Chapter 58: YOU’RE NOT LUCIAN’S WIFE

Olivia’s POV

​Instead of a gentle, hesitant press, the kiss deepened almost instantly. Lucas shifted closer, his large, warm hand moving from my cheek down to my waist. With one smooth pull, he lifted me from the stone bench and brought me to my feet, drawing me against his broad chest. A sharp gasp escaped me against his mouth. The warmth of his lips, the familiar scent of fresh pine and crisp air surrounding him, and the sudden intensity of the kiss left my head spinning. For a few seconds, my hands instinctively gripped the soft fabric of his polo shirt, and everything else disappeared. The garden. Lucian. My marriage. Every complicated thing waiting for me outside this moment.

​Then reality came crashing back. What on earth was I doing? Panic flared in my chest, and I placed both hands firmly against Lucas’s chest and pushed myself away. He let me go, and I quickly stepped back, breathing heavily as I stared at him with wide eyes. My lips were still tingling from the kiss.

​"Alpha Lucas... this is wrong," I stammered. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

​Lucas didn’t look angry or embarrassed. He simply stood composed, his green eyes locked on mine. "Why?"

​I stared at him in disbelief. Was he seriously asking me that? "Because..." I swallowed hard. "Because I’m your brother’s wife. I’m married to Lucian."

​Lucas shook his head slowly. Before I could back away any further, he took a step forward and reached out, his strong hands closing around my waist once more. His grip tightened just enough to keep me from pulling away, but gently enough that it didn’t hurt.

​"No, you’re not."

​My lips parted. "What?"

​"You’re not Lucian’s wife, Annabel."

​"Lucas, I..."

​"No." His voice was calm but firm. "You and Lucian are only married on treaty papers. That’s all. There was no wedding. No vows. No ceremony. Nothing. Your father signed an agreement and sent you here because of a war. Don’t confuse a treaty with a real marriage."

​My breath caught as I stared up at him. I wanted to argue. I really did. The problem was that he was right, and what Lucas didn’t know was that he was even more right than he realized. Those treaty papers didn’t even have my real name on them. They had Princess Annabel’s name, the king’s daughter. Annabel was the woman Kenneth had promised to Lucian. Annabel was the woman Lucian was supposed to marry. Not me. I was Olivia. Technically, Lucian and I weren’t married at all. There were no papers with my name on them, no vows, no ceremony, nothing that actually made me his wife.

​So why did hearing Lucas say it make something inside my chest ache? Because fake marriage or not, three nights ago I had been in Lucian’s bed. I had been in his arms. I had heard him tell me he wanted me, and no amount of unsigned papers could make me pretend that night hadn’t happened.

​I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Lucas... please. We can’t do this."

​"Why not?" he argued.

​"Because we can’t."

​Lucas stared at me for a moment before releasing a slow breath. "I can’t explain it, Annabel. I’ve tried, but I can’t. Ever since I met you, something about you has felt..." He paused as though searching for the right word. "Familiar."

​My heart stumbled at that single word. Familiar. That word again.

​"I think about you when I shouldn’t," he continued. "I find myself wanting to see you for no reason. I’ve told myself more than once that I need to stay away from you because of Lucian, but every time I see you, it becomes harder." His eyes remained fixed on mine. "I wasn’t even planning to come here tonight. I thought about you, and the next thing I knew, my power brought me straight to you."

​My throat suddenly felt dry because I understood exactly what he meant. I didn’t want to admit it, especially after what had happened with Lucian, but there had always been something strange about Lucas too. Something familiar that I couldn’t explain. I had felt it during our first kiss. Even his presence sometimes pulled at a part of me that I didn’t understand. And apparently, having one brother completely confuse my life wasn’t enough. I had somehow managed to add the Alpha King to the problem. Perfect.

​I glanced around the garden, suddenly remembering exactly where we were. The mansion wasn’t far away, and there were guards and servants everywhere. "Someone might see us," I whispered nervously. "If one of the guards or servants walks past..."

​Lucas followed my gaze toward the mansion before giving a slow nod. "That’s true."

​Something about the calm way he said it immediately made me suspicious. I slowly looked back at him. "Lucas..."

​The garden disappeared.

​My stomach dropped as the world around me changed in an instant. One second, the cool night air surrounded me, and the next, warmth rushed over my skin and solid ground appeared beneath my feet. I stumbled from the sudden movement and instinctively grabbed Lucas’s shirt to steady myself.

​"What the hell?"

​My eyes widened as I looked around. I was standing inside a massive bedroom. Soft lighting filled the room, revealing a king-sized bed, heavy curtains, wooden furniture, and several personal belongings scattered around. The room looked expensive, but unlike Lucian’s perfectly arranged bedroom, this one actually looked lived in.

​I slowly turned toward Lucas. "Where are we?"

​"Welcome to my home."

​My eyes widened further. "Your home?"

​"My pack house," he replied. "My private room."

​I stared at him. He had teleported me miles away from Lucian’s mansion because I said someone might see us. Of course he had. Apparently, normal people solved privacy problems by going indoors. Alpha Kings simply teleported women across the kingdom.

​Lucas took a slow step toward me. "So," he said quietly, his eyes settling on mine again. "No one can see us now."

​My heartbeat immediately picked up. "Lucas, that wasn’t what I meant."

​"I know."

​"Then why did you..."

​I never finished. Lucas closed the remaining distance between us, his hand moving to the back of my neck as he pulled me closer.

​Then he kissed me again.