Page 55 of The Forbidden Alpha

"Uhmm, h-how about you, Alpha? You can't sleep?" I asked casually, trying to get the conversation going.

"Hmm. You can say that…I'm still bothered about what happened earlier."

I was stunned. Slowly, I turned in his direction again. He was already looking at the flowers. My mouth parted a bit when I realized what he had just said.

"What do you mean?" I nervously asked.

Although I know what he’s talking about, I still couldn’t directly ask him about it since. I feel like I’ll be invading his privacy if I do that.

He remained quiet for a few seconds. I turned my eyes to the flowers, thinking he wouldn’t answer. Well, he can stay quiet if he wants. I don’t have a plan to force him if he’s unwilling to open up his mind.

But to my surprise, he answered after a few minutes of silence.

"The battle earlier really pissed me off. I was so complacent that I couldn’t anticipate their defensive strategy. I could’ve ended it there if only I were more prepared," he hissed before cursing.

My mouth parted wider when I saw how his hands fisted and his jaw clenched as he tried to remember what happened earlier. I saw how his eyes changed from a gentle look to one with burning anger.

I couldn't say anything. I don't know why I couldn't say anything, but unknowingly my hand went to his back. I tapped it slowly, which stunned him a bit before looking at me. A gentle smile crept into my lips.

"Were you satisfied with what happened?" he suddenly asked.

I pouted. "Well… to be honest, I wasn’t satisfied. Daria and her minions were able to escape when I was an inch away from defeating them," I said bitterly while reliving that moment. I sighed. “But what else can I do? What’s done is done. I can’t let that failure shatter my morale. Maybe next time, we’ll be able to achieve our goals,” I added.

My life has revolved around failures and frustrations. It’s a concept that is not new to me. It’s okay to fail once, as long as I can do better next time.

He stared at me. The anger that I saw in his eyes earlier slowly faded. Now, all I could see in his eyes was gentleness. Then, he suddenly averted his eyes to stare at the flowers again.

"They banished you, right? How can you be so relaxed?" he asked.

My eyes remained on him. I could feel a hint of hostility in his voice, not for me but for the pack who banished me.

"Why shouldn't I be? What's done is done. I should just move on and wait for another opportunity where I could face them again," I answered casually.

"But aren’t you frustrated that we couldn’t exact revenge? After all the things they’ve done to you?” he asked. I could feel the anger in his voice.

I sighed and tapped his back.

"Do you want to say something?" I said in a small voice.

I feel like this is no longer about me failing to exact revenge. My mind tells me that he has something else in his mind that he was only trying to disguise with questions about me. There’s something in his eyes that screams pain and burden. I want to know what makes him this frustrated.

Sure, I wasn't the best judge of emotion, but somehow, looking at his eyes, I saw pain, anger, and vengeance.

"I have been waiting for so long, Celine. I have been hollow for so long. I couldn't just move on like nothing happened when I knew I could've ended them right then. I could've got the justice that I have wanted for so long," he said through gritted teeth. The way he gazed at me intensely sent shivers down my spine.

I felt like I was frozen in my seat. For the first time since I came here in Blood Moon, I think I just saw the vulnerable side of Lucas. And that just made me even more curious.

What did Crest Moon really do to you, Lucas?

Chapter Thirty-Two

Alpha Lucas didn't say a word anymore after he said those. I didn't ask for more as well. I just feel like he’s not ready to share what’s on his mind yet, and that’s okay for me. Because honestly, I wouldn’t know how to react anyway.

I heard him sigh in frustration. He looks heavily burdened. I just wish that one day, he would be able to lift that baggage off his chest. He stared at the flowers in front of us while tightly clenching his fist. I decided to finally remove my hand on his back as I remained quiet as well.

“Do you know how it feels to be hollow, Celine?”

I was a bit startled we suddenly spoke again. Shit, I thought we were supposed to be quiet now.

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