stared at him, my mind racing. Part of wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the other part of —the part that still cared—wanted to understand. "Lucian," I said softly, willing myself to calm down, "if you want to even consider opening my heart to you again, you need to be honest with . About everything. No more secrets."
He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he nodded. "Okay," he whispered. "No more secrets. I swear."
For a mont, silence hung between us, heavy with unspoken words. Then he reached out, gently taking my hand in his. "I’ll tell you everything, Teresa. But please... don’t hate for it."
"I won’t," I whispered, though my heart was pounding. "Just tell the truth. How on earth did Ares get a mark on ?"
Lucian nodded, his grip tightening slightly. "Alright," he said, his voice steady but laced with apprehension. "Here’s everything you need to know about Ares—and about us."
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