Lucian's POV
I rose from the bed slowly, the silken sheets falling away from my skin. The scent of sex clung heavy in the air, stale and cloying, yet familiar. One would think my body would be aching, trembling even, after the countless hours I spent buried in women last night. Their screams, their moans, their whimpers, they were a blur of sound, fading into background noise the moment my lust was sated, only to rise again as the hunger returned.
But ache? Exhaustion? Satisfaction?
None of that belonged to me.
Thanks to the damned Moon Goddess, no matter how much I took, no matter how many bodies I ruined, it was never enough. It was never close to enough.
My body felt restless, not weary. A beast caged but never calmed. That was my curse. My punishment. Or perhaps.… her idea of a joke.
I rolled my shoulders, each joint popping into place, and let out a low growl. The chamber was dark, save for the dim light that filtered in through the high windows, casting pale streaks across the stone floor. My steps echoed as I crossed to the bathroom, my robe hanging loose in my hand.
The rush of cold water hit me like a wall. I stood beneath it, letting it cascade over my skin, washing away the sweat, the smell of bodies, the stains of another endless night. It cooled my flesh, but the fire inside me burned unquenched, an eternal flame that mocked me with every heartbeat. I scrubbed quickly, not because I cared for cleanliness, but because I wanted the lingering stench of others off my skin.
When I was done, I dried myself and slipped into a black robe. The fabric was soft, comfortable, but it did little to ease the irritation clawing at me from within.
And then, my thoughts betrayed me.
Her.
The girl. Evelyn.
No…. Aveline.
For the briefest of moments last night, when I'd locked eyes with her, I had seen her. My Aveline. The same eyes, the same fragile face. She looked exactly like her, down to the smallest detail.
But it couldn't be. Aveline was gone. Torn from me long ago, her memory a scar etched deep into my soul. This girl was human. Pathetic. Weak. Part of the species I loathed with every fiber of my being.
So why?
Why did my chest tighten at the sight of her? Why did her face haunt me, like a ghost that refused to let go?
My lips curled back in a humorless smile. Of course. It had to be her doing. The moon goddess.
"Is this some kind of trick?" I muttered into the empty chamber, my voice echoing against stone.
The silence mocked me, but I spoke louder, harsher. "Is that it, old one? You grow so bored in your lofty heavens that you send me a shadow wrapped in human flesh?"
A bitter laugh left my chest, sharp and low. "I'm not falling for it. We are both too old for games, don't you think?"
I clenched my fists at my side, the anger simmering beneath my skin. The Moon Goddess had cursed me, bound me, and now she dared mock me with this? I would not play along.
I pushed the thought aside as I descended the grand staircase. My robe trailed behind me, my steps deliberate, slow, heavy with irritation. The manor was alive now, servants scurrying through corridors, cleaning and bowing their heads quickly as I passed. Their fear rolled off them in waves, and I breathed it in like a balm, though it did little to soothe me.
At the base of the stairs, a girl stood waiting. Small. Fragile. Her hands twisted together nervously, her gaze fixed on the floor as though looking at me directly would cost her life.
"Good morning, Lord Lucian," she whispered, her voice trembling. "My name is Lisa. The Luna sent me to escort you to the dining hall for breakfast."
Her fear was palpable, clinging to her like a second skin. My nostrils flared as I drew in her scent, and I nearly sneered. Human. Another one.
My patience thinned. Baston was testing me, surely. Or perhaps he was simply foolish enough to think I would tolerate these weak things being tossed in my path.
Talking about humans….
"Where's Aveline?" The question slipped past my lips before I could stop it, my voice sharp and commanding.
The girl flinched, her shoulders tensing. Her wide eyes flicked up toward me, confused. "A-Aveline?"
I growled low, my irritation spiking. "I mean the human girl. My personal servant."
Her expression shifted, recognition dawning as she swallowed hard. "You mean… Evelyn?"
I gave a short nod, my jaw tightening. "Yes. Where the bloody hell is she?"
Lisa hesitated. Conflict flickered across her face, her lips parting only to close again. For a moment she looked like she wanted to vanish into the floor. Finally, she dropped her gaze, voice soft. "I'm not sure, my Lord. The Luna only instructed me to get you for breakfast."
I let out a sharp, irritated sigh. Of course. Always a headache. Always a mess with this bunch of halfwits, humans and wolves alike.
"Let's go," I said, my tone flat, final.
The girl bobbed her head quickly, turned, and began to lead the way. Her steps were small and hurried, her shoulders hunched as if she expected me to lash out at any moment. I followed in silence, the black robe whispering against the floor with each stride.
But my mind…. my mind was not silent.
It circled back again and again to her. Evelyn. Aveline. The same face, the same torment, the same pull I couldn't shake.
No matter how much I told myself it was a trick, no matter how much I cursed the Moon Goddess, I could not ignore the restless beat in my chest.
And that infuriated me more than anything.
We got to the dinning hall and I moved with tge calm of a storm walking in. Servants straightened at the sight of me, the room hushed as Alpha Baston and his Luna rose to meet me, their smiles polished, teeth bared like two polite predators.
"Lord Lucian," Baston intoned, bowing low and ushering me to the head of the table with a practiced flourish. "We are honored you would breakfast with us."
His wife glided forward "Please, sit. We hope last night was... eventful enough for you." Her voice was honey and rust, sweet, thin, and rotten.
They said the things all Alphas said when flattering a weapon, soft words that begged me to use my strength for them. I let them speak. Let them assay their lies and bows. I'd heard it all a hundred thousand times. None of it moved me.
I raised my hand once and the chatter died like a struck animal. The silence was absolute. Faces stiffened, even the servants who did not know better shifted
"Where is Evelyn?" I asked.
For a second Baston looked genuinely puzzled, like a man who'd forgotten the name of a retainer. "Evelyn?" he repeated, slow, like the word might be dangerous. "I...."
"Evelyn. My personal servant. Where the hell is she?" My voice cut across the room. The polite facade on Baston's face trembled; he swallowed.
"I..." He searched the room with flustered eyes, then offered the usual answer. "I have no idea, my lord. I can send someone to look for her immediately...."
I let out a breath that sounded more like a growl. I could feel something was wrong
I rose slowly to my feet. The two of them stepped back an inch, then two, like lambs shifting from a wolf's shadow.
"You of all people, Baston," I said, my voice low as a threat and colder than the winter stones, "should know better than to play at tests. It is easier for me to rip your heart out than repeat myself. Tell me where she is, or die." The words were a growl from the depths, they left no room for bargaining.
Baston's face drained of color, his hands found each other and twisted. He opened his mouth to stammer, something about miscommunication, some stupid excuse, but before he could shape another lie....
The girl who had escorted me, Lisa, sank to her knees before us. Her face was streaked with tears. Her voice came out in spasms, raw and urgent.
"She's tied, naked, at the punishment pole, my lord," she cried, words tumbling over each other. "The Luna whipped her twenty lashes, she spilled food on the Luna's dress and they.... she was beaten and then tied out there, in the yard, out in the cold. Evelyn wasn't well this morning and now, now they've left her. I think she might not… please, Lord Lucian, please save her. Please...."
Her pleading filled the dining hall like an animal's cry. I watched her collapse into a heap of shaking limbs and raw sound. The polished table, the fine silver, the Luna's perfect gloves, all the civilized trappings, suddenly looked obscene to me.
Beaten. Tied to a pole. Naked.
Those words ignited a kind of fury in me I had not expected.