Chapter 30: The Run

Olivia’s POV

​The moment Lucian stepped out of my room, I moved.

​I scrambled off the bed and rushed to the door, locking it so quickly that my trembling fingers slipped twice before I finally heard the click. I backed away, leaning against the door with my chest heaving.

​He didn’t hit me.

​I was so sure he would. The moment I slapped him—Alpha Lucian, the man everyone feared, the man people called ruthless and cruel—I prepared myself for the blow. I expected the hits, the strikes, but they never came. He had just backed away, stared at me like I was a stranger, and walked out.

​Yet, the relief didn’t bring any comfort. In fact, it was worse. His silence felt terrifying. What if he had only left because he was too angry to deal with me himself? What if he was going to send guards? What if he was already downstairs ordering someone to drag me into a cell or execute me?

​My stomach dropped. No. I couldn’t stay here waiting to find out. I had to hide. Or run. Preferably both.

​Was running through a pack territory I knew absolutely nothing about while wearing a torn festival dress a brilliant plan? No. But considering my other option was sitting here waiting to see what my husband planned to do to me, I wasn’t exactly drowning in good choices.

​Panicking, I rushed toward the wardrobe and grabbed the first heavy jacket I could find. I pulled it tightly around myself to cover the torn red fabric of my dress before hurrying back toward the door. My hand stopped on the lock. What if he was outside? I pressed my ear against the wood.

​Nothing.

​I slowly unlocked the door, pushed it open, and slipped into the hallway. It was empty. Thank the Moon Goddess.

​I moved fast, my feet making almost no sound against the floor as I rushed down the long corridor toward the main staircase. I started walking quickly, then jogging, and by the time I reached the steps, I was practically flying down them, my mind spinning with fear.

​I was almost at the bottom of the stairs when a deep voice suddenly came from behind me.

​"What are you doing?"

​My heart stopped. I froze, my throat going dry. I slowly looked over my shoulder. Lucian stood at the very top of the staircase, watching me with a dark expression. He had changed nothing about his appearance; his dark hair was still slightly messy, his face hard, and the faint red mark from my slap was still visible across his cheek.

​His eyes moved over me, then dropped to the jacket I had wrapped tightly around myself. His brows pulled together.

​"Annabel."

​That single word was all it took. Panic surged through my veins, and I ran.

​"Annabel!" he yelled.

​I ignored him, turned around, and burst straight through the front doors. Cold night air hit my face as I sprinted out of the mansion and onto the massive grounds. The festival was still going on farther behind the house, but I went in the opposite direction. I had no idea where the gates were, where the borders lay, or where I was even going, but I kept running anyway.

​"Stop!" Lucian’s voice thundered behind me, echoing through the yard.

​My heels were making it impossible, so I kicked them off without stopping and continued barefoot, my lungs burning.

​"Annabel, stop!"

​Absolutely not. I forced my legs to move faster. Ahead of me, several guards were standing near the boundary posts. My breath caught in my throat as I neared them, fully expecting them to step up and tackle me to the ground. But to my complete confusion, none of them moved. One actually stepped aside, while another pair moved out of my way too, watching me pass by with shocked expressions. Why wasn’t anyone stopping me? Had Lucian told them not to?

​I glanced behind me again. He was still some distance away. Good. I turned forward, but what I saw made me scream. Lucian was suddenly standing directly in front of me. One second, the path ahead had been completely empty, and the next, he was just there. I stumbled backward so quickly that I nearly fell, my eyes widening in disbelief. What the hell? I looked behind me toward the spot where I had seen him only seconds ago, then back at him. How was that possible? He had been far behind me. Did he just teleport?

​Lucian stared at me, his chest rising and falling slowly. "What do you think you’re doing?"

​The shock of seeing him suddenly appear in front of me held my voice hostage. I pointed at him with a trembling finger. "You... you were back there. I saw you."

​His expression didn’t change.

​"How did you..." I swallowed hard. "Did you just appear here?"

​His eyes narrowed slightly. Before I could demand a real answer or try to pull myself together, Lucian moved. In one swift, effortless motion, he bent down, lifted me straight off the ground, and threw me over his solid shoulder like a sack of grain.

​A gasp escaped me. My breath hitched, and I went completely stiff. This time, I didn’t kick him, I didn’t scream, and I didn’t even argue. I was too stunned.

​As he turned and carried me back toward the mansion, I caught sight of the guards nearby. Their eyes were wide, watching us in dead silence, but not one of them looked surprised. A few quickly lowered their eyes when Lucian looked in their direction. So whatever he had just done was normal to them.

​Lucian carried me through the mansion without saying another word. He marched up the massive staircase, strode down the long hallway, and pushed open the door to my room, setting me down gently on my feet.

​The moment my feet touched the floor, I immediately stumbled back, putting as much distance between us as possible while pulling the jacket tighter around my body.

​Lucian noticed. His eyes followed me as I moved, and he folded his broad arms across his chest. "What did you think you were doing? Running away?"

​I kept my lips pressed together, unable to form a single sentence. My knees were shaking. What was I supposed to say? Yes, dear husband, I was running because five minutes ago you tore my dress and scared me half to death.

​Lucian stared at me for several long seconds before his shoulders dropped slightly. He let out a heavy sigh that seemed to drain the tension from his frame, and his expression softened.

​"I’m sorry," he said softly.

​My eyes widened in complete disbelief. I genuinely wondered if I had heard him correctly. "What?"

​His jaw tightened almost immediately, as if the word itself physically pained him. "I’m sorry for the way I reacted."

​An Alpha... apologizing to me?

​"I have never behaved like that with a woman before," he continued, his tone low and serious. "And it will never happen again."

​The fear inside me didn’t completely disappear, but hearing him admit that what he had done was wrong loosened the tight pressure in my chest. He didn’t wait for me to respond. He turned on his heel, walked toward the door, and wrapped his hand around the handle.

​Then he stopped, his back still turned to me.

​"And Annabel?"

​I swallowed hard.

​There was a brief silence.

​"Just stay as far away from me as best as you can," he said quietly, finally looking over his shoulder so his green eyes met mine. "For both our sakes."

​Then he opened the door, stepped outside, and shut it behind him, leaving me alone in the dark.

​I sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the jacket tighter around myself as I stared at the closed door.

​This was Alpha Lucian? The ruthless Alpha everyone feared? The beastly Alpha everyone whispered about?

​I frowned.

​No. A beast wouldn’t apologize.