Riley’s POV
The car door <b>shut </b>with a heavy <b>thunk</b>, <b>sealing </b><b>away </b>the cold, the <b>chaos</b>, <b>and </b>the brother I no longer recognized.
+8 Pearls
Lucien slid <b>into </b>the seat beside me, the leather creaking beneath him, and the air instantly filled with the quiet dominance of <b>an </b><b>Alpha</b><b>. </b>His presence <b>always </b>shifted the energy of a room–or in this case, a car. But tonight, I didn’t flinch. I didn’t shrink <b>away</b>. I was too exhausted to keep pretending I wasn’t broken.
He didn’t say anything at first. He didn’t start the engine. He just <b>sat </b>there beside me, one elbow propped against the window, his face half–shadowed by the dim overhead light.
My <b>hands </b>were clenched in myp, bloodless and white. My nails were digging into my palms so deep I thought they might draw blood.
“Riley, Lucien said atst, his <b>voice </b>low, calm. Not the cold tone he used in court. Not the aloofness he wore like armor. This was something gentler. <b>“</b><b>Are </b>you okay?”
I shook <b>my </b>head, barely. “I’m fine.”
He exhaled through his nose, clearly not buying it. “You don’t have to be. Not right now.”
My lips trembled, <b>and </b>I bit down hard to steady them. “He said I was evil. That I hurt his family. That I ruined her life.”
Lucien’s <b>jaw </b>tensed.
“He doesn’t remember,” I <b>whispered</b><b>. </b>“He <b>doesn’t </b>remember what they did to <b>me</b>. Or maybe he does, and he just doesn’t
Silence stretched between us.
Then, <b>without </b>warning. Lucien reached out <b>and </b>pulled me against him.
I stiffened–just for a <b>second</b>–<b>but </b>then my body <b>gave </b>out, slumping into the solid warmth of his chest. His <b>scent</b>–<b>pine</b>, wind, and something faintly smoky–wrapped around me<b>, </b>grounding me in a way I <b>hadn’t </b>expected.
“<b>You </b>were brave,” he murmured near the crown of my <b>head</b>. “<b>I </b><b>saw </b>the way you looked at him. You weren’t <b>afraid</b>. <b>Not </b>anymore”
“I’m tired of being afraid.” I whispered.
He rested his chin lightly on my <b>hair</b>. “Good. Because I don’t want <b>you </b>hiding anymore.”
His words echoed inside me.
I don’t want you hiding anymore.
For a <b>moment </b>we just sat there. His heartbeat <b>was </b>steady beneath my check, the <b>kind </b>of rhythm <b>that </b>made you forget the world could hurt you
Then he pulled back slightly, enough to meet my eyes. His gaze <b>was </b><b>steady</b>, <b>serious</b><b>. </b>
“Have you thought about going <b>back </b>to school?“
The question caught me off guard “What?”
“Ashirpoor Academy.” he said. “You always wanted to go there, didn’t you?”
My breath hatched I hadn’t heard that name in years. <b>Not </b>since before everything went wrong
Before prison
Before Scarlett
Before I lost everything.
“My voice faltered. “That dream <b>died </b>a long time ago.”
+B Pearls
Lucien’s eyes darkened. “Dreams don’t die. They <b>just </b>get buried <b>under </b>the weight of pain and fear. But they’re still there, You’re still that girl who wanted to be abat instructor. I know you <b>are</b>.”
I looked <b>away</b>, my throat tightening. “Even if I wanted to, it’s toote. My record–my name–it’s ruined.”
He smiled, <b>slow </b><b>and </b>sure. “Luckily, you know someone who <b>has </b><b>friends </b>in high <b>ces</b>.”
1 blinked. “You mean<b>…</b>?”
“Ashmoor’s headbat <b>trainer </b>used to be my professor,” he said. “<b>Alpha</b>–level, war–tested, and loyal to <b>a </b>fault. If I asked she to take a look <b>at </b>you, she <b>would</b>. No questions asked.”
My heart began to beat faster, “You’d do that for me?”
“Riley, you have to believe in yourself. Even with a vital organ missing, you were still able to summon your wolf. You’re stronger than you think. You belong on the battlefield–not trapped inside the Vale family.”
Lucien leaned in slightly, eyes burning with something fierce. “Riley, I would tear down kingdoms for you.”
I didn’t know what to say. <b>The </b>Riley from six months ago would have cried. She would’ve sobbed and begged for this chance. But I wasn’t her anymore.
I <b>had </b>steel in my spine now. Pain in my blood. And a <b>future </b>I’d thought I would never get back.
“Do I have to say yes right now?” I asked quietly.
“No,” he said. “But if you want it–if you want <b>to </b>fight for it–I’ll be there. Every step of the
way.”
I looked down at my hands. The same hands that had bled for a family who never wanted me. That had fought to survive behind bars. That had stitched together hope, thread by trembling thread.
I nodded once.
“I <b>want </b>to fight”
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