<h4>Chapter 385: Warning From Lucian</h4>


    <strong>Eira’s POV</strong>


    I drew in a shaky breath, trying to steady the storm rising inside me.


    "I need time," I admitted softly. "Everything is happening so fast. Things I never even imagined are suddenly bing real. It feels like too much at once. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it properly... and I might embarrass my parents. They are not ordinary people... and I..." My voice faltered. I did not know how to put the rest into words.


    "I understand," Kael said calmly. "That is why I told him you would take your time."


    I nodded faintly.


    My gaze drifted to Rafe. He no longer looked bitter or mocking. His posture had rxed, and the sharpness in his expression had faded.


    For some reason, relief settled in my chest.


    His opinion mattered. Whether I liked it or not, it did.


    "There is something else," Kael continued. "Tomorrow is Evan’s first shift. As his family now, Alpha Gerald wants us present for it. Only close family."


    "Us as well?" Roman asked lightly. "We are not exactly close rtives."


    "Because of Eira, we are," Kael replied. "He extended the invitation himself. It would mean something to have his sister there. And Alphas like us."


    "I don’t mind," Lucian said. "That Evan kid is decent. I like him."


    Roman let out a mischievous chuckle. "Do not tell me you n to pursue the brother after iming the sister."


    Lucian shot him a warning look.


    Roman only smirked wider. "Certain someone here might not appreciate that."


    Lucian’s gaze flicked toward me, steady and possessive. "We are fine. You are the only one for me."


    "Was I talking about Eira?" Roman added deliberately.


    Lucian’s jaw tightened. "Rome, if you keep running your mouth, I will make sure she is too busy with me for you to even remember you have a mate. You might forget what it feels like to fuck her."


    Romanughed. "That is indeed a terrifying threat," and smirked, "In that case, I might have to seekfort elsewhere...maybe your man."


    "Do whatever the fuck you want," Lucian muttered angrily before standing. "I am going to sleep."


    His gaze found mine, serious now. "Coming?"


    My breath caught.


    Memories of the night he marked me flickered through my mind. If I went with him, I doubted I would be in any condition to attend tomorrow’s ceremony, which would begin early and stretchte into the night.


    "Raven is exhausted," I said gently. "He might need me."


    Lucian studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Later, then."


    He turned and headed upstairs.


    I felt like something had put his mood off that he left. And I was sure, it’s not me. I looked at Roman, he looked back at me with knowing gaze.


    I wasn’t sure what to ask him exactly, but I knew his teasing had riled Lucian up. I felt like I was missing something here.


    Before I could say anything, Kael rose and extended his hand to me.


    "We have a long day tomorrow," he said quietly. "You should rest."


    I ced my hand in his.


    One by one, we all made our way upstairs.


    As always, Kael and I entered our room together, while the others retreated to theirs.


    ---


    The next morning, I woke feeling far more at ease than I had the previous day.


    A strange calmness settled over me, though the familiar confusion returned the moment I stood before the wardrobe after my bath.


    My mates had already bought several exquisite dresses for this asion. Expensive. Elegant. Carefully chosen.


    Yet, like any other woman, I still found myself unsure of what to wear.


    Just then, the door opened.


    Kael, ready to attend the event, stepped inside, carrying arge, beautifully decorated box in his hands, with two smaller matching boxes stacked neatly on top of it.


    "What is that?" I asked, turning toward him as he ced them carefully on the bed.


    "A gift from your mother," he replied. "Go ahead. Open it."


    A gift from my mother.


    The thought alone stirred something warm and unfamiliar in my chest. I walked toward the bed, and Kael helped me lift the lids.


    Inside thergest boxy a dress.


    My breath caught. It was breathtaking.


    My fingertips brushed over the delicate silver grayce, tracing the intricate patterns woven into the fabric with reverence. It felt soft, refined, and impossibly elegant beneath my touch.


    The second box held jewelry. The third, matching sandals.


    Nestled among them was a small handwritten note.


    I picked it up carefully and read:


    <i>[My beautiful Eva, I hope you like these small gifts from your mother.]</i>


    The words were simple. Not dramatic. Not overflowing with emotion. Yet everything she could not say was there between the lines.


    My throat tightened unexpectedly.


    I loved it all.


    Even without being particrly skilled in fashion, I knew this was exquisite. My mother clearly possessed impable taste. The way she carried herself, the grace in her style, none of it was ordinary.


    I lifted the dress and held it against myself before the mirror.


    For a moment, I could only stare.


    "It’s beautiful, isn’t it?" I asked softly.


    Kael stepped closer and nodded. "It is."


    He moved behind me. "Let me help you."


    I epted the offer, and asked, "Where’s Raven?"


    "Downstairs with Roman."


    Standing before the mirror, I allowed him to untie my bathrobe and gently slide it from my shoulders. His movements were careful, deliberate, respectful. He helped me into the dress, adjusting the fabric with focused precision.


    Through the mirror, I watched him.


    His expression was serious, intent, almost reverent. His hands moved gently along my arms and waist as he smoothed thece into ce, ensuring it sat perfectly against my body.


    There was no haste in him.


    Only quiet devotion.


    "You have never helped anyone else put on a dress before?" I asked quietly.


    I did not know why I kept asking them such things. Why it mattered so much whether they had done for other women what they now did for me. Perhaps there was a jealous woman inside me after all. A woman who wanted to be the first and thest.


    While I conveniently kept forgetting I wasn’t any pure and countless men had touched me every way possible. Yet none of my mates had ever once thrown that truth in my face.


    They treated me as though I were something sacred. Untainted. As if that dark Chapter of my life had never existed.


    "I have," Kael admitted, meeting my gaze through the mirror.


    A flicker of jealousy sparked in my chest.


    "Sophia?" I asked, unable to hide the edge in my tone.


    For a brief second, I imagined hunting her down and slitting her throat for ever thinking she had a im on him.


    He shook his head gently.


    "Kaya."


    The name struck differently.


    I remembered her. The little girl his parents had adopted. The one who had been killed along with the other children.


    His voice grew heavy as he said her name.


    "Your sister," I whispered, unsure what else to say. I was never good at offeringfort.


    "She was more like a daughter to me than a sister," he continued, adjusting the fabric of my dress with steady hands. "Whenever I returned home, she would cling to me as though I had been gone for years. I wasn’t even that old, yet she made me feel like a father already."


    A faint smile touched his lips, though sorrow lingered in his eyes.


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