Bride of the Cursed Alpha - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Auren POV
I was running down the same thorny forest under a moonlit sky. The shadows of the tall trees darkened, creeping toward me. I heard howls emanating from deep woods. Scared, I pushed past my exhaustion only to tumble on the ground that was filled with thorns. Pressure built around me and it felt like I was being chased by the hounds, but other than the shadows, I couldn’t see anything.
I was engulfed by desperation and acute pain as the thorns dig inside my flesh. Why was the moon hanging silently in the sky? Why couldn’t the moon goddess help me out of my misery? I opened my mouth but no scream came out. Blood flowed out of my body and covered the white dress I was wearing. The dress felt so heavy combined with the pain I was experiencing that I couldn’t move. The shadows reached me and encompassed me tightly. They reached my neck and choked me. I gasped for air as I stared at the moon. “Help me,” I whispered as panic and fear flooded me. Suddenly, I felt like someone was strangling me.
“Nooooo!” I thrashed hard and slammed into something hard. Startled, I woke up as my breath turned shallow, as I tried to breathe.
“Auren, you are safe,” Lucien’s voice rumbled beside me.
Oh, goddess. I was shivering so hard from all the terror and trauma that he wrapped his arms around me.
We’re going to fuck you breeder… Finn’s words came back to me. Their faces, their expressions and how I struggled to get out of there.
Lucien’s claws through his neck. Blood pouring like a fountain. The fear of being raped. The terror of not ever being able to prove my innocence—everything slammed in my chest.
I looked up at him, my eyes rounding at the corner as a cry came out of my throat.
“Auren!” His hold tightened on me as I pushed against his chest.
“H-he was lying, Lucien. I didn’t go to him. I-I just went out for a walk. S-stifled—”
He would never believe me.
The thought was so devastating that Siena whimpered inside me.
Lucien kept his arms locked around me and it was then I realized I was in his lap. He curled his fingers beneath my chin and lifted my face. “Look at me!”
I opened my eyes and tried to fix my gaze, still trembling. He let out a frustrated growl and hugged me. “I’m so fucking sorry that this happened with you. I’ve got you, Auren. This won't happen again.”
I think it was the effect of the whole thing that I started crying uncontrollably. But when his words made an effect on me, I slumped in his embrace, relief washing over. “Lu-ci-en,” I sobbed as my shoulders shuddered. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you and stayed in.”
“Goddess,” he groaned and pulled my face into his neck. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. You can go anywhere you feel like. I know it wasn't your fault. It’s okay, and I am not angry with you.”
And then he pressed a kiss to my forehead, and it felt… genuine. Was I dreaming or was he doing it out of courtesy? But who picked up an omega like me in their lap?
Only a kind Alpha like him.
“Alpha Lucien?” I heard Vivi. “Should I get lemonade for her?”
“Yes!” he snapped.
A few minutes later, a glass is pushed against my lips. I sipped the lemonade and when the glass disappeared, Lucien hugged me and rocked me to comfort me. “I’m here,” he murmured.
The last of the sobs and shivers eased out and it was only then I realized that I was in my room. The trauma must have had a lot of effect on me because I just slumped my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I didn’t know when I drifted off to sleep, but when I slept in his embrace, I didn’t get nightmares.
When I woke up the next morning, I realized that it was afternoon. I was in my bed covered with soft comforters. Memories of the previous night flooded my mind. A shiver ran down my spine when I remembered what Finn and his friends wanted to do.
I got out of the bed, took a long bath and thought of going to say thanks to Alpha Lucien personally. That was the least I could do. So I got dressed in jeans and white shirt and trudged out of my room. Vivi was happy to see me, and offered me lunch, but I wanted to see Lucien first. “Where can I meet him?” I asked eagerly.
Vivi was hesitant to speak, but when I pushed her, she said, “He is in his office with Beta Tarian. I don’t think you should go there.”
“Why?” I asked with a frown on my forehead even as I started to walk toward his office.
Vivi ran after me. “Lady Auren, you have to eat! Please eat something. I’ll let Beta Tarian know that you want to meet Alpha Lucien.”
Why was she stopping me? Feeling rebellious, I increased my pace and said, “Where’s his office?”
“In the west wing,” she replied, almost jogging with me to catch my pace.
I walked to the west wing where it wasn't difficult for me to locate his office. The door of his office was slightly ajar. I peeped in to see that covered in blood, Jace was kneeling on the floor, his head yanked up by Tarian who had grabbed his hair. Lucien was standing in front of him with a dangerous beastly expression, his eyes flashing golden. And then he plunged his claws right through Jace’s neck.
Goddess. I squeaked, making Tarian’s eyes snapping at me.
My heart hammered in my chest. I quickly darted to the left and leaned against the wall. Moments later, the door opened and Lucien walked out. “Were you looking for me, Auren?” he asked, his voice lethally calm.
I nodded, my body lined up with goosebumps. “P-please don’t kill anyone else because of me.”
He wiped his hands with his hanky, his lips twitching up slightly. “I can't promise. But right now, I’m famished, and it looks like you haven't had food, little dove. Would you like to eat with me?” His eyes went to Vivi who was standing so stunned that she was pale. She fled the moment he saw her, leaving me alone with the cruelest Alpha of the North.
He took a step closer. He leaned toward me and said, “Breathe Auren. This is just the beginning.”