The words from Kairos burned themselves into Evelyn's mind, a scorching brand of betrayal: "A source within the manor is suspected. The Beta. Watch your back." A Beta. The pronouncement echoed in the confines of her increasingly suffocating guest suite, turning every shadow into a lurking threat, every faint sound into a conspiratorial whisper. Marcus was a Beta, Lucien's second-in-command, loyal to a fault. But what about Sebastian's Beta allies? The influential pack members who had lingered around him, their eyes glinting with ambition?
Paranoia, a cold, insidious vine, began to twist around Evelyn's heart. Every pack member she had encountered since Lucien's injury now seemed a potential conspirator. The servant who brought her meals, his gaze too deferential. The guard outside her door, his posture too rigid. Even the comforting scent of ancient wood and polished stone in the manor now felt like the suffocating air of a crypt, sealing her in with unknown enemies. The walls were not just closing in; they were breathing, alive with treachery.
She clutched her burner phone, her fingers trembling. She needed to contact Marcus, to warn him, to understand. But her attempts to reach him were met with silence. Was her communication being monitored? Was he already compromised? The isolation, once a strategic tool, was now a crushing weight, threatening to break her. There was no one. No one she could trust within these walls, save for the silent, almost imperceptible pulse of the supernatural bond she shared with the comatose Alpha in the room down the hall.
Her fear, raw and desperate, wasn't just her own. It was amplified, magnified by the burgeoning connection she felt to Lucien. Her dread for herself, for the pack, for the imminent betrayal, surged through their shared bond, a tidal wave of emotion crashing against the shores of his unconscious mind.
She couldn't bear it. Not alone. She slipped out of her room, moving with the practiced stealth of a shadow, past the ever-present guard who barely acknowledged her. She needed to be near him. She needed him to wake up.
She entered Lucien's bedroom, a vast, opulent space now heavy with the faint scents of wolfsbane antidote and antiseptic, mixed with the primal musk of his powerful wolf. He lay motionless on the massive bed, his face still pale, his breathing even but shallow. His hand, resting on the silken sheets, seemed lifeless.
Evelyn collapsed into the chair beside him, clutching his hand, her tears finally falling, silent and scalding. "Lucien," she choked out, her voice a raw whisper, "you have to wake up. They're coming for the Heart. There's a Beta… a traitor. Sebastian is moving. The pack is in danger. You are in danger. I can't do this alone. Please. Wake up."
She poured every ounce of her fear, her frustration, her burgeoning affection, her desperate plea, into their shared connection. It was a torrent, a wild river of pure emotion, crashing against the barriers of his pain and unconsciousness.
And then, it happened.
Beneath his closed eyelids, Lucien's eyes began to glow. A faint, ethereal gold, pulsing with a raw, nascent power. His fingers, intertwined with Evelyn's, twitched, then clenched, his nails elongating, sharpening, tearing faintly at the silk. A low, guttural growl, deep and primal, resonated from his chest, shaking the very bed, vibrating through Evelyn's bones.
It wasn't a human sound. It was the awakening of the beast.
Suddenly, a shockwave, invisible yet undeniably potent, slammed through the entire manor. It was a purely psychic force, a furious, commanding roar that emanated directly from Lucien, tearing through the ancient stone, rattling every pack member to their core. In an instant, every conversation ceased, every nervous movement froze. Every wolf in the manor, every Beta, every Omega, felt it: the return of their Alpha. And his wrath.
Lucien's eyes snapped open. They were molten gold, blazing with a cold, terrifying fury, yet piercingly focused on Evelyn. His breathing was ragged, his body still weak and trembling, but the sheer force of his will, the raw power of his Alpha command, had shattered the chains of his coma. He looked terrifying – a man resurrected, but still half-beast, radiating an aura of lethal intent.
He pushed himself up, every muscle screaming in protest, but his determination was absolute. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet hitting the floor. He swayed, his body protesting the brutal awakening, but Evelyn rushed to his side, steadying him.
"Lucien," she whispered, her voice a mix of awe and terror. "You're awake!"
His golden eyes, burning with a cold fire, met hers. He didn't speak, but his gaze was a direct, piercing question. What happened?
Evelyn didn't waste a second. "Kairos said a Beta is a traitor. The hunters want 'The Heart of Lycaon'. Sebastian is making his move to seize power." She spoke quickly, concisely, her words tumbling out, fueled by the urgency in his eyes.
Lucien's jaw tightened. A low, dangerous growl rumbled in his chest. His golden eyes swept the room, taking in his weakened state, Evelyn's terrified but resolute presence. He knew the threats. He knew the betrayal.
He reached out, his hand closing over Evelyn's, a grip that was surprisingly strong despite his weakness. He then extended his other hand, pressing it against his temple, focusing. A silent command. A summon.
Moments later, a frantic pounding erupted at the bedroom door. It was Marcus. He burst in, his face etched with concern, his eyes wide, then widening further as he saw his Alpha, awake, terrifyingly fierce.
"Alpha!" Marcus exclaimed, his voice filled with relief and apprehension. He immediately knelt, head bowed, recognizing the raw power emanating from his leader.
Lucien looked at Marcus, his golden eyes piercing, assessing. He then slowly, deliberately, extended his hand, beckoning Marcus closer. Marcus rose, cautiously approaching his Alpha. Lucien's gaze bored into him, a silent, primal interrogation, testing his loyalty, searching for any flicker of deceit. Marcus met his gaze, his loyalty unwavering, clear in his scent and posture.
Lucien then looked at Evelyn, a subtle nod of acknowledgment. She had brought him the truth. She had alerted his wolf.
He then turned back to Marcus, his voice raw, guttural, still raspy from disuse, but imbued with absolute Alpha command. "Secure the vault. No one. Not even Sebastian. And tell me… every detail. Everything that has happened. Who spoke to whom. Who moved where." His voice grew colder, sharper. "And who dares to betray."
Meanwhile, across the manor, in his own opulent suite, Sebastian Blackwood felt the Alpha's roar, the mental shockwave that permeated every corner of the pack. His smug smile vanished, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated terror. He knew. Lucien was awake. And he knew.
And in a hidden, shadowed corner of the manor, a Beta, pale and sweating, felt the Alpha's psychic command, the mental interrogation. Their heart pounded, fear coiling in their gut. They knew their betrayal was discovered. They knew they had to act. Now.
The Beta, a seemingly insignificant member of Lucien's personal guard, slipped away, his movements swift and furtive, heading towards a secret passage, a hidden route known only to a few trusted few. His destination: Alexander Crowe. He had to warn him. He had to escape.
Lucien, supported by Evelyn, who now clung to his side, his raw power an almost intoxicating comfort, stood by the window, his golden eyes sweeping the moonlit grounds. He was weak, but he was back. And he was furious. The battle for the Heart of Lycaon, and for the very soul of the Blackwood pack, had just begun. He looked at Evelyn, a silent promise, a fierce, undeniable claim in his eyes. They were in this together. And woe betide anyone who stood in their way.