✦ Chapter 13 ✦
The scent of red wine drifted through the throne room — dark, rich, and faintly sour beneath the cold tension settling between father and son. Alpha Silvermoon's eyes narrowed as he studied Lucien, a quiet, assessing glare that cut sharper than any spoken question. He watched the way Lucien's gaze drifted, the distant stillness in his expression, as if his mind had slipped somewhere far from this gilded chamber.
Something churned beneath Lucien's calm façade, but Alpha Silvermoon chose not to inquire. Instead, he reached for the crystal decanter beside him and poured another glass of wine. The deep crimson liquid swirled languidly as he lifted the cup, studying it as though it held more interest than his own son.
Then he spoke, voice cutting through the silence like a slow blade.
"I wanted to discuss the future of the next pack leader."
Lucien's brow arched, a silent, heavy question.
"Isn't that something you should discuss when Vynn is here?" he asked, his tone cool, the faintest trace of disinterest threading through the words.
Alpha Silvermoon took a small sip, exhaled through his nose, and turned slightly toward Lucien. His voice was deceptively casual when he spoke again.
"I already told her. Today, I will be choosing the next king." A small, careless shrug followed. "Perhaps she already knows whom I intend to name, and decided not to waste her time."
Lucien crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles along his forearms tightening beneath the fabric of his robes. He said nothing. Didn't need to. The air between them vibrated with silent impatience.
Listening to his father's voice felt like walking barefoot across broken glass — something he had endured too many times.
"Is that all you wished to say?" he asked at last, tilting his head slightly, the question edged with cold impatience.
Alpha Silvermoon sighed and finally turned his full attention on Lucien.
"I hope you'll change that attitude when you become the next Alpha," he said, as though discussing a matter as ordinary as rainfall.
Lucien stared at him — blank, unreadable, still as winter stone.
There was no flicker of surprise. No spark of triumph. Not even irritation. His expression held the same calm he would give if told tomorrow's weather would be cold. As if being named ruler of the Bloody Diamond Pack was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
His father's brow lifted, unsettled by the utter lack of reaction.
"You already knew I would choose you?" he asked.
The faintest hum left Lucien's throat — not quite a laugh, but something deeper, darker.
"Of course," he said softly, lifting his gaze to meet his father's. "A man like you would never name a woman as ruler, even if she were the Superior Alpha. Even if I were just a regular alpha, and she stood above me… you would still choose me."
He stepped forward, golden eyes bright with a muted, lethal clarity.
"Your pride would never allow otherwise."
Alpha Silvermoon's expression cracked for a heartbeat — brief, but unmistakable. His eyes darkened, a storm gathering beneath gold. Lucien felt the weight of his glare like a hand closing around his throat. Were it possible to kill with a stare alone, Lucien would have fallen where he stood.
But Lucien merely turned his head slightly, boredom brushing across his features.
"If that's all, I'll take my leave."
He caught the subtle tightening of his father's fists — the way rage trembled beneath his skin, desperate for release. It tugged a rare smile to Lucien's lips, swift and sharp as lightning striking dry earth.
It vanished just as quickly.
His face fell back into that glacial stillness — the expression carved from ice.
As he moved toward the exit, something pulled his gaze sideways. The omega on the second throne — pale, quiet, hands folded in her lap as though terrified to breathe too loudly. White hair cascading like moonlight, blue eyes lowered, lashes trembling.
Elian's mother.
She didn't lift her head. Didn't dare. But the resemblance, that fragile softness — it clung to her like frost.
Lucien's steps faltered by an inch.
"Alpha Lucien… Lady Vynn wishes to see you in the library, if that is possible."
The voice came from a servant bowing before him, her dark hair twisted into a tight, severe bun. Her posture rigid, her breath uneven.
"It is not possible," Lucien replied, his voice cold enough to chill the air between them. He began to walk away.
He had taken only two steps when the servant's voice rose again — trembling, yet strangely determined.
"She knows Alpha Silvermoon's new omega is your little beta's mother."
Lucien stopped.
Turned slowly.
The servant paled beneath the weight of his stare, her silver eyes shimmering in terror. She dropped her gaze immediately, her shoulders stiff with fear.
Lucien studied her — her posture, her breath, the slight tremor in her hands. He committed every detail to memory. He despised when people walked willingly into his private matters… more so when they were ordered to.
His silence stretched long enough to make her swallow hard.
"Library," Lucien murmured at last, his voice soft and deadly. "Is that what you said?"
The servant nodded, though her knees nearly buckled beneath her.
Lucien watched her one heartbeat longer — long enough to ensure she would remember this moment for the rest of her life — before turning away.
His white and gold robes disappeared into the corridor's shadows, and only then did the servant release the trembling breath she had held, her hands clutching her apron as though it were the only thing keeping her upright.
✦ End Of Chapter ✦
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A/N : I'm really sorry for not posting for the past four days or even five. I was really on a bad state.
I'll try to post regularly now...T_T