Page 137 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
The vehemence in his voice makes my breath catch. This isn’t some careful, controlled prince sitting on a throne. This is my Lucian: fierce and protective and utterly ruthless when it comes to things he considers his.
“You should have told me.” The accusation lacks the forcefulness I intended. It’s hard to maintain righteous anger when he’s looking at me like I hung the moon.
“You’re right.” His thumb traces my lower lip now, making my pulse stutter. “I should have. But I liked who I was with you. You would have looked at me differently.”
“Differently how?” I ask, although part of me already knows.
“You’d see the title instead of me.” He is quiet, vulnerable. “Crown Prince Lucian instead of just Lucian.”
I finally understand. In the forest, by the fire, during our travels—I treated him like Lucian. Not a prince, not royalty. Justthe man who hunted for me and protected me and held me like I was worth it all.
“I was selfish,” he continues, his voice turning rough. “I wanted you to choose me. Not my crown, not my power. Just me.”
The raw honesty in his confession undoes something inside me. This powerful, dangerous man who can command armies and reshape kingdoms—he was afraid I would want him for the wrong reasons if I knew the truth.
“You idiot,” I whisper, and his eyes widen in surprise. “Do you really think I care about crowns and titles?”
Hope flickers across his features. “Don’t you?”
Instead of answering, I tilt my head and kiss him. Hard. Urgently. Pouring all my confusion and anger and hurt into it, but also something else—forgiveness, maybe. Or acceptance. I don’t know what to call it, but I know it’s bigger than both of us.
He responds immediately, his arms coming around me to pull me closer. The kiss turns hungry, demanding, and full of relief.
When we break apart, my heart is racing, and he is smiling at me.
“I’m still angry,” I tell him, even though the words lack conviction.
“I know.” His hands tangle in my hair. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“The rest of your life?” I raise an eyebrow. “That’s a long time.”
His expression turns weighty and serious. “Not nearly long enough.”
The intensity in his voice sends shivers down my spine. This isn’t merely desire or possession talking; this is something deeper. Something that feels like forever.
“Lucian—”
“Stay with me.” The words come out raw, pleading. “I know I don’t deserve it. I know I lied to you, manipulated you—”
“You saved me,” I interrupt him. “You came for me when no one else would.”
“I’ll always come for you.” His grip tightens, like he’s afraid I might disappear. “No matter where you are, no matter who tries to separate us. I’ll tear apart kingdoms to get to you.”
The promise should sound ridiculous. Melodramatic. But when he says it, I believe him completely.
“What happens now?” I ask quietly.
“Now?” His mouth arcs into a grin that’s equal parts tender and voracious. “Now I make sure you never doubt how much you mean to me. Now I prove that, prince or mercenary, I’m still the same man who would burn the world down for you.”
Heat pools low in my belly at the promise in his voice. “And if I want to hit you again?”
“Then you hit me.” He catches my hand and brings it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to my knuckles. “I can take it.”
I stare down at him—this complicated, infuriating, wonderful man who somehow became the center of my universe. The betrayal is still there, sharp and painful. But underneath it is something stronger.
Love.
The realization makes my whole body feel lighter. I love him. Not the prince, not the crown, but him. The man who held me when I cried, who fought for me when I couldn’t fight for myself, who looks at me like I’m the most important thing in his world.
