Chapter Four

Serena’s POV

“I’m leaving, Lucien.”

He didn’t even look up at first. His hands were clasped behind his back, shoulders tense, staring at the far wall like he’d been expecting this. “When?”

“Tomorrow.”

He turned slowly, eyes dark and calm in that dangerous way of his. “You sound sure.”

“I am.”

His gaze swept over me, steady but unreadable. “You can barely stand for more than five minutes without swaying. And yet you think you can walk out of here and go back to the man who nearly had your child ripped from you?”

My chest tightened. “I have to hear it from him, Lucien. I need to know if it was really his idea. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe ”

“Maybe you’re still hoping the monster has a heart,” he interrupted, stepping closer. “Don’t lie to yourself, Serena. That kind of hope kills.”

“I’m not lying.”

“You are.” His voice lowered, soft but sharp. “I see it in your eyes every time you flinch when I mention him.”

“Because you talk like you know him.”

“I don’t need to know him. I know what he did.”

I swallowed hard. “And yet you’re standing here acting like you get to decide when I leave.”

Lucien’s jaw flexed. “You think I’m keeping you here for my amusement?”

“I don’t know why you’re keeping me here. You said you’d protect me, not cage me.”

That hit him. For the first time, something flickered in his eyes, guilt maybe, or the smallest bit of regret.

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I did say that.”

Silence settled between us for a long time. The only sound was the steady thud of my heart.

Finally, he exhaled. “Fine. You can go. But under one condition.”

I crossed my arms. “What?”

“You promise me you’ll come back when I call for you.”

I blinked. “What does that even mean?”

“When I need you, Serena, you'll come back here. No questions, no hesitation.”

“Why would you need me?”

Lucien’s eyes darkened. “Because there’s something about you that I can’t explain. And because the day you walked into my life, the curse I’ve carried for years shifted.”

I frowned. “What curse?”

“Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear answers to.”

“I’m not promising anything until you tell me.”

He took a slow step forward until his presence filled the space between us. “Promise first.”

“Lucien ”

“Promise me, Serena.”

Something in his tone low, commanding, almost desperate made my body respond before my mind could stop it.

“Fine,” I whispered. “I promise.”

His jaw unclenched, the faintest sign of relief flashing through his eyes. “Good.”

“Now let me go.”

He nodded once. “At dawn.”

The night felt endless after that. I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face stern, unreadable, but heavy with something I didn’t want to name.

He had saved me. He had risked his men, his safety. And yet, all I could think of was leaving him behind.

When the first hint of morning crept across the sky, I was already dressed. Lyra came to help me pack, though she said little. She looked uneasy, like she didn’t agree with what I was doing but didn’t dare argue.

Lucien was waiting outside the hall. His expression didn’t change when he saw me, but his scent of raw, restrained power seemed heavier than usual.

“You’re sure?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He stared for a long second, then nodded. “The car will take you to the border.”

“Thank you.”

He didn’t move, didn’t blink. Then, as I turned to leave, his voice stopped me.

“Serena.”

I froze.

“Don’t make me regret letting you go.”

I met his eyes. “Then don’t give me a reason to.”

For a moment, neither of us breathed. Then he turned away. I forced my feet to move.

The drive back to Silvercrest felt like walking into a memory I wasn’t ready to face. My mind replayed everything Nathan’s hand on my shoulder the day we mated, his smile when he said forever, the way that same mouth had ordered my unborn child destroyed.

The roads blurred, but my thoughts didn’t.

Why did he do it?

Why did he stop loving me?

When the car finally dropped me off at the edge of town, I stood there for a long time, staring at the familiar streets. The air smelled the same. The people went about their business as if nothing had changed.

But I had.

I pulled out my phone and it had been dead for days. The moment it came to life, it started vibrating nonstop.

Fifty three missed calls.

All from the same number.

My best friend, Clara.

Not Nathan.

Not even once.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stared at her name on the screen. She’d been my shadow since childhood, the kind of friend who always showed up when no one else did. The only one who stayed after my mother’s death, after the pack turned cold, after the whispers started.

At least someone still cares.

I didn’t bother to call her back. I just started walking.

Each step toward my house felt heavier. The closer I got, the more my stomach twisted. I rehearsed what I would say if Nathan was there if he apologized, if he explained.

I didn’t even know what I was hoping for anymore.

By the time I reached our gate, dusk had swallowed the light. The door was unlocked. I hesitated, then pushed it open.

The air inside felt different, warmer, thicker somehow. My body tensed.

“...Nathan?”

No answer.

I took another step in. The scent hit me then his scent, mingled with something sweet and unfamiliar. My wolf stirred, low and uneasy.

I moved slowly through the hall, every nerve on fire.

“Hello?”

Still nothing. Just faint sounds from upstairs. A laugh. A whisper.

My pulse spiked.

That voice.

That laugh.

It couldn’t be

But it was.

Clara.

I froze at the bottom of the stairs, my heart hammering so hard I thought I might choke on it. Every instinct told me to turn back. But I climbed anyway, step by step.

Halfway up, a breathless moan sliced through the silence.

I knew that sound. I had heard it once, years ago, when she’d bragged about her first lover.

Only this time, it came from my room.

My feet moved on their own. I reached the door. It was half open, the faint glow of lamplight spilling through the crack.

Inside, shadows moved.

Nathan’s voice low, familiar, intimate murmured something I couldn’t make out.

Clara’s laugh answered.

My fingers shook as I pushed the door wider.

What I saw on the other side tore something out of me I didn’t even know was left.

Nathan.

My husband.

And Clara.

His body pressed against hers, her mouth on his neck, her hands gripping his shoulders like she’d done it a hundred times before.

The room tilted. I grabbed the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

He turned at the sound, eyes widening. “Serena ”