Lucian’s POV
"We can’t get caught," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. I could hear heavy footsteps crunching on the gravel, coming straight toward our hiding spot. It didn’t matter if they found us. If they did, we would just fight our way out.
"I think someone is over there," a rough voice called out in the dark.
We froze, holding our breath. After a tense moment, the heavy footsteps began retrieving, moving further away from us.
"Fucking let’s go," Boca whispered under his breath.
I gave a sharp nod, and we moved silently out of the shadows. We managed to slip away from the area and made it all the way back to the safety of the house. We headed straight to my study room, shutting the door firmly behind us.
"What the fuck did they do to that man?" Boca asked, rubbing his face in utter confusion.
"I have no fucking idea," I muttered, pacing across the floor. "But it is Ilya, and you know how she can be. The real problem now is what Alpha blood she used. She is like a magician with evil powers. What the hell is the aim of doing that?"
"Whatever it is, I think it will be harmful to us," Boca said, frustration thick in his voice. "She is the one killing people, along with whoever the fuck is supporting her. And what do we do when we run out of supplies? Who is fucking going to sell to us now?"
He kept talking, but honestly, supplies were the least of my worries right now. I wanted to know how Ilya got her hands on that Alpha blood. I knew for a fact that she wanted to marry me just to get my blood. So who the hell would willingly give theirs to her?
"Are you even listening to what I am saying?" Boca snapped, cutting through my thoughts.
"Yes, I am," I said, looking up at him. "We will figure things out tomorrow. For now, you should get some sleep. And don’t forget to keep this entirely between us."
"You don’t have to worry. I will keep it between us," he said seriously.
"Alright then," I replied.
Boca turned and walked out of the study. Once he was gone, I quietly made my way back to Alina’s bedroom. She was already fast asleep, looking peaceful beneath the blankets. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. I crawled into the bed and lay down right beside her, pulling her close. I wouldn’t let any of this danger affect her, no matter what it took.
The next morning, the sunlight filtered through the curtains as I brought a tray into the room.
"Here, eat this," I said, handing her another plate of breakfast.
Alina looked at the large spread and sighed. "Lucian, I don’t have a big appetite yet. You don’t have to feed me all of this just because I am pregnant."
"Yes, I know," I said, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "But I need you to eat more. You barely eat anything these days."
"That is not true," she argued softly, a small pout on her lips. "But if you insist, I will."
I smiled, nodding in satisfaction as she picked up her fork.
Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open.
"Lucian, this is bad," Ragnar said quickly. He marched into the room with his laptop open, turning the screen toward me. "Look at this. It is the news about us getting blacklisted. We are fucking getting blacklisted."
"Wait, what? Why?" Alina asked, her voice tight with sudden concern as she set her fork down.
"Apparently, they are saying we are on a killing spree," Ragnar said, his voice shaking with pure frustration. "We haven’t done a single thing!"
I looked from the screen back to Alina’s worried face. I kept my expression completely calm, refusing to let the panic spread.
"You don’t have to worry," I said, my voice firm and steady. "I will handle it."
"Lucian, is there anything I can do to prove your innocence?" Alina asked with deep concern.
"You don’t need to do anything, okay? It is all good," I said to her. I forced a warm smile onto my face. "Just finish your food."
Underneath the table, I clenched my fist until my knuckles turned white. This had already gone too far. "Alina, please excuse us for a moment," I said.
I stood up and took Ragnar with me out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind us, Ragnar turned to me.
"What are we going to do, Lucian?" he asked with concern.
"You shouldn’t have said that in front of her," I said. My voice was thick with annoyance. "We will figure it out."
"Okay, how?"
"Don’t question me. Just go to the others and make sure they are not panicking," I snapped.
"Alright," he said, and he walked away.
I pushed my hair backward in frustration. What the fuck was I even supposed to do about this? I did not want anyone getting hurt.
Suddenly, Emette walked up to me, holding a phone out. "Lucian, Aiden wants to speak to you," he said. He handed me the device without giving me a chance to protest.
I pressed the phone to my ear. "What do you want?" I asked in a harsh tone.
"I see you have seen the news already, and you know it isn’t looking too good for you," Aiden said. His voice was full of mockery.
"I know for a fact that you are responsible for this," I said, my anger rising.
Aiden laughed. "You know, I wish I was responsible for this. It would have made me a lot happier. But too bad, I didn’t do anything."
"So you called just to mock me?"
"Yes, and I also called to give you an offer," Aiden said smoothly. "I can make all of this go away. I can give you good PR and clear your name on one condition."
"What would that be?"
"Alina," he said. "You have to give her up for good. Tell her to come back home. You wouldn’t want them dragging her down along with you, right?"
A jagged, bitter laugh ripped from my throat. "You are a joker if you think I will ever agree to this. I should give Alina up just to clear my name? I would rather be dragged to the filth than ever give her up. So forget it, because it is never happening."
"I knew you would say that," Aiden replied. He sounded completely pleased with himself. "That’s why I made things interesting. There is an angry mob in front of her bakery as we speak right now. If she goes there, she will get hurt. People are already talking. They are saying she supports a rogue and wants to ruin her son’s future. No one will associate themselves with her anymore. So tell me, is that what you want for her? I thought you loved her and wanted to make sure nothing goes wrong in her life."
"You are talking too much, Aiden. Get help," I said, and I instantly ended the call.
I shoved the phone back into Emette’s chest. "Why the hell do you even let him fucking call you?" I asked with deep annoyance.
"I’m sorry," Emette muttered, looking down. "I felt helpless and I... fuck, what do we do?"
"I don’t know, man," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "But first, I need to find out what Ilya is up to, what she is doing, and who the hell gave her Alpha blood."
"I did," Alina’s voice cut through the air.
I froze. I whipped my head around to see her standing in the doorway. My eyes widened in total shock.
"You did what?"
"I only did that to protect you. That’s the only way she could help save you," Alina said. Her voice shook, but her eyes were steady.
"What? What are you both talking about?" Boca cut in. He looked back and forth between us, his voice thick with confusion. "Alina gave Alpha blood? How? I mean, she is an Omega."
"You shouldn’t have believed her," I said, completely ignoring Boca as I stepped closer to Alina. My heart was pounding hard against my ribs. "That woman is so fucking cunning, and you know that."
"I know!" Alina cried, a tear finally escaping her eye. "I was desperate, Lucian. I didn’t want you to die. I..."
"No one is answering my question," Boca interrupted again, louder this time. He shook his head, looking completely lost. "How did you even give her Alpha blood?"
Alina took a deep breath and turned her head to look directly at Boca.
"I am an Alpha," Alina revealed.
The words hung heavily in the air. Boca’s eyes widened in total shock, and he stepped back. I froze, staring at her as the piece of the puzzle finally clicked into place.