Chapter Thirty One

Lucien’s POV

I woke up to the sound of Zane’s heavy footsteps walking into my room. As I opened my eyes, his angry presence stood over me on the bed.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I looked up to see his face formed with rage.

“What the hell did you do?” he spat, his voice trembling with anger he could clearly barely contain.

I frowned, genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?” I questioned, trying to sit up. 

“Alpha Rio is in the hospital. And I know you had something to do with it.”

I sat up, guiltily feeling the accusation hit me like a punch to the stomach. “I didn’t do anything to Rio,” I denied, trying to keep my voice calm.

“Don’t lie to me!” Zane shouted painfully. 

I stared at him, remaining silent, my blank expression only seeming to anger him more though.

“Did you do it?” he demanded once again. 

“Do what?” I replied, knowing exactly what he was referring to, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a straight answer.

“Don’t play dumb, Lucien. I know you had something to do with it. He’s in the hospital after the thing with Brielle, and I know it’s not a coincidence!” he said at the top of his voice. 

I shook my head. “Believe me, I didn’t do anything.” I said, trying harder to convince him I had nothing to do with it. Even though I did. 

“Believe you?” Zane scoffed. “You stole the girl I loved, and now you steal my revenge on Rio. How am I supposed to trust you or believe anything you say?”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at him, my face expressionless. Zane’s anger only grew with my silence, and he clenched his fists, taking a step closer.

“I hate you, Lucien. Do you understand that? I hate you for what you’ve done!” he spat. 

Hearing his words, it cut deep inside me, but I couldn’t let him see that. He didn’t know how much I regretted the past, how his words cut deeper than a blade. 

Zane turned to leave, and I knew I couldn’t let him go without telling him my plan. “Zane, wait.” I called out. 

He stopped but didn’t turn around. “What now?” he snapped.

“I have a plan. We need to take back the other eclipse pack.” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

That caught his attention and he turned to face me, his anger replaced by curiosity at the moment. “What are you talking about?” he asked. 

I took a deep breath. “As you know, the eclipse pack has been split for too long. Ancient eclipse under Rio, and the new eclipse under me. But it’s time we brought them together. We both know we can’t stand against Chase and his pack of Alphas alone.” I explained. 

Zane’s eyes narrowed slowly, thinking about the matter. “What’s the play?” he then shot the question at me. 

Eager to explain my plans further, I stood up to meet his gaze. “The key to every pack is the royal families and their companies,” I continued. “And right now, I’ve just bought the company owned by Rio.”

Zane’s face twisted with anger again. “You did what? And you didn’t even tell me?” he snapped. 

“I wasn’t doing it behind your back, Zane. I wanted the deal done before I told you. Now, I need you to go there and cement the contract.” I said to him. 

Zane’s jaw clenched, and he looked like he was about to explode, but he just sighed. “This is what you do, you keep making decisions without me.”

“I didn’t mean to mistrust you, brother,” I said softly. “But sometimes, decisions have to be made quickly and that’s what I did. This is for the good of the pack.”

He stared at me for a long moment, the tension between us almost visible. Finally, he turned away and stormed out of the room not saying a word, his anger clear even after he was gone.

Frustrated, I stared at the door for a moment, letting out a slow breath before sitting back down. The room felt heavier after our confrontation, the silence thick and disturbing.

I needed a moment to clear my head, but before I could, Brielle walked in. She looked pale, her usual energy replaced by a bitter sadness. 

I couldn’t blame her after what had happened that made her lose her child. Seeing her like that made my heart ache, but I forced myself to maintain a firm expression.

I couldn’t let her think I still cared. 

She stood there, not saying a word, just staring at me. Her eyes were tired, carrying a weight I couldn’t recognize.

“Brielle,” I said, trying to keep my voice low and not too sympathetic.

Her eyes searched mine and I could see the unspoken words hovering between us. Finally, she smiled faintly and said, “Thank you.”

Unsure of how to respond, I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant though, me taking care of Rio.

It wasn’t what she thought, but I wasn’t about to correct her. She stood there for a moment, as if she wanted to say more, but then turned and left. 

I watched her go, my chest tightening with unsaid words. But there was no time for that now. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Moments later, on my way to work, I was on the phone with one of my associates, discussing a situation that needed immediate attention. 

“Yeah?” I answered, keeping my eyes on the road.

“We have a problem,” the voice on the other end said. “The package didn’t arrive.”

“What do you mean, it didn’t arrive?” I snapped, irritation sounding in my voice.

“There was a mix up somewhere it would seem. They’re saying it might take a few days to sort out.” The voice explained. 

“A few days? We don’t have a few days. We need that money now.” I said, almost screaming into the phone, but I held myself back knowing it wasn’t his fault. 

“I know, but there’s not much we can do from our end. Maybe you can go down there and sort it out.” The man suggested. 

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Alright, I’ll handle it.” I replied. 

“There’s something else,” the voice continued from the other end. 

Still holding the phone, with my mind occupied with the situation, plus the weight of the issue with Zane that morning, I drifted off. 

My eyes stared at the road through the rear mirror as I remained lost in my thoughts, when suddenly I noticed something odd on the ground ahead.

At first, I thought it was just a crazy person trying to obstruct my way, my eyes narrowing as I slowed the car.

The figure wasn’t moving. As I got closer, a chill ran down my spine. It lay unnaturally still, the body sprawled across the tarred road.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, looking around. This was the last thing I needed. 

I pulled over and got out, my heart pounding in my chest. I glanced around, half expecting to see someone around, someone responsible for this.

But the road was empty, and strangely quiet too. I stood beside my car, looking for any signs of someone trying to trick me or pull a silly joke on me, but nothing.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I remembered I was still on the call. I answered, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me that moment. “I have to call you back,” I said, hanging up before the associate could respond.

In my mind, I thought this wasn’t a coincidence. It couldn’t be. I then approached cautiously, my mind racing with how I wasn’t in the mood for all that. 

When I finally reached the figure, I immediately saw that it wasn’t just passed out or sleeping. The man was dead.

The lifelessness in his eyes, the paleness of his skin, and the unnatural stillness of his body made it clear.