CHAPTER 73: OUT OF MY SIGHT

"Yeah, I’m fine," Leia replied, settling quietly into her chair. Her gaze shifted to Lucien, but he didn’t so much as glance her way.

’He’s still upset with me,’ she thought, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Be careful," Kieran whispered beside her, his tone gentle with concern.

Leia gave a small nod. "Hmm."

The rest of the meal passed with her quietly picking at her food.

"Why are you so quiet today?" Ronan asked after a moment. "You usually talk the most during dinner."

Leia hesitated, then glanced at Lucien, who remained silent.

"Lucien gets angry if I talk during dinner," she said softly, hoping to stir some reaction from him.

But Lucien didn’t respond. He simply dabbed his mouth with a napkin, pushed back his chair, and stood. "I’m done. Good night," he said to his brothers and exited the dining hall without a backward glance.

Kieran frowned. "What’s wrong with him?"

Dinner wrapped up soon after. Leia rose quickly, her heart racing as she rushed upstairs. She came to a stop just outside Lucien’s room, her hand hovering near the door.

Then, she knocked and gulped.

"Lucien, I want to talk to you," Leia said after a few seconds when he didn’t open the door for her. "I admit I lied to you. But I didn’t mean to hurt you. So, please open the door so that we can talk."

A moment later, the door opened, and Lucien gave her the way to enter.

Leia thanked him as she entered his room. She heard the door click shut and turned around.

"Tell the truth what you were looking in my cupboard," Lucien said, his hands remained inside the pockets of his trousers.

"You won’t get angry. Promise me," Leia said.

"That depends on your response," Lucien stated coldly.

"I wanted to find the album of your childhood," Leia replied. "Someone in the pack told me that you used to have a close friend, who was a girl. And she would be with your family in every event. I thought I should look for her."

"What?" Lucien exclaimed at her response.

"Yes. I swear I only checked your cupboard for the photo album. But then, you came at that hour," Leia stated.

"Why do you think the girl existed in a photo album? Don’t you think your excuse is a bit strange?" Lucien took a step toward her. Leia quickly stepped back.

"That’s not an excuse. That’s the truth. Okay! So, I thought if I found out about the girl, I could search for her and present her as your suitable mate. I don’t want to be your Luna," Leia affirmed, her fingers tightly clutched her skirt as she knew he would yell at her.

Lucien clenched his fists, his wolf growling just beneath the surface. Without warning, he pulled Leia close, his eyes burning with restrained fury.

"Did you provoke my grandmother?" he demanded. "Did you ask her to send someone into my room?"

"What!? No!" Leia shook her head, stunned by the accusation.

Before she could say more, Lucien crushed his lips against hers, cupping her face. The kiss was harsh and he didn’t care if she took it as force.

Leia raised her hand to slap him, but Lucien caught her wrist mid-air.

"Only you can be my Luna," he said through gritted teeth. "You could’ve just asked about the girl. I would’ve told you everything. Why do you always have to scheme your way around me? Did I ever ask you to do that?"

He was trying not to explode.

Leia’s eyes flared. "You do things to me without my consent!"

"And what about you?" Lucien shot back. "Was what you did right? You snuck around behind my back and still dare act like the victim?"

His gaze darkened, the red in his eyes flickering to the surface, making Leia tense.

"You think I’m a fool? You think I’m just giving you time?" he said. "To make you my Luna, all I have to do is mark you."

He raised his hand and rested his finger just above her collarbone, the exact place where the mark would go.

"It wouldn’t be hard for me," he said coldly. "But I don’t want to force it on you. I want you to see the real me... and maybe choose me."

His voice quivered as he for the first time revealed his vulnerable side to her.

"Can’t you show me the same warmth you show my brothers? Just once? Women would kill to stand where you are... and yet all you do is joke and push me away."

Leia curled her fingers into her palm, avoiding his gaze.

Lucien exhaled harshly and released her wrist. "Just get out of my sight," he muttered. "I don’t know what I’ll do if you stay."

She didn’t say a word and just walked past him, then broke into a run the moment she stepped out of the room.

Lucien clenched his jaw, running a frustrated hand through his hair. He slammed the door shut behind her, grabbing a cigarette and a lighter from the drawer. Stepping out onto the balcony, he lit it, leaning against the railing as the night wind hit his face.

Across the hallway in her room, Leia curled beneath her blanket, sitting up against the headboard with her knees drawn close. Her heart was pounding, but it wasn’t anger anymore. It was guilt.

"I think I did cross a line," she whispered to herself. "But I never asked his grandmother to send anyone to his room..."

As the silence deepened, her thoughts drifted back to her argument with Azalea. The bitter words she’d flung in the heat of the moment came rushing back.

"I didn’t mean it... I was just angry," Leia murmured.

She lowered her head when Zei spoke in the back of her head, ’Lucien wants love. Didn’t you feel through his words?’

"Love?" Leia knitted her brows together, feeling confused. Though she started having a soft spot for him, but she never thought of falling in love with him.