Chapter 42: Chapter 42; She is mine to protect

Lucian’s POV

"Are you being serious, Lucian?" Ragnar’s voice dripped with annoyance. "You seriously brought her here?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" I snapped back, my own irritation rising. "They were treating her like a slave. There was no way in hell I was going to leave her there."

"You could’ve taken her anywhere else, not here," Ragnar shot back. "Do you know what will happen if they discover this place? Everything we’ve worked so hard for—our home—will be ripped away from us."

"She isn’t a problem," I said firmly.

"She is a fucking omega."

"She is my mate!" I growled, my voice turning into a deep rumble. "I’ve told you so many times. She is mine to protect. If you have a problem with that, then get the fuck out of here."

Ragnar stared at me, his shoulders dropping. His voice cracked with pain. "This isn’t you, Lucian. Can’t you see how much you’ve changed in just a few months because of her? Where did that anger go? That fire? That hatred in your eyes for these people? Where has it all gone?"

"Nothing is gone," I said harshly. "She is the only one I love. It’s different with her, and you will never understand. So it’s best you leave me the hell alone."

He didn’t argue anymore. He just turned and walked away, his footsteps heavy with disappointment.

My eyes stayed locked on Alina. She looked so pale against the sheets. I sat down beside her bed and gently brushed the hair away from her face, letting my fingers linger on her soft skin.

"Why do I love you so fucking much?" I whispered. "You’re a drug to me... an obsession I never want to give up."

She stirred. Her eyes squinted open, then suddenly widened when they met mine. She jolted upright, breathing fast.

"Where am I?" she asked, confusion thick in her voice.

"I brought you to my house," I said softly.

"Your house?" Her eyes darted around the room before locking back on me. "Leo... where is Leo?"

I swallowed hard. "I couldn’t bring him with me. I was outnumbered. I just wanted to keep you safe."

Her face twisted with shock and pain. "Are you fucking kidding me, Lucian?" Her voice rose, cracking. "Leo is my son! How could you bring me here and leave him behind? I can’t live without him!"

She threw the covers off and scrambled out of bed.

"Where are you going?" I asked, grabbing her wrist before she could move further.

"I’m going back there," she said, trying to pull away. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"No," I said, panic surging through my chest, tightening my grip. "You can’t go back there, Alina. They’ll just cage you again."

"I don’t care about any of that!" she cried, her eyes filling with desperate tears. "I just want to be close to Leo."

"What do you mean you don’t care?" My voice cracked with disbelief. "Do you want me to stand here and watch you walk straight back into their hands? Become a prisoner again? I can’t ever allow that."

"You don’t tell me what to do," she shot back, her chin lifted in that stubborn way I both loved and hated.

"I can tell you what to do because we are bonded," I said, stepping closer. "If you get hurt, I feel it too. Don’t you get it, Alina?"

She tried to yank her wrist free from my grip, but I held on.

"Nothing will happen to Leo," I continued, my words rushing out. "Aiden is his father. He won’t let anything happen to his own son. But you... what about your safety? I can’t let you go back there. That’s final."

Alina’s eyes flashed with anger. "What’s the difference between you and them if you forcibly keep me here?"

My chest tightened. "The difference is I won’t treat you like a prisoner," I said, my voice dropping softer. "And I actually care about you. So please... don’t make this difficult. Just stay here for now, Alina. I promise you’ll go back to Leo."

For a moment, her shoulders eased. The fight slowly drained from her face. She looked tired. Defeated. Maybe even ready to listen.

"Okay... fine," she whispered. "I’ll stay here. But you do know Aiden will come after you."

"Yes, I know he will," I said, nodding. "And I’m ready for him."

Before she could say anything else, her stomach growled loudly in the quiet room. I almost smiled.

"I’ll go get you something to eat," I said gently. "Stay here."

She gave a small nod. Relief washed over me as I left the room and closed the door behind me.

In the kitchen, I stared at the cabinets, feeling completely lost. I was terrible at this. I knew exactly how to touch her, how to make her moan and fall apart in bed... but cooking? That was another story.

Luckily, we had bread and eggs. I quickly made some toast, moving faster than I ever had in my life. When I looked at the plate, I actually felt proud. It didn’t look half bad.

I carried the food back to the room, my steps lighter now. But the second I pushed the door open, the plate slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor.

Alina wasn’t there.

My heart slammed against my ribs. The window stood wide open, curtains flapping in the cold air. She had jumped.

Without thinking, I ran and leaped out after her.

She couldn’t be far.

"Alina!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the trees. "Alina!"

I searched frantically, fear clawing up my throat, until a piercing scream tore through the air.

That was her scream.

I bolted toward the sound, my blood turning to fire. When I burst into the clearing, my eyes widened in pure rage. One of the rogues had her pinned down, his hands around her throat, ready to kill her.

I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles cracked.

"Let her go!" I growled, my voice shifting into a deep, feral snarl as I began changing into my wolf form.

The rogue’s head snapped toward me. Alina’s terrified eyes met mine, wide with fear and desperation. That look on her face ignited something wild and furious inside me — a fury so hot it burned away everything else.