Felicity's Beast World Apocalypse-Chapter 157: Alone With Lucan

The space had settled into a strange kind of stillness that did not feel like rest.

It was quiet, but not empty the air carried warmth, the lingering weight of bodies too close together for too long, the slow rhythm of breathing that should have been calming and instead felt like something waiting. Felicity lay at the center of it, her body finally pulled into sleep by exhaustion, her breathing soft and deep, unaware of how the room had shaped itself around her again.

Lucan remained closest, his presence quiet but constant, his gaze fixed on her as though he did not trust anything, not even sleep, to keep her safe.

Voss leaned back against the edge of the bed, posture loose but attention sharp beneath it.

Ivan sat near her legs, still as stone, while Damien remained just within reach, watching without appearing to.

Victor stood slightly apart from the others, not distant, but positioned where he could see everything at once it was Victor who moved first. He did not speak immediately, instead, his hand slipped into his coat, retrieving something small, something that caught the faint light as it shifted in his palm. The chain was delicate but strong, the pendant resting at its center unmistakably crafted with intent rather than decoration. A chipped piece of marble, worn imperfectly at the edges, had been set within a thin golden frame shaped into a heart. At its surface, carved with precise detail, an eagle spread its wings, not fully in flight, but poised at the moment before it. Victor looked at it briefly, then back at her, without asking, without announcing it, he leaned down and fastened it gently around her neck. The chain settled softly against her skin, the marble resting just above her heart as if it had always belonged there his fingers lingered for a moment longer than necessary then he withdrew his hand.

"Felicity" his voice was quiet, controlled, but softer than it had been earlier, carrying something beneath it that none of the others missed.

She stirred slowly, her brow furrowing slightly as she shifted beneath the blankets, it took her a few seconds to wake properly, her lashes fluttering as her eyes opened, unfocused at first before settling on his "Victor...?" Her voice was still soft with sleep.

He did not give her time to drift again "you’re leaving with Lucan."

That pulled her fully awake.

"What?" Her gaze sharpened instantly, confusion and something sharper flickering through her expression as she pushed herself up slightly. Her eyes moved quickly across the room, finding each of them, grounding herself in their presence before returning to Victor "no," she said, more firmly now, shaking her head. "I want to go with you. I want to be there at the start."

Victor’s expression did not change "this is the start."

"That’s not what I mean." Her voice softened slightly, but the tension in it didn’t fade "i want to be with all of you."

Then Victor said, evenly, "You are."

Felicity frowned "that’s not the same thing."

"No," he agreed. "It isn’t" the agreement did not come with concession it came with finality. "You’ll go ahead," he continued "it’s safer, the town is quiet Lucan can move you instantly if anything shifts. We follow behind that gives us control."

"I don’t like it."

"I know."

"That doesn’t make it better."

"It doesn’t need to."

Her lips pressed together, her expression tightening as she looked at him, searching for something that wasn’t there. Victor did not soften, did not step back from the decision, did not give her room to negotiate it into something easier. Then, slowly, her shoulders lowered "...i’ll miss you." The words came quieter.

Something shifted in Victor’s gaze, subtle but unmistakable. He stepped forward then, closing the distance without hesitation, his hand lifting to rest at the back of her neck as he drew her toward him. The kiss he gave her was slow, deliberate, controlled in the way everything he did was controlled, but there was nothing distant about it. It lingered, not rushed, not uncertain, carrying weight rather than urgency. When he pulled back, his thumb brushed lightly against her cheek, as if grounding himself for a fraction longer than necessary.

Damien did not wait.

He moved the moment Victor stepped away, pulling her into him with a grip that was firmer, more immediate, something that bordered on restrained urgency. His hand pressed against her back, holding her there as he kissed her, deeper, less measured, the control thinner around the edges.

Felicity made a soft sound, and when he began to pull back, her fingers caught his shirt without thinking "come back to me." The words were quiet, but they landed hard.

Damien stilled for a fraction of a second, his gaze shifting, something darker passing through it before he gave a short nod "I will."

Ivan followed his approach was slower, steadier. He did not pull her in the same way, but when he reached her, his hand settled gently against her face, his thumb brushing once across her cheek before he leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her forehead there was something grounding in it. Something that didn’t need to prove anything. "I’ll see you soon."

Felicity’s expression softened slightly "i know."

Voss came next, his movement easy, almost casual, but there was something in his eyes that didn’t quite match the tone he carried. "Well," he said lightly, crouching slightly in front of her, brushing a strand of her hair back into place, "this is going to be weird."

Felicity blinked "weird?"

He smiled faintly "Yeah you not riding me around everywhere, i’m going to feel underappreciated."

She let out a quiet breath that almost turned into a laugh "you’ll survive."

"Barely" he leaned forward then, pulling her into a hug that lasted just long enough to feel like more than a joke, his arm tightening briefly around her before he let go "i’ll see you in Orange."

She nodded "i’ll be waiting."

The words slipped out softer than she meant them to and then it was just one left she turned slowly.

Lucan hadn’t moved not once he stood where he had been, watching her, his expression unreadable at first glance, but the intensity of his attention had not lessened, not even slightly. If anything, it had deepened the longer he had waited.

Felicity hesitated not because she wanted to because something about the way he looked at her made it hard to move casually, like every step she took toward him mattered more than it should. Then she gave a small nod. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Lucan stepped forward the space changed with him. Not dramatically, not visibly, but enough that everyone in the room felt it. The balance shifted, attention tightening, something quiet and instinctive rising beneath the surface of it all he didn’t reach for her immediately. He stopped just in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze, close enough that the warmth of him was impossible to ignore. "You’re coming with me," he said it wasn’t a question, more like a order, or a command.

Felicity swallowed lightly, then nodded again "yes... im coming" her voice was softer now, but steady.

Lucan exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders shifting, not disappearing, but changing shape. For the first time since she had seen him, since the moment he stepped into that courtyard and decided everything without asking permission, he looked... satisfied. His hand remained at her waist, his thumb moving slightly against her side as if confirming she was still there, still real, still his to stand in front of.

"There," he murmured, almost to himself.

Felicity glanced around, taking in the unfamiliar street, the quiet stretch of buildings that looked untouched compared to everything they had left behind. It was still the world she knew broken, empty, waiting but there was a strange stillness here, like something had been preserved rather than abandoned.

When she looked back at him, his attention hadn’t shifted it hadn’t wavered once.

"This is Orange?" she asked softly.

"Whats left of it yet."

His answer came easily, but his focus remained entirely on her, as if the location itself mattered far less than the fact that they had arrived together, something in his expression softened by a fraction. "Before everything collapsed," he said quietly, "I used to take people places like this."

Felicity blinked "what, like... dates?"

A faint smile touched his mouth, slower this time, more deliberate "not like this." His hand slid from her waist to her wrist, lifting it just slightly, his fingers brushing over her pulse in a way that felt intentional enough to make her breath catch "i didn’t have anything worth bringing them to."

Felicity’s cheeks warmed faintly, but she didn’t pull away.

Lucan stepped closer instead the space between them disappeared completely "i do now."

The words settled between them, heavier than they should have been.

Felicity swallowed lightly, her heart beginning to beat a little faster under the weight of his attention, under the way his gaze didn’t soften, didn’t look away, didn’t give her room to pretend this was anything less than what it was becoming "Lucan..." Her voice came out quieter than she intended.

His thumb pressed once against her wrist, feeling the change in her pulse "relax," he said, though the word didn’t quite match the intensity in his eyes "i’m not in a hurry."

That should have been reassuring it wasn’t, because the way he said it made it clear he didn’t need to rush. Whatever this was... he intended to take his time with it his gaze dropped briefly to the pendant at her throat, the marble resting against her skin, then returned to her face, something sharper flickering through his expression again "they’re not here."

It wasn’t said like a comfort it was said like a fact he had been waiting for.

Felicity’s breath hitched slightly.

Lucan leaned in just enough that she could feel the warmth of him, close without touching, his voice lowering further "and I’ve been very patient."