June's POV
The door slammed behind him, and I just stood there—frozen.
My heart pounded so loud it drowned out the silence he left behind. I hadn't meant to bring up Titan, and yet the words tumbled from my lips like an accusation. The look on his face when I said her name—it was as if I'd stabbed him in a wound he didn't even know he had.
The phone.
The stupid phone was still in his hand, and now I was alone with my thoughts… and the silence was louder than his anger.
I walked to the bathroom, but my feet wouldn't carry me in. I stood at the threshold, staring at the broken reflection in the mirror. My puffy eyes. The tear stains. The mark on my neck where his scent lingered. And still, I didn't understand him—Lucien.
I turned back into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, hugging myself tightly. The word Titan kept spinning in my head. I knew the name belonged to his mate. I shouldn't have mentioned her.
From the way Lucien reacted, he didn't remember her—or maybe he was trying not to. I didn't know which was worse.
I stood and grabbed a hoodie, pacing the room as anxiety clawed at my chest. Something didn't feel right. Not just emotionally. Physically.
I don't know what made me run out the door, but I did—barefoot, hoodie half-zipped, hair damp from the tears and sweat. I followed his scent like my body already knew where he was.
The closer I got to his office, the more I noticed the way the pack house grew quiet. Eyes turned to me, then shifted quickly away.
"Is he inside?" I asked the guard standing by his door.
He nodded. "Yes, Miss June. But…"
I rushed in without knocking or waiting to hear what the guard had to say.
The room was dark, the blinds shut, and the air was thick with tension and something else—blood. My eyes scanned the space until I saw him—
"Lucien!"
He was on the ground, his body twitching slightly. His nose bleeding. His eyes open—but glazed over. Like he wasn't here anymore.
"Moon Goddess… no no no." I dropped to my knees, grabbing his shoulders, shaking him gently.
He didn't respond.
"Lucy?" I whispered, hoping to speak to his wolf. "Please. Help him. Say something."
Nothing.
His blood was smeared on the floor, warm against my hand. My panic turned to instinct. I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against his.
"Come back. Please, Lucien. Please."
Still nothing.
Then, suddenly—his body went still. Completely still.
I screamed.
The doctors arrived fast. Ywelda was among them. They arrived too fast. It was like they'd been waiting outside the door. Maybe they had.
It wouldn't surprise me if the pack feared another one of Lucien's episodes—only this one was worse.
"He's in a psychic seizure," One of them said as they placed cold packs on his chest and temples.
I stood in the corner, arms wrapped around myself, watching them work, helpless and useless.
Another doctor walked over to me—a short woman with long black braids and eyes that saw too much.
"You're his mate, aren't you?" she asked.
I nodded mutely.
She touched my arm. "He's fighting himself, dear. You might be the only one who can bring him back."
"I tried." My voice cracked. "I don't think he wants to come back."
She smiled softly. "They always do. Especially for their mate."
My eyes caught with Ywelda's. She was glaring at me like I took something that belonged to her.
Hours passed. I stayed in the room with him, sitting beside the bed after they moved him from the floor. He was unconscious now, but the bleeding had stopped.
I watched his chest rise and fall and thought about our recent arguments and fights.
The cause wasn't worth our strife. I guess we didn't just understand each other.
Titan. Alpha Vick. Growing up with her. Another life. Was all a memory he'd buried or lost.
Maybe he was right. He said I was selfish and only thought about myself.
I had always felt like the broken one. The weak link. The unwanted mate. But what if Lucien was just as lost as I was? What if his anger wasn't rejection, but fear?
I reached for his hand.
"Lucien," I whispered, "I don't care about the past. Or Titan. Or how many mistakes we've both made. I just want to understand you. I want to stop fighting."
His fingers twitched.
My heart nearly stopped.
Then his eyes fluttered open, slow and heavy, like someone waking from a nightmare they hadn't quite escaped.
"June…" His voice was hoarse.
"I'm here." I leaned forward, brushing hair off his forehead. "I'm here."
He looked at me for a long time, eyes glossy. His hand squeezed mine just a little.
"It's my fault," he whispered.
I tensed. "What's your fault?"
"Titan's death. Everything."
I waited for him to say more, but instead his eyes welled with tears, and for the first time since I met him, Lucien—the feared Alpha—cried in front of me.
"I left her behind. I didn't protect her. Just like I'm failing you."
My throat tightened. "You're not failing me. You're still here, Lucien. That means everything."
His body trembled beneath the sheets. "I don't deserve you."
I leaned down, kissed his forehead softly, and whispered, "Then let's stop trying to deserve each other and just try to be better."
He closed his eyes again, this time not from pain, but peace.
I stayed beside him, watching over him.
And for the first time in a long while, I didn't feel like the broken one.
I felt like someone who mattered.