Page 34 of The Alpha's Lunar Crown

I shrug him aside, turning instead to Damon, "Can you help me up?" He offers a quick nod before helping me to my feet carefully, as though I am fragile.

I let my weight rest on him as I move to exit, paying no attention to Lucien who is still bent, his eyes on me.

"I'm sorry, really, something came up just as I was heading here," Lucien says, the apologetic tone raising a bubble of rage within me.He gets to his feet and straightens his posture, his eyes never leaving mine."It's always something with you, always. And every single time you make your choice, it's never me," my chest tightens as I speak, the feeling overwhelming as tears begin to fill my eyes, but I don't let them fall. I refuse to waste them on him.

His eyes soften as the guilt consumes him fully, his lips parting as he reaches for me.

I step backward, wiping angrily at my eyes with the back of my hand. "You shouldn't be here. Forget I called," I say, taking another step back as he stands frozen, his hands held helplessly to his sides, his shoulders slumped.

I'm covered in dust, I notice, but that is the least of my current concerns."Aurora, please, just listen to me," he begins, closing the space between us. "There was another attack. I tried to come as soon as possible…" his voice trails off, a hint of sadness obvious in his tone.

As if taking my silence as an invitation to go on, he continues, "Please, I didn't abandon you. I hurried here the moment I got an opportunity."

My eyes soften, and the wave of rage within me is seemingly calmer. Although I understand his dilemma, I cannot bring myself to accept it right now.

I shake my head violently, "You just never change…" I say softly, unable to finish my sentence. I can feel my heart breaking under the weight of my words.

I can't help but feel this is a repeat of five years ago. Last time, he chose his position over me, and now, he chose pack business over my life. Nothing will ever make up for this.

"It isn't the same…" he says, trying to follow me, but I shake my head firmly, stopping him in his tracks.

"I want you to stay away, Lucien. I mean it this time." He stares at me for a long moment, watching me silently as if trying to ascertain my seriousness as my tears continue to fall. Finally, he lowers his gaze, his chin dipping in defeat.

Turning to Damon, "Please, let's get out of here." He wraps his arm around my shoulders, supporting me with his weight as he leads us out of the building."Rora..." I hear Lucien begin, his hand reaching for my arm, but I turn away, not stopping or turning to acknowledge him, not even caring enough to hear his last words.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Lucien

I remember the sound of my ragged breathing and the feel of the cold floor beneath me as I crumpled to the ground. My world narrows to a single, searing point: pain.

Aurora's voice replays nonstop in my head. The pain in it is all too obvious as her words pierce further into my heart.My fingers tremble slightly, and I place them face down on the floor, letting the cold seep into them in the hope it will grant me some sort of calm.

I remember that look in her eyes, an unmistakable depth of pain. It's not the first time I've seen it. It was there five years ago. It's there now. A wave of pain shoots through me. I hate how much I have hurt her and blame myself, although there is almost nothing I can do to ease her anger.Her voice bellows in my head, "It's just like it was five years ago. There'll always be something more important to you, always, and I'm tired of letting myself get hurt."A grunt escapes my parting lips as I struggle to steel myself against the wave of emotions swirling within me, threatening to burst out and overwhelm me.I think back to all those years ago, a part of me wishing I could've had the courage to make better choices, the kind that wouldn't push the woman I love further away from my reach.But I'm not the man I was years back.

As alpha, the burden of the pack is mine to bear, and I have long made peace with its inconveniences. But when Aurora is in the mix, my judgment blurs, and the only thing that keeps me grounded to my duty is a low voice of reasoning, a voice that was barely audible beneath fear that hit me when she called. I left everything for her.

I still cannot shake off the weight of her gaze. I remember her eyes lighting up with a familiar affection when she saw me walk in, but that was quick to fade, and in its place, some sort of anger resided, the type born of constant disappointment.She hates me, and rightly so. No one should have to go through betrayal this many times. One would think that without my wolf, my bond with her is weaker, but that is not the case. Like magnets, I am constantly gravitating toward her, unable to stop myself from feeling the weight of jealousy whenever Damon is around her.

I wonder how he knew to find her there. Did she call him before me? Or am I her first option? The latter should explain her disappointment, but I still cannot be too sure.

But when I think back to how frantic her voice was over the phone, I find myself slightly grateful he was able to get here without me. I don't want to imagine what would've happened if I was too late.

Three men, fucking three men against one woman. She wouldn't have stood a chance. Was this a random hit, or was she targeted? But why would anyone target her? She's just Aurora, plain and simple—my thoughts halt at that point.She is no longer the simple girl in the cottage at the end of the park. She is now the COO of one of the biggest finance firms I know, and once in the corporate world, there's no telling who has placed a target on your back and why. Still, I can't shake off the suspicion gnawing at me. First, Blackwood is attacked. Then Rora is attacked, and on my way to her, I'm ambushed. I'm not superstitious by any means, but I am a businessman, and more than anything, I understand statistics, probability, and coincidences, and this ranks very low on my list of natural occurrences.But on the other hand, no one knows about the connection between Rora and me. No one would think of using her to get to me. So, what is the common denominator that ties all of these together?

A small sigh escapes my lips, and I give my head a little shake to dissipate the thoughts, clustering into a throbbing headache on my forehead.

Although my entire being is saying otherwise, I know I have to respect her wishes and take a step back. I cannot push her to leave again. I know how long it took to find her the last time that mistake was made.A sharp pain flares in my thigh, jolting me out of my reverie. I wince lightly, ripping the blood-stained fabric of my pants to reveal a deep wound, one I sustained during the attack not too long ago.

The metallic smell of blood stays suspended in the air like a cologne, and I stare at the open cut, tracing my fingers lightly over the deep lines. I wince lightly, the cut pulsing with blood. I trace the obvious lines a wolf's claw caused, relief washing through me as I remember he didn't live long enough to bask in the glory of hurting me.

The combination of the pain from the injury and blood loss almost caused me to black out, but I had to pick every shred of strength in me to fight my way out and make it to Rora.

Without my wolf, my healing process is slower, and now, it will take longer than usual to completely heal. A wave of nausea washes over me, a testament to the amount of blood I'm losing. I tip more of the fabric, letting it stretch out just enough to tie around the cut.

A smile of satisfaction settles on my lips as I stare down at my handiwork, hoping this is enough to keep me alive long enough to get the help I need.I might have to limp for a while, only until I heal completely.Aurora didn't notice the limp in my strides earlier, and I'm thankful for that. Not that it matters, but I didn't want to explain why I wasn't healing. Liam had tried to discourage me from going, stating I might be dead before I got to her and how I'd be useless to her in my state, but I couldn't trust anyone with her. Plus, it won't look good on me.

The pain intensifies, forcing my eyes down as I grip a part of my leg, grunting audibly. I'm losing blood, too much of it, and I need to get help.

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