CHAPTER 56: COMFORT, WARMTH AND RELEASE

Kieran had just concluded the meeting with the pack elders when Azalea stepped into the living room. Her sharp gaze immediately sought his.

"Is Lucien still out in battle? And where’s Leia? I haven’t seen her since morning," the elderly woman asked, settling into the sofa chair opposite him.

Kieran folded his hands calmly. "Grandma, Lucien isn’t in battle. He’s in his rut cycle, so he’s staying away from the mansion for a few days. As for Leia, I’ve arranged for her to stay in a hotel until it’s over."

Azalea’s eyes widened, and a frown creased her face. "What?" she exclaimed, clearly displeased. "Why would you do that? An omega’s presence is meant to help suppress a rut. Lucien brought her here to eventually bear heirs, didn’t he? And now, when nature is practically handing you the opportunity, you’re resisting it?"

She hit her cane on the marble floor, her voice rising with disapproval. "You should’ve told me. This was the perfect time to ensure the bloodline continues, and your brother deliberately kept her away?"

Kieran remained composed but alert, knowing well how her temper could flare over matters concerning lineage and tradition.

"Lucien refused every proposal I brought to him," Azalea snapped, her voice laced with deep frustration. "Tell me, when exactly is he going to mate with anyone? If your parents were still alive, I doubt he’d be behaving like this. I’ve seen Alphas from other packs, already with pups and mates, while Lucien is still busy debating whether he should even share a bed with a woman."

The disappointment in her tone weighed heavy in the room.

Kieran exhaled, trying to remain patient. "Grandma, Lucien doesn’t want to force Leia into anything. She’s still adjusting. Everything is new to her. We just want to give her time."

Azalea’s expression hardened. "And what good has all this waiting brought us? In the end, she’s here for a purpose, isn’t she?" She straightened with indignation. "Take me to your brother."

Kieran immediately stood as well, firm in his stance. "I can’t do that. Lucien would be furious, and you know how dangerous he can be during his rut. He needs space right now."

"Are you disobeying your grandmother? Fine, I’ll find Lucien myself," Azalea said.

"Grandma, please listen to me," Kieran urged, trying to maintain his composure. "You can ask him all these questions once he returns. But don’t provoke him right now. And Leia... she’s not like the other women from various packs. She doesn’t want to mate with any of us unless she genuinely begins to trust us, or feel something real."

Azalea scoffed, her expression tightening. "And when exactly will that happen? She’s clever and cunning too. Don’t think I can’t see through her," she sneered.

"Grandma, she’s not cunning," Kieran snapped, his voice rising in frustration. "Could you please stop speaking ill of her?"

Azalea threw her hands up in the air. "Fine! Do as you both please! But mark my words, someday, you’ll regret not listening to your grandmother." She slumped back into the sofa chair, placing a frail hand over her chest as if wounded. "I miss my son and daughter-in-law. They would’ve known what to do. Will you boys keep giving this old woman nothing but headaches and heartache?" she murmured, closing her eyes dramatically.

Kieran sighed inwardly. ’Here we go again... her signature emotional blackmail,’ he thought, rubbing his forehead.

~~~~

Lucien slammed the empty bottle of bitter scotch onto the table, the glass clinking against the wood before rolling onto its side. He leaned back in the chair, head tilting upward while his jaw clenched as his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.

Leia’s face flashed before his eyes, her soft expressions, the way she nervously fidgeted when he looked at her too long, the guarded glint in her eyes. She was everything he needed right now: comfort, warmth and release.

But her trust... he hadn’t earned it.

’No. Stop thinking about her,’ Lucien growled inwardly, dragging a hand through his disheveled hair. ’She’ll hate me if I lay a hand on her without consent. She already hates me...’

He shot up, frustration surging through his blood like wildfire. "Fuck!" he cursed, yanking off his shirt as the pain deepened, more unbearable than ever before. His body was burning, every cell screaming in need, every nerve on edge.

Ever since he ended up inhaling the scent of her pheromones, which happened last night, his mind was filled her thoughts only.

Storming into the bathroom, he turned off the lights and sank into the bathtub filled with ice-cold water. The cold water bit at his skin, but it was better than the inferno inside him. He leaned his head back against the edge of the tub as his chest heaved

Staring at the ceiling, he whispered, "Why does it hurt more this time...?" His voice cracked under the weight of his turmoil.

Lucien eventually closed his eyes, the relentless ache in his body giving way to sheer exhaustion. The cold water dulled his senses just enough for sleep to creep in silently, and before he knew it, he had drifted off.

When he woke up, it was already evening. The faint glow of the dusk seeped in through the window blinds, casting long shadows across the walls.

His body ached as he slowly rose from the now-chilled water. He drained the tub, and reached for the bathrobe hanging nearby. Once wrapped in it, he stepped out into the bedroom.

The room looked as if a storm had passed through it. The scattered clothes, an overturned chair, the empty bottles on the table, and shattered glass glinting faintly on the floor.

Lucien sighed, raking a hand down his face. "What the hell am I doing..." he muttered under his breath.

It was a short relief he felt from the painful rut, and he lay on the fluffy mattress. "Leia... Her pheromones intensified my rut," he murmured. "I want to make her mine soon."