“Look… can you just apologize?” he murmured. “I know I haven’t given you attention these past few months. But once the pup is born, I promise I’ll make things right.”
Then, unbelievably, he placed his hand on my back and guided me toward Sabrina—pushing me like I was the offender, the villain.
Sabrina met my gaze with victorious, glinting eyes.
I looked at Lucian—really looked at him—and wondered where the wolf who once swore loyalty to me had gone. How could he transform so utterly just because Sabrina reappeared? Had he forgotten every vow he made beneath the moon the day we bonded?
I inhaled slowly, steadying the storm inside me.
“No,” I said quietly, firmly. “I won’t apologize. And Lucian… you’ve disappointed me more than you’ll ever understand.”
Then I turned around and walked away. Without looking back.
As I turned away from him, Lucian’s expression darkened like a storm rolling in. For a split second, genuine fear flickered in his wolf-bright eyes, as if he sensed our bond thinning. He started to move toward me—but Sabrina suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach with a dramatic whimper.
“Lucian… my wolf… it hurts,” she breathed shakily. Then, in a trembling voice meant to sound noble, she rasped, “But go after Vivienne. She’s your Luna. Her feelings matter more.”
She said it loud enough to echo down the pack clinic’s hallway.
Lucian hesitated, jaw ticking, but only for a heartbeat. Then he shook his head and positioned himself between her and the attending healers. “No. Your condition comes first. Vivienne is just overwhelmed. She’s eight months along—any talk of separation terrifies a pregnant wolf. I’ll handle her later.”
His voice dropped to a low murmur, meant only for himself, “She’s only acting out.”
Then, without another glance in my direction, he swept Sabrina into his arms and carried her into one of the private pack infirmary rooms.
---
By the time I reached the packhouse, the moon had risen, casting cold silver light across the territory. I stood outside the front steps for a long while, staring at the home that was supposed to be sacred—the Alpha residence where I was meant to feel protected. But ever since Sabrina returned to our pack lands, Lucian’s scent had rarely lingered here. The warmth of this place had vanished, replaced by something hollow and foreign.