49 (Lucian’s POV) Some Insight
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49 (Lucian’s POV) Some Insight
Lucian
My father exhaled. “You’re much stronger than I remembered.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “Stronger than I let on.”
He nodded, eyes dropping. He couldn’t look at me for long. Guilt had a way of lowering even a king’s gaze.
“So?” I said, cutting through the silence.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You finally claimed each other,” he said, catching Mara’s scent on
I nodded once.
“She’s tough,” he said. “Not many women would handle Tina’s pregnancy with that kind of grace.”
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk or compliments dressed as insight.
He seemed to pick up on it. He walked over to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a thick file. He
handed it to me without a word.
“What is this?” I asked, taking it cautiously.
“I asked you here to tell you the real reason I want you at the mansion. You need to understand-your life has been in danger since the day you were born, Lucian.”
I stiffened.
He continued, tone even but weighted. “Your mother was poisoned. There were attempts on my life. On yours. Some you know about. Others you don’t. It’s all in that file-dates, reports, security logs.”
My grip tightened on the folder.
“And before you say it-no, it wasn’t Martha. She and Darian have been targeted too.”
I raised an eyebrow at that, unsure whether to believe him.
“I believe someone is trying to wipe out our bloodline,” he said. “Someone who wants to absorb our mark. If they succeed, they absorb the pack-and by extension, the country. That’s how much power our blood carries.
My mind reeled, trying to process what he was saying.
“We have trusted staff here. The best security. I’m not trying to trap you here, Lucian-I’m trying to keep you alive. Living outside these walls… would put you and Mara at real risk.”
I stared at him. My mind flashed through years of withheld truth, of pain and manipulation. And now this.
“You kept this from me,” I said quietly. Not a question. A fact.
And he had no defense.
“Someone’s been sending photos of you, Lucian,” my father said, his voice tight. “To who and why-we don’t know yet. But it’s deliberate. And there’s more.”
<49 (Lucian’s POV) Some Insight
He paused. Then delivered the next blow.
“The attack on the outer border has been linked to you.”
My entire body went still.
“What?”
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“Don’t be alarmed,” he said quickly. “I know you. I know what you’re capable of-and this isn’t you. You’ve got nothing to gain by killing me, or your brother, or your wife.”
He looked me in the eyes then, searching for something-maybe assurance, maybe forgiveness.
“But this is bigger than us. And like you said in the hospital, my judgment’s been clouded. Maybe Martha’s involved, maybe she’s not. But now that you’re fully mated, maybe you can understand the kind of influence a
bond like that can have.”
I didn’t respond. He wanted empathy, but he wouldn’t find it here. I hadn’t fallen blindly-I looked before loving. I hadn’t mated a woman like Martha.
I couldn’t relate to his weakness.
Then he dropped the real bomb.
“I’ve decided to make you Alpha, Lucian.”
I stared at him, stunned.
“It was always going to be you,” he continued. “Darian never truly wanted it. His mother forced my hand, and I went along with it. I thought maybe… giving him the title would give him a sense of worth. But it’s cost too much. I can’t lose him because I forced him into the wrong shoes.”
He swallowed hard.
“Darian will be your Beta. And you’ll choose a Gamma from your own set.”
I held his gaze.
“What about Mara?” I asked quietly.
She had spoken about the fight with such pride, such joy. How would she take this?
“She can’t stay in the army, Lucian,” he said. “She’s your Luna now. That comes with its own responsibilities.
You know that.”
And just like that, the hardest part landed in my lap-telling Mara she could no longer serve as Gamma.
“I’ll speak to Darian tonight,” he added. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll announce everything at breakfast. Then to
the rest of the pack.”
He looked older in that moment. Tired. Regretful.
“This whole mess,” he said softly, “could’ve been avoided if I had just stopped Martha when she started
spreading lies about you. I knew that man’s death wasn’t your fault. And I knew there was an attempt on your life. But I thought giving Darian the army would give him something. I was wrong.”
He walked to his chair and sat down heavily.
“I need you to go through that file with Mara. You’ll find everything you need in there. Records, suspects,
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patterns. Her cognitive skills scores at the academy were some of the highest we’ve ever seen. She’s sharp, Lucian. That’s why I chose her for you.”
Chose her for me. As if he hadn’t been ready to burn her at the stake weeks ago.
I didn’t bring it up. What was the point?
I just took the file.
“Father… do I have to take over now?” I asked, my voice low.
The weight of it pressed against me. I wasn’t ready-not because I doubted my ability, but because I had plans. I wanted two or three years with Mara. Peace. A chance to live, to be something more than a name. I wanted to travel with her. Start a family. Just exist-before shouldering the burden of the pack.
“Not yet,” he said. “But you need to be on the ground. Assist me. Stay close. Which means you won’t be able to run the corporation. I suggest Darian steps in-for now.”
I stared at him, then let out a dry, bitter laugh.
“No chance in hell, Father. Martha and her offspring will never touch Steel Corp. I won’t spit on my mother’s memory like that.”
He blinked, taken aback.
“My wife,” I continued, “is more than capable of running the company. She’ll have all the help she needs. I’II support her as much as I can, and when the time comes, she’ll take over completely.”
He sighed, clearly not expecting the pushback. It was in his voice, his posture. This wasn’t his idea. It reeked of Martha’s scheming.
“It’s not what you’re thinking, Lucian,” he said, picking up on my suspicion.
“Don’t,” I cut in. “Don’t try to dress this up.”
“You can’t leave Darian with nothing, Lucian. He’s your brother.”
“No,” I said, voice rising. “He’s your son. You want him to have something? Give him the mansion. But he will
never touch what my mother built.”
He started to speak, but I didn’t let him.
“You let your mate spend my mother’s legacy. You let her poison everything. And you stood there and
watched. You’re weak.”
His face flinched like I’d struck him.
“I’m nothing like you. Don’t ask me for this again. I don’t want the Alpha position. Let Darian keep it.”
I pulled the documents from my coat and dropped them on his desk.
“I’m already an Alpha. And Mara is mated to me. You can’t cast us out. If you really believe I orchestrated the attack-fine. I’ll walk. I’ll shut down Steel Corp where it stands and rebuild it elsewhere.”
He shook his head, voice cracking. “No. No, Lucian. I don’t believe that. It was just… a suggestion. That’s all. If it’s not okay with you, we’ll do it your way. But you will take over from me.”
I gave him a slow nod and turned to leave, but he stopped me.
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< 49 (Lucian’s POV) Some Insight
+8 Points
“Take these,” he said, handing me the file again. “Go through them with your wife. Please. Our future-our live
s-depend on your success.”
I took the file without a word and walked out.
Back through the mansion halls, toward the left wing.
Toward Mara.
Still trying to process everything he’d said-and everything he hadn’t..
