Selene’s POV ~
Silence slamd into the room so hard that I swore I could hear the faint ringing in my ears.
Lucian’s words silenced the entire room.
"I was busy helping her kill those scums."
For a mont, none of us breathed. Not Aeron. Not Kael. Not Luca. Definitely not .
All four of us stared at Lucian as if he had just casually announced the moon was square.
Kael’s grin dropped. Luca’s hand on mine froze. Aeron’s eyes widened slightly...an expression so rare on him that it shocked more.
My heart thudded so loudly I was sure they all heard it.
I blinked at Lucian, my lips parting.
"W–What do you an... helping ?" I asked, my voice small.
I had never seen him in an entire year. Not even once. He had never shown up in the witch territories.
Never appeared near .
Never contacted .
Never... anything.
So how could he possibly have helped ?
Lucian only stared back at with that cold, unreadable face, his chin still resting against his hand. His dark eyes held no hesitation, no guilt, and not even amusent. Only certainty.
Aeron was the first to break the heavy silence.
"Lucian," he said slowly, carefully, as though speaking to soone holding a bomb. "What exactly... are you talking about?"
Luca’s voice followed, tight and confused. "Brother... you didn’t even talk to us for months. How could you have helped Selene?"
Kael finally leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"You weren’t even in your right mind back then. Don’t joke about sothing like this."
Lucian didn’t even flinch.
He sat up straighter, dropping his hand, and for the first ti in months...he looked fully, sharply awake. Not fogged. Not lost. Not distant.
"Who said I wasn’t in my right mind?" he asked quietly.
Aeron stiffened.
Kael slowly straightened.
Luca’s brows drew together.
My stomach twisted as a cold realization crept through .
Wait...
What is he implying?
Lucian let out a slow breath. His voice was smooth, calm, and frighteningly steady.
"You think I disappeared because I lost myself," he said. "But that’s not true."
My fingers tightened around my clothes.
Then why did he disappear?
Why did he never co back?
Why... why did he leave?
Lucian finally turned his gaze fully onto , and for the first ti since he returned, sothing raw flashed behind his calm expression. Sothing fierce. Sothing possessive. Sothing that made my throat tighten.
"When Selene fell," he said softly, "my wolf knew she was alive."
All three brothers inhaled sharply.
I froze.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Y...You knew?" My voice trembled without permission.
Lucian nodded slowly.
"My wolf kept pulling ... dragging toward wherever she was," he continued, tapping his chest lightly. "But my human side..." He paused, eyes darkening, "...my human side was too broken. Too angry. Too lost."
His brothers exchanged quiet, horror-struck glances.
Kael whispered, "Lucian... you..."
But he ignored them.
"When Selene fell," he repeated, voice steady, "I didn’t lose myself because of grief. I lost myself because I wanted to tear the world apart to find her."
My breath caught.
Lucian leaned forward then, elbows on his knees, eyes locked onto mine.
"Every Alpha that died," he continued quietly, "was killed by her. Yes."
My heart dropped.
"But soone had to lead them to those targets."
His eyes glead with a dark, deadly truth.
"Soone had to track down the corrupt Alphas who hurt witches, werewolves, humans... and who wanted Selene dead."
My mouth fell open.
Luca tensed beside . "Lucian. You’re telling us you were the one..."
"No...I just took after math...so my mate can leave safely," Lucian finished calmly.
Aeron exhaled shakily, shock flickering across his face.
Kael stared at him like he was seeing a ghost.
Lucian continued, voice as smooth as water but sharp like a knife:
"She never saw . I stayed in my wolf form. Only my wolf communicated with her, and even only later. Only my wolf followed her through forests, borders, packs..." His jaw clenched. "Only my wolf protected her."
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
I felt dizzy.
He... helped?
Without letting know?
Without letting anyone know?
He leaned back again, looking terrifyingly calm.
"So yes," he said softly, eyes fixed on .
"I did help her kill them."
"I led her to the Alphas who deserved to die."
The room went completely still.
Even breathing felt too loud.
Aeron swallowed hard. "Lucian... All this ti, you... you weren’t lost?"
Lucian’s gaze flicked to him. "No. I was lost, but my wolf was still with her."
Luca’s voice was hoarse. "And you never told us?"
Lucian shrugged lightly. "My wolf didn’t want to..."
Kael let out a low, stunned whistle. "Brother... what the hell?"
My mouth finally managed to form words.
"So all this ti... you knew where I was?" I whispered. And I knew which wolf he was talking about...it was that small wolf, right?
Lucian’s eyes softened...barely, but enough for to feel it like a blow.
"I didn’t know where you were," he corrected. "But I knew you were alive. And that was enough for my wolf to track the blood you shed."
My pulse skipped.
Lucian’s voice lowered, dark and intimate.
"I followed every mark you left on this world, Selene."
My throat closed.
"And I made sure no Alpha who hunted you survived long enough to threaten you again."
My breath faltered. My eyes stung.
He had been protecting ... all along.
Silently.
From the shadows.
The quietest brother... the calst one... the one who vanished...
Had been the one tearing down monsters who hunted day and night.
Lucian tilted his head, his eyes burning into mine with a quiet, devastating claim.
My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth.
Lucian’s words echoed again and again in my mind.
He was the wolf.
But... how?
I stared at him...this tall, calm, terrifyingly dangerous man sitting on the couch with eyes sharp enough to slice through steel.
And all I could think about was...
This?
THIS man was that cute, shy little wolf?
I almost choked on my own breath.
No. No way.
My brain refused to accept it.
The wolf had been small... fluffy... silent... and honestly, heartbreakingly adorable. Like a scared puppy who followed around and hid behind trees whenever I looked at him.
He used to curl up next to and always asked for affection.
He used to poke my hand with his nose to get attention.
He used to sleep on my feet like a living heater.
THAT wolf.
That soft, innocent, wide-eyed thing.
And now Lucian was here, staring at with those deep, dangerous, emotionless eyes like he could kill an entire army just because I sneezed too loudly.
I felt my expression twist.
I was... unhappy.
Actually, no... I felt betrayed.
How could the wolf be this man?
How could I have been THAT blind?
And how dare he act cute back then and now sit there like a dark, deadly king?
My thoughts must have been printed across my face, because Lucian’s gaze drilled on .
He tilted his head slightly.
He noticed.
Of course he noticed.
I looked down, annoyed, frustrated, and questioning every life choice I had made.
Then I heard a soft sound.
A tiny "tckt" of claws on the floor.
Confused, I looked up.
And froze.
Because standing right in front of ...
Was the wolf.
The small one.
The fluffy one.
The cute one who always pretended to be scared of everything.
My jaw dropped.
"What—the—" I whispered.
But before I could finish, the little wolf imdiately understood sothing was wrong.
He sprinted toward with soft, fast steps and jumped onto my lap like I was the only thing keeping him alive.
I gasped, grabbing him instinctively.
He ignored everything and began acting like the cutest creature in existence.
He bumped his forehead against my chest.
He nudged my chin with his cold little nose.
He circled in my lap three tis before flopping across like a dramatic baby.
Then he licked my hand.
Then my arm.
Then my cheek.
"St-Stop...!" I squeaked, giggling despite myself as the soft tongue brushed my face again and again. "Lucian...! I an... little Wolf! Oh gods...stop!"
He didn’t stop.
He whined loudly, wiggling in my lap, wrapping his little paws around my wrist like he wanted to hug , his tail wagging so hard it slapped my stomach.
My giggles echoed through the room as I tried to push his face away.
"Okay! Okay! I’m not mad! I get it...stop licking !"
The wolf imdiately perked up, ears standing straight.
Then, as if to confirm I wasn’t upset, he climbed up my torso...
...AND TOPPLED RIGHT ONTO MY FACE.
"Ack—! Little Wolf—!"
He kicked my chin by accident in his excitent, and I squeaked, falling backward into the couch.
He stood on my stomach triumphantly, tail wagging like crazy.
I laughed helplessly. "You’re going to break my ribs! Get off...!"
But he just flopped down again, burying his face into my neck, whining softly like he was apologizing and comforting at the sa ti.
The other three brothers stared.
Just stared.
Speechless.
Kael’s mouth hung open.
Luca blinked like he was watching hallucinations.
Aeron... actually rubbed his eyes once, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Finally Kael sputtered,
"Are you...are you kidding ? Get off from her!"
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