Page 81 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
I swallow hard. He saved Luna first. Before even treating his own injuries, he made sure my cat was alive because he knew losing her would destroy me.
The thought both warms me and terrifies me. I hold myself tighter, reluctant and scared to place my trust in anybody anymore. Why should Lucian be different?
But even as I try to build walls around my heart, I can’t stop thinking about Luna being thrown across that room. The sickening sound she made when she hit the wall. The way she went completely limp.
My precious companion suffered because of me. Because I was too stupid to see Andrew for what he really was. Because I believed his lies and walked straight into his trap.
The guilt sits in my stomach like a stone, heavy and cold. Luna trusted me to keep her safe, and I failed her. She almost died because of my stupidity.
The rest of the day passes in a strange, uncomfortable silence. My body is healed—whatever Lucian did to get me treated has worked—but I’m still sore, still weak. Simple movements leave me breathless and shaky.
Lucian notices everything.
When I struggle to sit up, he’s there, his hands steady and gentle as he helps me. When I can’t reach the waterskin, he brings it to me without being asked. When I wince trying to adjust my position, he gathers soft moss and places it behind my back with surprising care.
I don’t remember him being this gentle with me before. During our journey, he was gruff, demanding, always seeming reluctant to help. Now he moves around me like I’m made of delicate crystal, like he’s afraid I might shatter at any moment.
His actions confuse me more than his words do. This tenderness, this careful attention—it clashes with the mercenarywho called me annoying and pathetic. It doesn’t match someone who would want me gone.
When I catch him watching me with those intense eyes of his, I see something there that baffles me. It looks almost like...devotion? But that can’t be right. That makes no sense.
As evening approaches, Lucian builds up the fire and prepares our meal with the same quiet efficiency I remember from our travels. But now, I notice things I missed before, like the way he automatically gives me the best pieces of meat, the way he checks to make sure I’m warm enough, and the way his eyes track my every movement as if he’s gauging my level of comfort.
Luna, the traitor, has taken up permanent residence on either side of his neck, purring loudly whenever he scratches behind her ears. She seems completely at ease with him, more relaxed than I’ve seen her since we arrived in Turnville.
Tonight, as we sit by the fire, Luna finally abandons Lucian’s shoulders and jumps into my lap. I stroke her soft fur, grateful beyond words to feel her warm weight on me again. The steady rhythm of her breath helps calm the chaos in my mind.
The flames dance between Lucian and me, casting flickering shadows across his face. He looks different in the firelight—less like the dangerous mercenary who kills men without breaking a sweat and more like...I don’t know what. Someone who might actually care about my well-being.
But that’s dangerous thinking. That train of thought can only lead to more heartbreak, more betrayal, more pain.
And then, of course, as I sit here with Luna in my lap and the warmth of the fire on my face, it leads me to think about Andrew. About the way he smiled while watching me get beaten. About the collar his buyer wanted to put around my neck. About the children they planned to steal from me and sell like common products.
The emptiness in my chest begins to fill with something else. Something harder and colder than grief.
Anger.
Not the sharp, hot fury I felt in that room, but something deeper. More patient. The kind of anger that doesn’t burn out quickly, that can sustain itself for as long as it needs to.
Andrew destroyed everything I thought I knew about love, about trust, about my own worth. He took years of my life and twisted them into weapons to use against me. He made me believe I was important to him, all the while planning to sell me like an animal.
And he almost killed Luna in the process.
I look up from my cat’s fur to find Lucian watching me. There’s an expectant expression on his face, as if he’s waiting for me to come to some conclusion.
“I do want revenge,” I say finally, my voice quiet but steady.
The words taste strange in my mouth. I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone before. Even when my pack treated me terribly, even when they were going to send me to what they thought would be my death, I never wanted revenge. I just wanted to escape.
But this is different. This isn’t about shifter politics or pack hierarchy. This is personal. Andrew made it personal when he decided I was worth more as breeding stock than as a person.
Lucian’s smile in the firelight is sharp and satisfied. “Good.”
Chapter Fourteen
Lucian
Watching Astra sleep is both a blessing and a torment.
