Lucian’s POV

I sat in the driver’s seat, staring at the front doors of the pack mansion. I had been waiting hours for Alina, and she still hadn’t come out. The silence inside the car was doing dangerous things to my head, throwing my thoughts back to Davon’s smug smile.

Unable to sit still, I stepped out into the afternoon air and leaned against the car, crossing my arms. Reaching into my jacket, I lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

Movement down the stone pathway caught my attention. The moment I recognized the figure walking toward me, I rolled my eyes in disgust.

Ashley—no, Emily. What the hell did she want now?

Emily walked up to the edge of the driveway with a practiced smile. "Hi, Lucian," she said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Seeing that you’re a rogue now, being around this territory is incredibly risky for you."

I didn’t lower my cigarette, staring at her with icy eyes. "Mind your own damn business, Emily."

"Lucian... I know I might not have been the best person in the past," she said, stepping closer. "But I truly do care for you. I never once pretended when it came to my affection towards you, and I hope you can understand that."

"Emily, let’s not do this today. I don’t have time for this garbage. Why is the great pack Luna standing out here talking to a rogue anyway? Go back inside to your husband."

Emily’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold look. "Lucian... one of these days, you are going to come crawling back to me. And that is a promise."

She whipped around and marched back toward the mansion.

"I will never do that," I muttered, crushing the cigarette under my boot.

A few moments later, the front doors opened again, and Alina finally emerged.

The dark cloud over my head lifted, but as she drew closer, my smile faltered. Her shoulders were tense, and her face was pale.

I opened the passenger door for her. "How did it go, Alina? What did they say?"

Alina let out a heavy sigh. "Lucian... Aiden and I are going to have to co-parent." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

My blood instantly ran cold. My hands clenched against the metal of the car. I absolutely did not like the sound of that. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I will have to physically take Leo to him," she explained, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at me. "Those were the Council’s strict orders. And the catch is... I must always be present around them. I can’t leave Leo alone with him."

A wave of pure, toxic jealousy and possessiveness roared to life in my chest. The idea of this made me violently sick. I stared at her, my voice dropping into a dark whisper. "Meaning... you are going to be spending actual time with Aiden?"

"No, Lucian, it’s not like that at all," she pleaded, reaching out to grab my arm, sensing the mounting storm inside me. "I really just can’t let Leo be alone with that man, no matter what. I don’t trust Aiden for a single second. But he is also legally Leo’s father, and the Council won’t let me strip that right away from him." She looked around the empty driveway anxiously. "Please, Lucian, let’s just go home. I’ll explain everything."

I forced the muscles in my face to relax, plastering a tight, fake smile over my utter fury. "I understand," I said softly, guiding her into the passenger seat.

But inside, I was absolutely fuming. Every single instinct in my body was screaming at me to lock her away, to keep her from going even a single inch close to Aiden ever again. But I kept my face entirely straight, gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned stark white as I drove us back to the estate.

The moment we stepped through the front door of the house, Alina marched straight up the stairs to Leo’s nursery. I followed behind her in a silent, tense shadow. My heart stopped when I watched her pull out a small suitcase and start aggressively packing Leo’s clothes and toys.

"Why the hell are you packing so much of Leo’s stuff?" I asked, my voice tight as I stepped into the room. "Isn’t he just staying with Aiden for a single day?"

Alina stopped, a pair of tiny socks clamped in her hand. She didn’t look at me. "Leo gets to stay with him for three days... and with me for four days."

My eyes widened in absolute, paralyzing shock. The air was violently ripped from my lungs. "Three days? Does this mean... does this mean you are going to be living under the exact same roof as Aiden for three whole days?!"

"It’s just for the short term, Lucian," she argued quietly, finally turning around to face me. "Just until we can figure out a better legal loophole."

"Alina, I really, truly don’t think I can take this," I confessed, the raw desperation leaking into my voice as I took a step toward her. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press.

Alina dropped the clothes into the bag and stepped toward me, wrapping her warm hands around my waist. She looked up into my panicked eyes with absolute certainty. "You really have absolutely nothing to worry about, Lucian. I swear to you, I will never, ever have anything to do with Aiden again, no matter what he tries."

"I don’t trust him, Alina," I growled, the image of Aiden’s smug face flashing in my mind, making me feel physically sick to my stomach. "The absolute thought of him being near you, touching you... it’s making me sick."

Alina leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against my lips. When she pulled away, her eyes searched mine. "Trust me, Lucian."

My pupils shook violently as I looked deep into her eyes, desperately searching for any sign of hesitation, desperately trying to calm the raging beast inside my soul. I didn’t trust the situation. I didn’t trust what might actually happen in that mansion when the doors were closed. But I trusted her.

"I trust you," I whispered hoarsely.

A small, relieved smile touched her lips. She gave my hands one last squeeze before zipping up the suitcase. "I have to leave now."

With that, she grabbed the bag and walked past me down the hallway.

The moment the front door clicks shut below, a profound, suffocating emptiness fills the room. I stand completely frozen in the center of the nursery, a violent wave of nausea washing over me as I clench my fists so hard my claws threaten to pierce my palms.

I might actually lose my entire fucking mind if he goes anywhere near her.