NERISSA

I didn't fall asleep as I had expected to.

Only to be told to get dressed before the sun breaks out.

My eyes were heavy and felt swollen.

I mean who wouldn’t be tense when you were sleeping beside a hot, muscular man whose back was facing you.

I know he wouldn't touch me. He seems like someone who believes in virtues.

The mid morning light filtered in softly, casting a quiet glow around us.

Lucian sat beside me, his presence steady and unfazed by the night, but my mind was restless.

This was it, today was the day.

Lucian’s back faced me, the light showing the rough scars that marked his skin like ancient, hidden symbols.

I found myself captivated, wondering what battles lay behind each scar, what pain he’d endured to earn them. A particularly deep one near his shoulder caught my attention, a bite-shaped wound that looked too brutal to be accidental.

He would have healed if it was normal.

I reached out without thinking, fingertips hovering just above the raised edge of his skin.

“Does it unsettle you?” His voice cut through the silence, low and even.

I drew my hand back, heart racing, feeling the embarrassment creep up my cheeks. “No,” I managed, though I knew my curiosity must have been obvious.

He looked over his shoulder, his gaze sharp but calm. “It’s been years since anyone’s dared to ask me about them,” he said, his tone unreadable. “If you’re wondering, they’re a reminder of the cost of being powerful.”

Before I could respond, he rose, reaching for his shirt. As he buttoned it, I looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.

The thought of leaving the pack tonight, of stepping into a new life with a man I barely knew, filled me with dread—and maybe, in some strange way, anticipation.

“We’ll leave now,” Lucian said finally, breaking the silence. “Everything’s packed.”

“Why did you want to leave in the middle of the morning?” I finally asked, needing to break the silence.

Lucian glanced over at me, one brow lifting.

“Easier,” he replied simply. “No more interference.”

He didn’t need to say who he meant. Elara, Theron, even my parents, all remnants of a life that felt strangely distant already.

I nodded, though something still felt heavy, like I was walking into a future I wasn’t ready for.

Julius, Lucian’s guard, knocked lightly on the doorframe. “The vehicle’s ready, Alpha.”

Lucian rose, extending a hand to me. I hesitated only a moment before taking it, letting his grip steady me as we moved outside. The chill in the early morning air was sobering, and I cast one last glance back at the packhouse, its walls containing every painful memory I’d lived.

It looked so still, so silent.

I was sure I’d never miss it.

We reached the jeep, and Lucian helped me in before taking his place beside me, his arm casually resting along the back of the seat.

Julius climbed into the front, glancing back with a smile. “Do you think you’ll miss it here, Luna?”

The title still felt foreign. “No,” I replied, surprising myself with how firm I sounded. I looked out the window, watching the trees blur past. “No, there’s nothing here for me now.”

Lucian’s gaze was heavy on me. “Leaving weakness behind,” he said, as if echoing my thoughts. “The pack will welcome you.”

I nodded, but the words didn’t entirely comfort me.

What was ahead? I hardly understood my place now, let alone as the Luna of a clan I hadn’t yet met. The unknown felt both thrilling and terrifying, and the fact that Lucian’s arm was around me, calm and steady, was the only thing keeping the fear from winning.

After a long silence, Lucian shifted closer, his arm brushing my shoulder as he leaned in, speaking low. “You know, you haven’t asked me anything about them, about the pack.”

I managed a small laugh. “I guess I haven’t had the chance,” I admitted. “What… are they like?”

He tilted his head, considering. “Fierce,” he said after a pause. “But loyal. And they will want the same from you.”

“And if I… can’t give that?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, my doubts spilling before I could stop it.

His gaze hardened slightly. “You’re capable of more than you think, Nerissa. You don’t need to prove anything to them, only to yourself.”

I turned away, biting my lip. For as long as I could remember, I’d been defined by what I wasn’t. Was he right? Could I really be more than what I’d been shown my entire life?

The car ride fell into silence again, but this time Lucian’s hand drifted down to rest on my shoulder, firm and grounding. I allowed myself to lean into his warmth, my eyelids feeling heavy.

Just as I felt myself starting to relax, a blinding crash shattered the silence, throwing us forward.

My body collided with Lucian’s, his arms wrapping around me instinctively, trying to shield me as the car spun out of control. The world turned upside down, rough impacts jolting me as the vehicle finally came to a stop.

Dazed, I blinked, trying to make sense of what had happened. A sharp pain shot through my leg, and I looked down, my breath hitching at the sight of blood pooling around my thigh.

“Lucian…” I whispered, voice trembling.

“I’m here,” he said, his tone calm but urgent as he examined the damage. His hand found mine, his grip solid. “We’re getting out of here.”

But before he could move, the door ripped open, and a dark figure loomed over us, eyes glowing red in the dim light. The stranger’s gaze fell on me with a twisted interest that made my skin crawl.

“Step aside,” he said coldly, his voice sending a chill down my spine. “I’ve got no quarrel with you, Alpha. Just here for her.”

The intruder's hand was moving for something at his side. But before he could draw it, Lucian’s voice cut through the night, harder than steel.

“Touch her, and you die.”