Selene’s POV~
I was preparing another tray when a voice ca from the chair beside .
"Don’t go anywhere. Just stand here and give a glass of new drink."
I froze. My hands stiffened around the tray. Slowly, I lifted my eyes.
Lucian.
For a mont, it felt like my breath was gone. My chest squeezed so hard it almost hurt. I forced myself to stay calm, forced my legs not to run, forced my voice to stay quiet as I nodded and poured him a glass.
He didn’t look away from . His gaze was steady, heavy, like he could see through my skin. He took the glass gently, drank it down in one gulp, then dropped it on the table.
"Don’t go anywhere," he said again. "Just accompany here."
I stared at him, stunned. He was serious. His lips curved into a small smile, soft and almost kind.
"Don’t worry," he added. "I don’t want anything. Just stay here. I feel lonely."
His voice was gentle, like he didn’t even realize how those words sounded. To anyone else, they would an sothing else. But his face... his face showed nothing but real loneliness. He looked like a man carrying sothing heavy, soone who just didn’t want to sit alone.
My chest tightened again, but I forced my mind to work. I swallowed hard and spoke carefully.
"Alpha... but if you can send my sister away from here, I can stay with you."
He raised his brow. "Your sister? Who?"
I pointed toward Sara. She was trapped between two warriors who kept pushing more drinks on her, laughing like animals. My heart twisted seeing her there.
"She is my sister," I said firmly. "Please let her go from here."
Lucian’s eyes followed my finger. For a second, I thought he would ignore . But then he turned his head sharply and called out. He said the warrior’s na, his voice cutting through the noise.
"Let her go. She needs to go back to her room."
Everyone nearby froze, stunned. No one argued. Lucian’s tone left no space for it.
He looked at Sara again and added, "You can go back to your oga quarter and sleep."
Sara’s eyes widened. She looked lost, like she didn’t believe what she just heard. The warriors beside her let go of her shoulders, backing away. I quickly mouthed to her, Go.
She hesitated, worry flashing in her eyes. She knew it was who asked Lucian. She wanted to stay, I could see it, but she also knew she had no choice. Even the warriors muttered at her, "Go, Alpha said."
Finally, she nodded and began walking out. Her eyes stayed on until the very last mont, full of fear for . I forced myself to smile at her, a smile that said, I’ll be fine.
When she disappeared through the door, relief washed over like cool water. At least she was safe for tonight. That was enough.
I turned my eyes back to Lucian. He was sitting there, another glass in his hand, drinking again in one gulp. His head bent low, his shoulders heavy, a sigh leaving his lips.
He looked lost. Lonely. Like a man who had just given up sothing precious.
And for so reason I could not understand, my chest ached all over again.
Lucian sighed. The glass in his hand was almost empty when his voice broke the noise around us.
"Do you have soone you love?"
He didn’t even look at when he asked. His eyes were fixed on the table, his tone flat, almost like he was talking to himself.
For a mont, I froze. I didn’t know if I was supposed to answer or if he was just drunk and rambling. But when I stayed quiet too long, he lifted his head and asked again.
"Do you have soone you love?"
His eyes were on now.
I forced my lips to move. "No."
It ca out sharp, cold, and rciless. My lips had answers before I had ford them.
For a split second, I saw sadness flash in his eyes. But just as it ca, it was gone, making doubt myself. His expression shut down, the drunk look returning, like he was too far gone to hold on to anything.
He laughed softly. "It’s good you don’t have. Because I have one. And I have loved her more than anything."
I clenched my jaw. I didn’t want to hear his nonsense. I wanted to walk away. But I couldn’t. I had already made the deal with him. So I stayed there, still as a statue, tray tight in my hands, listening.
"I have loved her even before I knew what love really was," he murmured. "I saw her when she was just a teenage girl. I had just beco an adult. We had years between us. I thought it was impossible. I told myself it was wrong. But sothing about her... I wanted to protect her. That feeling grew. I never thought I would fall in love. But as ti passed, she filled my thoughts. More and more."
His voice broke. His hand trembled around the glass.
"But things changed. Misunderstandings. Circumstances. We were forced apart. And when we t again, it was hate. Nothing but hate. We hated each other so much we could have killed each other." He laughed harshly, but it wasn’t real. Pain cracked through the sound. "The funny thing? Neither of us was at fault. Both of us were betrayed. Both of us were left in despair."
My hands shook. I clenched them until my nails dug into my palms, holding myself together. His words cut deeper than they should have. And I knew where he was going.
His voice dropped lower. "Do you know how much I hated her? But even in that hate, I couldn’t control myself before her. Anger. Jealousy. Desire. It ate alive. She was with soone else while I was burning in regret. My judgnt clouded. Do you think I’m pathetic?"
"Yes," I said coldly, forcing my voice steady. "You are. Jealousy can blind anyone."
But my chest was heavy. Because I understood what he ant. I understood too well.
Why did he think she was with soone else? Why did he sound like he was blaming himself, then blaming her, then both of them? His words... we both betrayed each other... hit so hard I went pale. mories I wanted buried ca rushing back. My vision blurred for a second.
I couldn’t even look at him anymore.
But Lucian kept speaking, like he was tearing himself open piece by piece.
"Do you know how much I wanted to fix everything? To go back to the first day I saw her. To start again. To hold her before anything could take her away. She was everything. My reason. My prayer. My curse. My salvation."
His eyes shone with tears now. He didn’t hide them. His voice cracked with raw pain.
"She was my mate. My love. My everything. Every single day I lived was for her. And now every single day is forbidden to . She’s gone, but she’s still here. I can’t let go."
The tears slid down his face. My heart twisted, my throat tightened. I didn’t even know when my hand lifted, when I wiped the tears from his cheek. The mont I touched him, I froze. He froze too.
We both stiffened, breathing heavy. His eyes locked on mine, wide and broken.
I forced the words out, my voice sharp and trembling at the sa ti.
"Love didn’t leave anyone, it devoured them piece by piece."
"It is nothing but a dream of sorrow."
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