Chapter 14
Lucian’s POV
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Maxwell looked at me with a steady gaze. “Lucian, Scarlett is not Nikolay.”
I scoffed, feeling my anger bubble over. “If we soften toward that bitch and accept the
bond, she’ll be worse than her father. She’s the devil’s spawn, and I won’t unleash that kind of evil upon my people. Her own mother killed Nikolay’s fated mate, for goddess‘
sake!”
Clay shook his head, unfazed.
“We promised Beta David she’d be Luna. That was the only reason he handed her over to
us and forged her name on those documents. Without her wolf, she’s vulnerable–no one has rallied around her because she’s powerless. If we throw her out now, we’ll break our
promise and lose the South. War will follow. Like it or not, Lucian, our hold over the South hinges on her being our Luna. If they find out otherwise, they will revolt.”
“And then we’ll kill them all,” I retorted coldly.
Clay’s eyes hardened. “Then we’re no different from the monster we claim to be avenging
ourselves on. We’d just be new tyrants.”
“They’re all guilty of Nikolay’s crimes,” I argued. “They could have opposed him, resisted, but instead, they followed him, knowing full well what he was doing. They deserve no
mercy.”
Clay’s expression remained resolute. “Do as you like, Lucian. Go to Stasia. Reject Scarlett, if that’s what you want, but don’t expect us to follow suit. I want to give this bond a chance–to see if maybe she’s more than the shadow of her father.”
The silence that followed was tense, with Maxwell nodding slightly in agreement. Their
resolve was clear.
“Fine,” I said, clenching my jaw. “I’ll be moving to another room then.” Maxwell and Clay nodded in acknowledgment. We were brothers, closer than any blood tie, and it grated on me that this was the first true rift between us–caused by none other than Scarlett. She was nothing but trouble, with a legacy of betrayal and ruin written all over her.
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Chapter 14
“You’ll regret going soft on her,” I warned them. “Those eyes of hers? Pure evil. She’s just like her father.”
Maxwell exhaled, clearly worn from the debate. “Why are you so rattled, Lucian? We’ve made our decision, and we respect yours. How dangerous can a wolfless werewolf really
be? Even if she gains her wolf, even if she becomes an Alpha, she’s still beneath us. We
get that you’re holding onto your promise to your sister, but don’t expect us to carry the
same grudge.”
I met his gaze, reminding him sharply, “If I reject her while you two keep her, the bond
will be incomplete. You won’t get the magic. You’ll be tying yourselves to her for
nothing.”
Clay said, his tone surprisingly resolute. “Fate doesn’t make mistakes, Lucian.
son all three of us were fated to her. We’re the only Valkin Alphas in history
mate. It’s no accident we’re the first to rule together, either. If you want to
astasia, that’s your choice. But Scarlett will stay with us.”
Frustration boiled within me. This wasn’t how the conversation was supposed to go. I’d
counted on them to back me up, to agree that our fated mate was nothing but a threat to everything we’d built. But it was clear now I was alone in that conviction.
I swallowed my anger and forced myself to stay calm. We poured a drink, lifting our glasses to restore a semblance of peace among us, though my mind raced with what was to come. The next day, I’d make good on my plan: I’d reject Scarlett, move out, and bring
Stasia into my life fully.
Eventually, Clay and Maxwell would see Scarlett for who she truly was, and they’d be free to claim better mates. Magic or not, Nikolay was gone, and we’d ruled in harmony with the Valkin Alphas of the East and West without any need for the bond’s power.
In time, they’d realise I’d been right all along.
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