Chapter 60

The question struck Lucy like a blow and she stumbled under the weight of it—not physically but emotionally. Her breath hit her and she blinked rapidly, trying to compare herself. Love Leo? The words echoed in her mind, unwelcome and painful.

Lucy stared at the ground, her grip tightening on her clothes on either side. She didn't answer immediately. Her thoughts were a mess, tumbling over each other in disarray. Why is she asking me this? Why now? And what am I supposed to say?

After a long, tense silence, Lucy finally spoke, her voice measured but laced with bitterness. “Leo rejected me with his own mouth,” she said, each word carefully enunciated, “and he told me to forget about him… and that's what I did exactly. Or, how can you expect me to love someone that doesn't love me, huh?”

Isabella raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of skepticism and disbelief. She gestured with one hand, a small, sharp flick of her wrist, as if physically brushing aside Lucy's words. “You didn't answer the question,” Isabella said, her voice harder now. “I asked if you still love him.”

Lucy's lips pressed into a thin line, her shoulders stiffening under Isabella's unrelenting gaze. “No,” she said, her voice firmer this time. “I don't love him.”

Isabella let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. Her hands went to her hips and she tilted her head as she stared at Lucy. “You must be joking,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Do you expect me to believe that?”

Lucy looked up, her eyes meeting Isabella's with a sharpness that surprised even herself. “Believe whatever you want,” she said coolly, preparing to carry the bowl. “You asked for the truth and I gave it to you.”

Isabella's jaw tightened and her fingers twitched as if she wanted to grab Lucy and shake the truth out of her. She's lying, Isabella thought bitterly. Of course, she's lying. No one forgets their first mate that easily, especially not someone like Lucy.

Lucy, on the other hand, felt a strange sense of release after saying those words. She wasn't sure if they were entirely true, but she clung to them like a shield. It doesn't matter if I still feel something for him. He made it clear that he can't have me because I'm a maid in his own pack… and he could do nothing about it. That chapter of my life is closed. If it was Leo here, he wouldn't have defended me in front of Isabella.

Lucy straightened her back and turned away from Isabella. “Now, if you'll excuse me,” she said, her voice steady. “I need to dispose of this before you start complaining.”

Without waiting for Isabella's response, Lucy carried the bowl and walked away, her steps deliberate and unhurried this time around. The bowl wobbled slightly on her head but she didn't falter. Let her be angry. She's not the one carrying the load, Lucy thought.

Isabella stood rooted to the spot, her fist clenching and unclenching at her sides. Her mind churned with anger. She's too bold for a maid, Isabella thought, her lips pressing into a thin line. She thinks she can walk away from me, from this conversation, like she has the upper hand?

Her gaze followed Lucy as she disappeared around the corner. Isabella's chest heaved with the weight of her emotions—anger, jealousy and something darker, something she didn't want to name. She's in my way. She needs to be out of the picture before the full moon, Isabella thought, her nails digging into her palms.

With a final huff of frustration, she turned on her heel and stalked off in the opposite direction, her mind already calculating her next move.

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The path back from the pit stretched endlessly, a meandering trail of solitude. Lucy carried the empty bowl on her head, her pace slow and unhurried. The scent of the freshly disposed dung still clung faintly to the air around her but her mind was too preoccupied to care. She turned over her thoughts like leaves caught in a restless wind, and every thought seemed to circle back to one man—Aiden.

Aiden, she mused, her brow furrowing slightly. The man who everyone whispered about with dread and disdain, the one whose ruthlessness had become legend within the pack. And yet… was that truly all he was?

Her thoughts flickered back to the moment when she bumped into him. The image of him standing there, his expression as calm as a frozen lake, telling Isabella that it was he who had caused the mishap. It was a lie—a deliberate, purposeful lie to shield her. She couldn't help but feel the tug of gratitude. He didn't have to defend me. He could have stood back and watched me get humiliated, like…

Her steps faltered and her grip on the bowl tightened. The memory of Leo flashed across her mind. Leo, who had once been the center of her world, the one she had loved so deeply that she thought her heart might shatter from it. And yet, what had he done for her? Nothing.

She shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. Leo, who said he couldn't be with me because of his father, who would rather watch me humiliated by Isabella than stand up for me. And here's Aoden—a Man I've barely known—defending me without hesitation. What kind of irony is this?

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, surprising even herself. Maybe… maybe Aiden isn't the man they all think he is. Maybe there's more to him than what people see. More than what I've seen. The thought was tentative, a fragile thing she wasn't entirely ready to believe but couldn't quite dismiss either.

Her gaze rose to the path ahead. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows that danced across the dirt road. If felt lighter now, less suffocating, as though her thoughts of Aiden had somehow eased the weight of her burdens.

But her peace was short-lived. A sudden movement caught her eye and she looked up just in time to see Marie running toward her. Marie's face was flushed, her chest heaving with labored breaths and her hair had come loose from its usual braids.

“Lucy!” Marie called out, her voice urgent. 

Lucy quickened her pace, the empty bowl swaying precariously. When they met, Marie grabbed her by the arm, her eyes wide with something between panic and excitement.

“Where have you been?” Marie demanded breathlessly. “I've been looking for you everywhere!”

Lucy frowned, concern flaring in her chest. “What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost.”

Marie, still panting, managed to give her a playful slap on the back. “A ghost? No. But you might think this is fun. Aiden and Leo—they’re both at the training ground.”

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. “What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“They're ready to fight!” Marie exclaimed, her words tumbling out in a rush. “A few crowds already gathered to watch, and I couldn't find you! Do you know what this means? Aiden and Leo, in a fight? Whoever—”

Marie didn't get to finish. Lucy had already dropped the bowl, the clang of it hitting the ground barley registering in her ears as she took off running.

“Lucy, wait!” Marie called after her but Lucy didn't stop.

Her feet pounded against the dirt road, her breath coming in quick gasps as she pushed herself forward. She didn't think—she couldn't think. All she could see was the image of the two men in her mind: Aiden, calm and imposing, his actions confusing but undeniably protective, and Leo, familiar yet distant, the man who had broken her heart.

I have to see this… I have to… 

“Lucy… stop… you can't go like that… you stink.” Marie said, gasping as she strived to catch up with Lucy.

“I know… I'll get to the stable first and wash up.”

“Better..”

“You'll meet me there.”