"In case you’re planning to kidnap ," Erald said as Lucian parked near the edge of a sloping cliff road, surrounded by nothing but trees and stone, "this would be the perfect setting."
Lucian glanced over at her, one brow raised. "If I was planning to kidnap you, Erald," he said with dry amusent, "I’d start with silk ropes, not off-road terrain and a crumbling path."
She huffed a short laugh, surprised at herself. "You’ve got the mood for it."
He stepped out and opened her door. "I prefer to be invited in."
Erald gave him a sidelong glance as she took his hand and stepped out into the dappled sunlight. The air here felt fresh and clean, with a strong scent of pine needles and earth, quite different from the air back at her estate.
Lucian led her down a narrow trail, through twisted oaks and mossy stone arches. He didn’t speak often, but when he did, it was purposeful.
His presence alone was... grounding, even in silence.
They rounded a corner, ducking through a small stone crevice that looked barely wide enough to pass through, and then Erald gasped.
Before her stretched a hidden underground garden.
The space was tucked into the base of a small mountain, partly open to the sky but sheltered by natural overhangs and vines. Bright clusters of wildflowers blood in striking colours: violet, blue, and deep crimson.
A soft, silvery mist hung low over the ground, and faint light shimred off the rocks and leaves, making the place feel otherworldly.
Erald took a few steps forward. "This... this is in my territory?"
Lucian nodded. "Near the northern boundary."
She looked around, utterly enchanted. "This place is beautiful. How did you find it?"
"The day I t you at the border," he said slowly. "I’d just co from here."
Erald turned, surprised.
Lucian’s expression remained calm, but there was sothing wistful in his voice. "I discovered it years ago during a hunting run. There were rumours of caves with strange light in the cliffs. No one ever looked too hard. But I did."
"And you kept it secret?"
He nodded. "Never brought anyone else. Never shared it."
"Why share it now?" Erald asked quietly.
He t her gaze. "Because it reminded of you."
She swallowed.
Lucian moved slowly, leading her deeper. "I used to co here when I needed silence. When the world was too loud, or I felt like I was disappearing under everything I had to be."
She could feel it now, the stillness, the solitude.
"This place holds pain," she murmured.
"It holds healing," he corrected.
They reached the centre, where the vines ford a soft, natural canopy overhead. Erald looked up, then back at him.
"There’s sothing you’re not saying," she said.
Lucian hesitated. Then... he let the weight fall.
"My first mate betrayed ."
The words dropped between them like stones.
"I loved her before the bond. Before I even knew we were fated. She was... everything. My best friend. My future."
Erald said nothing, but her eyes were soft.
Lucian continued. "She sold our secrets. Lied to for moons. Let another pack infiltrate our lands during a vulnerable ti. That day, I lost a dozen warriors. Including my sister."
Erald took a step closer, heart thudding.
"She begged," Lucian continued. "And I almost... forgave her. But then she laughed. Said she never loved . That she’d only stayed long enough to learn what she needed to destroy ."
He didn’t blink. "So I made sure she couldn’t hurt anyone else."
Lucian looked up at the rocky do. "I killed her. I didn’t even think. Just... reacted. My wolf and I both shattered that day. I spent years clawing my way out of it."
Erald’s heart twisted. "Lucian..."
"I don’t need pity."
"I wasn’t offering it."
He turned to her, the usual chill in his silver eyes replaced by sothing deeper. "I tell you this because I know what betrayal tastes like. And I saw that taste in your eyes that night when you looked at Rick that night."
She drew in a shaky breath.
Lucian stepped closer. "You don’t hide it as well as you think. And I don’t think you should."
Her lips parted, but she didn’t speak.
Lucian gently reached up, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "Pain makes you more beautiful, Erald. It ans you’re still alive. It’s your history, what makes you... you."
Sothing cracked inside her. Tears blurred her vision before she could stop them. Just a few.
She blinked them back and turned away. "I’m not used to people understanding."
"I don’t just understand," Lucian said in a soft but firm voice. "I survived it, too. And I believe you will, too."
The cave shifted around them, and she realised suddenly that there was a faint resonance in the air - soft, musical, like the earth was singing.
The beauty of this natural phenonon enchanted her, filling her with awe. She turned toward him again.
"The cave does that," Lucian said. "It resonates when emotion is strong. One of the reasons I brought you here."
The notes weren’t music exactly... but the vibrations pulsed gently, echoing through stone and vine like a heartbeat.
Lucian held out his hand. "May I?"
Erald hesitated.
Then... slowly... she placed her hand in his.
He pulled her close, placing one hand on her waist while holding her fingers with the other. Together, they swayed softly to the rhythm of the cave. The light from the glowing flowers cast a gentle shimr on her skin as they moved slowly and without a care in the world.
"You’re really doing this?" she murmured.
"You deserve more than war and worry," Lucian replied. "Even just for one night."
They moved in a slow, steady rhythm, their feet silent against the stone.
She didn’t respond after that, not wanting to ruin the mont.
Erald felt a soothing hum inside her, not from hunger or fear, but from a deep understanding. "This wolf understands us."
There was a strong connection between them, slow but powerful, like energy building up, ready to burst forth like a storm.
Suddenly, Lucian’s fingers curled just a bit tighter.
And then... he kissed her.
It wasn’t the light, quick kiss she thought it would be. It was strong, intense, and full of emotion. It carried the weight of silence, years of hurt, and all the things they’d never had the chance to say.
She gasped into his mouth and instinctively grabbed the front of his shirt. But just as quickly as it had begun, he pulled back
Erald gasped and stepped back, her heart racing. Lucian smirked, looking kinda amused. But when he noticed her expression, the smile disappeared from his face.
"I’m sorry. That was selfish."
Erald’s throat tightened. "I—"
"I know you’re not ready," he added in a quieter voice. "I won’t press you."
She felt a whirlwind of emotions—sha, longing, and frustration with herself, all tangling in a ss she couldn’t decipher.
"Take ho," she whispered.
Lucian nodded. "As you wish."
—
The drive back was silent.
Neither of them spoke again, and Erald was grateful. Her thoughts were spinning too fast, her heart still aching with things she hadn’t known she needed to feel.
Lucian was the last one she expected to understand her... and now he was the one who had seen the darkest parts of her soul.
And kissed them anyway.
When they finally pulled up in front of the Western Shadow estate, the sun had already dipped low behind the trees.
But the peace didn’t last.
The front doors slamd open, and Nessa burst through them, barefoot and wild-eyed. "Erald!"
Lucian’s hand reached instinctively toward her.
Nessa’s voice cracked. "He escaped!"
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