Chapter 5
He took one look at the half-empty walk-in closet, and his expression turned stormy.
"Who allowed Cassia to move into the master bedroom?" he snapped.
The butler, looking nervous, stammered, "Cassia said you gave her permission, sir."
"Get her out of there. Now," Lucian barked.
He turned to me, his tone softening a bit. "You don't have to leave. I'll have someone put the room back the way it was."
I looked at the wedding photo hanging above the bed.
In the picture, I was twenty-two, smiling with everything I had, as if I'd finally found where I belonged.
"Throw it away. She's always had a thing for whatever I leave behind," I said.
Lucian stepped in front of the door, blocking my way.
"Elena, what exactly do you want?" he asked.
"I want to break the bond," I said.
"No way," he shot back quickly, without even thinking.
I pulled out the medical file. "Because you'll drop rank?"
When Lucian saw the words on the paper, his eyes went wide.
"Where did you get this?" he barked.
"So it's true," I said.
"Back then, the success rate was only seventy percent. If the severance failed, you would've died on the spot. I was trying to protect you," Lucian said.
"And now? You gave a hundred percent effective cure to Cassia, leaving me with the same seventy percent shot at survival. Why won't you let me take the risk?" I pressed.
"I'll find another way," he said.
"What other way?" I asked.
He couldn't answer.
I kept my voice steady as I finished for him. "You're just waiting for me to die."
Lucian's power surged through the room, making the windows tremble. It was the Alpha's instinctive need to dominate his mate.
Back then, whenever he got angry, I always caved first.
This time, I didn't budge.
"I won't let you break the bond," he spoke each word like a command. "And you're not going to die. Stay at the estate, and don't leave Ashpine until the full moon celebration is over."
"So you're just going to imprison me?" I snapped.
"I'm protecting you," he insisted.
Always that same line.
Suddenly, the sound of a glass shattering came from outside the door.
Cassia clutched her belly, her face ghostly pale.
"Lucian, I just came to ask Elena if she wanted to attend the celebration," Cassia said, her voice shaky.
Lucian instantly pulled back his power and caught her, steadying her.
As she nestled into his arms, she flashed me a smug, triumphant smile.
I hit record on the voice recorder hidden in my pocket.
"Cassia," I said suddenly, "after the Moonfir Serum is injected, blue veins appear on the skin. So where are yours?"
Her smile froze.
Simon showed me pictures. Those marks would linger for at least ten days.
Cassia had been in long sleeves ever since the injection. No one had ever checked her arms.
"It's on my shoulder," Cassia stammered.
Lucian glanced at her, his eyes narrowing.
"The medical records say it was an intravenous injection," I said, stepping closer. "Shall I roll up your sleeve for you?"
Cassia let out a sharp cry and went limp in Lucian's arms.
"My baby... my baby..." she gasped.
Lucian scooped her up, shooting me a murderous glare. "If anything happens to the baby, I'll never forgive you," he said, his voice icy and threatening.
I stepped aside, clearing the doorway for them.
"Then you'd better have Simon examine her properly. After all, you haven't touched any woman but me for eight years," I said.
He came to an abrupt halt.
A Lycan might lie, sure.
But a mate's body memory never did.