POV: Lucien Blackveil
From the shade of the tree line, Lucien stood like a shadow—silent, unmoving, watchful.
And there she was.
Aira.
She didn't know he followed. Didn't sense his presence.
Not yet.
But he'd watched the entire training session unfold—and the moment Smith dared to utter those words—
"Be careful, little wolf."
It lit a fire inside her. A storm behind her eyes. A rage that screamed without words.
And Lucien had felt it.
So had Roman, his wolf.
Mate, Roman had growled, She's waking up.
Lucien's eyes had locked on her the second the crimson hue shimmered faintly around her like flame made flesh.
Not many saw it.
But he did.
Because he wasn't just anyone.He was hers.
Even if she didn't know it yet.
Even if her wolf was still sleeping.
Even if the trauma buried her connection.
Lucien exhaled slowly, eyes tracing her every breath as she leaned against the old pine.
She looked so small like that.
So breakable.
But that was the illusion, wasn't it?
She wasn't breakable.
She was built of steel tempered in fire.
Just hidden behind silence.
He watched her wrap her arms around herself like armor. She was probably still trying to make sense of what just happened. What she had just done.
He'd seen it before—in soldiers. Survivors. In himself.
It was the aftermath of awakening something primal.
She had no idea who she truly was.
Not yet.
But she would.
And the world would never be ready.
He wanted to step forward. To touch her. To whisper reassurance against the scars she hadn't spoken of. To tell her she was safe now, that she didn't have to fight alone anymore.
But Lucien didn't move.
Didn't dare break the moment.
She needed this silence. This breath of space.
She'd been suffocating too long under rejection, chains, and expectations.And the ghosts of the Rogue King still haunted her eyes.
Lucien clenched his jaw at the thought.
That monster had dared to touch her. Had the audacity to call her little wolf like she was his.
The growl rumbled deep in Lucien's throat before he forced it down.
He wouldn't allow it.
He wouldn't allow anyone to mark her again with fear or pain.
She was his.
Even if she didn't know it.
Even if she never chose him.
Lucien would still protect her.
Because no one else ever had.
Not her pack.
Not her father.
Not even her so-called mate who had thrown her away.
Lucien's hands curled into fists at the memory of Asher's face.
The moment Asher had admitted it—"It was me… I rejected my mate."
Lucien nearly lost it.
If he hadn't promised himself to be civil while in the Silverstone territory, he would've ended it right there.
How do you discard something so rare? So radiant?
His wolf was still snarling inside him, pacing.
But Lucien had a plan.
He wasn't here to mark her with promises or chain her with titles.
He was here to guard her.
To rebuild the world around her piece by piece until she could stand in it unafraid.
And maybe—just maybe—when her wolf finally woke…
She'd look at him the same way he looked at her now.
Like she was the moon in his midnight sky.
The light in a world full of blood.
The one thing he'd never let go.
Lucien finally turned away from the tree line.
Time to give her space.
But not distance.
Never distance.
Because Lucien Blackveil was here for her.
And he wasn't leaving.
Not now.
Not ever.