CHAPTER 116: LOOKED SO DEVASTATED

Lucien arrived home near one past midnight. Instead of heading straight to his room, he paused at Leia’s door and gently pushed it open. The sight brought a small comfort, Leia was fast asleep, nestled between Kieran and Ronan, who lay protectively on either side of her.

Not wanting to disturb them, he closed the door without a sound and made his way to his room. He shrugged off his coat, hanging it neatly over the back of a chair, then crossed to the bed. Switching off the lights, he lay down, but sleep refused to come.

His conversation with Sorin earlier lingered in his mind, disturbing his very peace. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and shut his eyes, only for old memories to flood back, ones he had spent years trying to bury.

With a sigh, he sat up on the edge of the bed, staring into the stillness of the dark room. Restless, he rose and stepped out onto the balcony.

The cool night breeze brushed against his face, tousling his hair as he leaned on the balustrade. Above, the sky stretched endlessly, stars winking faintly, and the half-moon casting a gentle silver glow over the balcony and the land below.

It had been over fifteen years since his parents passed, and yet the trauma still clung to him. Though he kept himself buried in the work just to keep those thoughts off his mind, Sorin’s few words triggered him badly.

"I regret everything from that night. But if regret could turn things right, it would’ve happened a long time ago," Lucien told himself, his head hanging low.

~~~~

The next morning, Leia awoke feeling unusually refreshed. A soft yawn escaped her lips as she stretched her arms above her head, blinking against the gentle sunlight that filtered through the curtains.

She glanced around the bed, only to find it empty. Kieran and Ronan were nowhere in sight.

"Did I oversleep?" she murmured to herself, slipping off the bed and planting her feet on the floor.

Just then, a familiar rich scent of Lucien’s pheromones reached her nostrils. Her senses perked up instinctively, confirming his return to the mansion.

But she couldn’t pick up any trace of Kieran or Ronan. Their scents had faded, as if they’d been gone for a while.

"Lucien’s in the mansion... which means he’ll probably tease me again, like he did the other day," Leia murmured to herself, shaking her head.

She walked into the washroom and began her morning routine. After freshening up, she returned to the room and opened her wardrobe, scanning through the clothes.

Opting for something simple and comfortable, she slipped into a light dress and brushed her hair neatly after drying it, letting it fall over her shoulders.

Leia peeled off the bandage from the wound on her leg and blinked in surprise. It had completely healed. Not even a scar remained. Tossing the used bandage into the bin, she rushed downstairs in excitement.

However, she halted slowly seeing Lucien throwing a fit.

"Why are you yelling at her? The vase broke accidentally," Leia said, stopping near him.

Lucien turned to look at her. Seeing his weary appearance she felt he hadn’t taken even a wink of sleep.

"Clean it and leave my sight," Lucien instructed the maid, who quickly moved to the action.

He then turned to go to the garden.

"Why are you going?" Leia asked. "Did you have breakfast? Also, where are Kieran and Ronan?"

"They left for work. Ronan has to look into the matter of some training while Kieran has gone for a meeting," Lucien replied, keeping his back toward her. "You can have breakfast." With that, he walked away.

"What’s wrong with him?" Leia furrowed her brows together.

She went to the kitchen, looking at the maids gossiping about Lucien’s sudden outburst earlier in the morning.

"Why is he acting like that? Did something happen?"

Hearing Leia’s voice, the four maids quickly took their positions with bowed heads.

"Miss Leia, none of us knows. The Alpha has been in an angry mood since early morning. We never saw him like this in months," one of them said. "He didn’t have his breakfast," she added.

"What could possibly go wrong with him?" Leia murmured and went to the garden to check on him.

She found him standing under a tall tree with one hand in his pocket. Leia slowly went toward him and stopped right behind him. Tiptoeing, she covered his eyes from behind.

"Leia, what are you doing?" Lucien moved away and turned to her.

"I should ask that question of you," Leia said. She saw the lighter in his other hand. "Don’t tell me you were going to smoke again." Lifting her gaze, she met his disturbed ones.

"What happened? Did something happen last night in the meeting? And why is your hair disheveled?" She brushed them away from his forehead while lifting herself on her toes.

"You’re so tall," she mumbled.

"How’s your leg?" Lucien inquired.

"It’s healed." Leia took a step back and lifted her dress to show him her leg.

"Yeah. There’s no scar thankfully," Lucien replied.

She let go of her dress. "Now, you should tell me who made you upset? And it looks like you’ve not even slept. When did you return last night?"

"Around 1 a.m.," Lucien replied.

"That late. Do one thing. Have your breakfast with me, then take a rest for some time," Leia suggested. She held his hand, ready to take him inside when he pulled her in his direction. His arm swiftly circled around her as he hugged her.

"Lucien," she whispered his name, not pushing him away though.

"Has your heat gone? It appears to me it has left," Lucien whispered.

"Yeah."

’Something is definitely off with him. He never looked so devastated. It feels like someone was mean to him. But who can even dare to do so? Lucien is intimidating,’ she thought, her hand moving to his back, patting it gently.