Chapter 19: Chapter 19; Echoes of the past

Lucian’s POV

"Small world, isn’t it?" I smirked, watching the blood drain from his face. The shock written across his features was worth every second of the drive here.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Aiden spat. He took a step toward me, his chest heaving.

"What does it look like?" I tilted my head, leaning casually against the doorframe. "My mate is here. It’s only right that I’m wherever she is."

In a flash, he closed the distance. His hand balled into my collar, jerking me forward. His human eyes bled into a dark, predatory gold—the true mark of a shifter pushed to the edge.

"I told you to stay the hell away from her!" he hissed, his breath hot against my face. "Do you not fucking get it?"

I opened my mouth to bite back, but the faint scent of vanilla and rain drifted down the hallway. Alina was coming.

"Why are you trying to hurt me, Aiden?" I dropped my voice, pouting like a kicked puppy. "Alina was the one who invited me in."

The sheer confusion on his face would have been funny if I weren’t busy playing the victim.

"What’s going on?"

Alina’s voice cut through the tension. Aiden dropped my shirt as if it had turned into hot coal and spun toward her.

"Why is he here?" He gestured wildly at me, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"There weren’t any cabs," she explained, her eyes darting between us. "He offered me a ride. The weather turned for the worse, and it was too late to send him back out."

Aiden’s jaw tightened so hard I heard the bone pop. "Are you kidding me, Alina? He’s a rogue. You let a rogue into your house to sleep over?"

I watched him unravel, savoring the madness bubbling behind his eyes. If only he knew the truth. If he knew how she’d hooked her fingers into my hair, how she’d begged for more until I’d nearly broken the bed. Just the memory sent a surge of heat straight to my gut.

"It won’t happen again," she said firmly, her gaze avoiding mine. "He’s leaving."

We both know that’s a lie, I thought.

"Why are you explaining yourself to an ex-husband?" I asked, my voice smooth and dangerously calm. "He doesn’t have the right to tell you who can stay."

Aiden whirled back to me, his nostrils flaring. "Lucian, I am giving you one last warning. Stay away from this house. Stay away from Alina."

A slow, wide grin spread across my face. "No. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore."

"Lucian!"

Aiden let out a low, vibrating growl. Thick, black claws tore through the tips of his fingers. I didn’t hesitate; I let my own claws slide out, the silver tips gleaming in the hallway light.

"Enough! Both of you!" Alina’s voice cracked like a whip. "I won’t have you brawling in my hallway. Lucian, leave. Now."

I stiffened. Deep inside, my wolf whined, his tail tucking at her command. I hated how easily he bowed to her, but I wasn’t about to start a fight with her. Not yet.

"Fine. I’m going, only because you asked," I said, throwing her a wink. "Bye, Queen."

As I brushed past Aiden, I caught the murderous glint in his eyes. If looks could draw blood, I’d be a corpse on the floor. I just flashed him one last smirk and headed for the door.

My car sat idling at the curb. I tore down the road, the adrenaline from the confrontation still humming in my veins. But the moment I stepped into the warehouse we called home, the air felt heavy. Thick. Ragnar and the rest of the rogues were huddled in the center of the room, their shoulders slumped and faces grim.

"Am I missing something?" I asked, the hair on my neck standing up.

"Lucian! Where the hell have you been?" Ragnar snapped, pacing toward me. "I’ve been calling you all night."

I couldn’t exactly tell him I’d spent the night tangled in the sheets with an Omega who happened to be my mate. That was a conversation for another time.

"I went out. Smoked, found a few girls, cleared my head," I lied easily, tossing my keys on the table. "Phone was off. What happened?"

Ragnar’s face hardened. "It’s bad. The drug shipment we sent out? It was a setup. The product was seized, and our men... they were slaughtered."

My blood turned to ice, then boiled. "Killed? All of them?"

"They knew we were coming," Ragnar growled, slamming a fist into the wall. "We were outnumbered three to one. There was no way out. I... fuck!"

I felt the beast inside me roar. "They want a war? Fine. We’ll give them one." I looked at the survivors, my voice dropping to a low, lethal vibration. "Tonight, I want you out there. I want blood for blood. I don’t care who you have to go through—kill them. We aren’t letting our brothers die without an answer."

A chorus of savage roars filled the room, shaking the rafters.

"I want to wake up to news of bodies littering the streets!" I shouted.

The men scrambled, grabbing weapons and heading for the exits. I watched them go, then headed up to my room. I needed the grime of the night washed off me. Under the spray of the shower, my mind drifted back to Alina. I wondered if Aiden was still there, pleading with her. He was still obsessed with her, clearly, but he’d thrown his chance away for that whore. The universe had finally done me a favor by putting me in his place.

Hours bled by. I stayed back while the men hunted, staring at the ceiling and waiting for the reports to come in. Suddenly, the sharp chime of the doorbell echoed through the quiet apartment.

I frowned and headed downstairs. When I swung the door open, my irritation spiked. Emily stood there, leaning against the frame with a sharp, knowing smirk.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Still the same Lucian. Always so angry," she purred. She didn’t wait for an invite, stepping past me and closing the door with a soft click.

She turned, sliding her arms around my neck and pulling herself flush against me. "I’ll make this quick, because I know you’re busy. I’m here because I want you to fuck me. Just like the old days."

Before I could push her back, she leaned in, her lips pressing against mine.