Chapter 10: Whose kiss was better?

The forest was quiet, the afternoon sun filtering through the canopy and dappling the ground with patches of golden light. I sat on a fallen log, my mind still reeling from the revelations about Asher and Lucian's father. Lucian stood a few feet away, his back to me as he gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

"What was it like?" I found myself asking, breaking the silence. "Growing up with Asher, I mean."

Lucian turned, a sad smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "It was... everything," he said softly. "Asher wasn't just my twin brother. He was my best friend, my other half."

He moved closer, settling on the log beside me. Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body, smell the intoxicating scent of pine and wild herbs that clung to him.

"We were inseparable," Lucian continued, his voice taking on a wistful tone. "Always getting into trouble together, covering for each other. We had this secret hideout in the woods where we'd go to escape our duties, to just be... us."

I could picture it so clearly – two young boys, mirror images of each other, running wild and free through these very woods. My heart ached for the bond they'd lost.

"What happened?" I asked gently, though I already knew the answer.

Lucian's expression darkened. "Father's death changed everything. One day, I was the beloved son and heir. The next, I was a pariah, accused of the worst crime imaginable."

He stood abruptly, pacing in front of me. The raw pain in his voice made my chest tight.

"I had to leave everything behind. My home, my family, my entire identity. Do you have any idea what that's like, Lyra? To lose everything in an instant?"

I nodded slowly, memories of my own struggles rising to the surface. "I might have some idea," I said softly.

Lucian's eyes met mine, a flash of understanding passing between us. He knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his. The touch sent a jolt through me, like electricity dancing across my skin.

"The first year was the hardest," he said, his thumbs tracing circles on my palms. "I was alone, hunted, starving most of the time. There were days I thought about giving up, about letting the elements or other predators finish me off."

I gasped softly, tightening my grip on his hands. The thought of Lucian – strong, vibrant Lucian – brought so low made my heart ache.

"What kept you going?" I whispered.

His eyes bore into mine, intense and full of an emotion I couldn't quite name. "At first, it was the need to clear my name, to uncover the truth. But then..." He paused, bringing one hand up to cup my cheek. "Then I remembered you."

My breath caught in my throat. "Me?"

Lucian nodded, his thumb brushing lightly across my cheekbone. "The little silver-haired angel who saved my life. I knew I had to find you again, to thank you. To see what kind of woman you'd become."

I felt a blush creeping up my neck, my skin tingling where he touched me. "Lucian, I..."

"You understand, don't you?" he said, his voice low and intense. "What it's like to be misunderstood, to yearn for freedom. To fight against the fate others have decided for you."

I nodded, unable to look away from his mesmerizing green eyes. "Yes," I breathed. "I do."

Lucian leaned in closer, his scent enveloping me. "There's a bond between us, Lyra. Something special, something... fated. Can you feel it?"

And I could. Oh, how I could. It was like a livewire connecting us, humming with energy and possibility. Similar to what I felt with Asher, and yet... different. Wilder. More dangerous.

"It's not the same as what you have with Asher," Lucian continued, as if reading my thoughts. "What we have... it's forged in shared pain, in the fight for freedom. It's stronger."

I should have pulled away. Should have reminded him – and myself – that I was Asher's Luna. That whatever this was between us, it couldn't happen.

But I didn't.

Instead, I found myself leaning into his touch, my eyes dropping to his lips. Lucian noticed, a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Tell me to stop," he murmured, his face inching closer to mine. "Tell me you don't want this."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

And then his lips were on mine, and the world exploded into sensation.

Where Asher's kiss had been gentle, exploratory, Lucian's was all fire and passion. His lips moved against mine with a possessiveness that made me weak at the knees. One of his hands tangled in my hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss, while the other wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him.

I gasped, and Lucian took the opportunity to sweep his tongue into my mouth. The taste of him – wild and intoxicating – made my head spin. Without conscious thought, my arms wound around his neck, my fingers threading through his silky hair.

Lucian growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating through me and igniting a fire in my veins. He nipped at my bottom lip, soothing the sting with his tongue, and I whimpered.

It was overwhelming, all-consuming. Lucian kissed like a man starved, like he was trying to devour me whole. And I let him, meeting his passion with my own, losing myself in the sensations.

But then, unbidden, Asher's face flashed in my mind. Guilt crashed over me like a bucket of ice water, and I wrenched myself away from Lucian.

"No," I gasped, stumbling backward. "We can't... I can't."

Lucian stood there, his chest heaving, his eyes dark with desire. "Lyra," he said, reaching for me.

I held up a hand, stopping him. "This is wrong. I'm Asher's Luna. I can't... we can't do this."

A slow, satisfied smile spread across Lucian's face. He stepped forward, ignoring my outstretched hand, and gently traced my swollen lips with his thumb.

"There," he murmured. "I finally got to finish that kiss."

I stared at him, my mind reeling. "What?"

Lucian's smile turned knowing. "Be honest with yourself, Lyra. Whose kiss was better? Whose touch sets you on fire?"