Chapter 93

Sienna’s POV

I’d been out of the shower for barely five minutes when another knock at my door came, my skin burning from being scrubbed so hard of the nasty tunnel air.

My eyes flicked to the clock in the kitchen, seeing it was almost ten already, which was late for a visitor. It was just me in the house, and that made my palms sweat.

I hesitated, throwing on my underclothes and a bathrobe over it, peeking out from my room.

“Sienna?” It was Lucius, his voice drifting down the hall to me. Why was he here so late?

“Lucius?” I frowned, finally opening the door. “What are you doing here?”

He stepped inside, pushing the door shut behind him and leaning back against it.

“How were the tunnels?” He asked, though he definitely already knew the answer.

“Terrible,” I sighed, my skin still pink from being scrubbed so hard. “I just want all of this over with.”

“Can we sit?” He motioned for the living room, taking a seat on the couch. I decided to sit in the chair across from him, giving us some space. This was already feeling awkward enough.

“Is everything okay?” I frowned, curling my legs underneath me.

“I wish you didn’t have to come with us,” Lucius admitted, his brows furrowing slightly in fear.

“I don’t have to, I chose to.” I shrugged. “Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I’m incapable of doing things.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Lucius shook his head, resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s more that if something happened to you down there…”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. What, is the King going to shove me down the pits?” I scoffed, my gaze resting on him. “He’ll be poisoned.”

“The tunnels are unpredictable.”

“Life is unpredictable, Lucius,” I shot back, a little irritated he was hounding me about this. “I’m going to be fine.”

“Okay,” he said with reluctance, his brows still creased. “Sienna, I — “

I looked up at him, surprised to see how nervous he looked. “What?” My voice softened, unsure why he was suddenly so uncomfortable.

Did he know something?

“Is there another secret I need to know?” I exhaled it all in one breath, nerves prickling the back of my neck.

It was pretty obvious there was.

“You can talk to me,” I murmured, watching the conflict move across his expression.

“There was a time I thought…” His words caught in his throat, and he cleared it, taking a moment to compose himself. “I thought you and I were going to be together.”

My heart leapt into my throat, because I’d thought the exact same thing. He took that bullet for me, dared to reach the brink of death for me, and then everything changed.

The lies came out, and the connections became painfully clear, even if I hated to admit it.

“We would be so good,” Lucius whispered, yearning saturating his words. “I would treat you the way you deserve.”

“Lucius…” I trailed off, unsure how to respond. My heart was so confused, pulling in a million different directions, part of it closed off, the other part craving connection more than anything else.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same,” Lucius said hoarsely, the words hard for him to admit. I knew it was a lie, but what else was he supposed to say to me?

“I’ve just been through so much, and my — my trust is so broken, I — “

“I understand,” he whispered, his eyes trained on the floor, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

A small part of me couldn’t believe Lucius even had these feelings for me, because there was a time he didn’t even know I existed, nor did he care much when he first learned about me.

I was a nobody to him, yet now that had so drastically changed. I was twisted so tightly in one of the biggest scandals of late, and I wondered what my parents would think if they could see me.

They always loved Asher — Alaric. I was still constantly correcting myself, my heart palpitating at the thought of Alaric.

Lucius didn’t give me those kinds of feelings, even if I did get butterflies around him. It wasn’t that I didn’t find him handsome, because god, he was gorgeous.

But that connection all of us are longing for? That’s what was missing with Lucius. All any of us wanted was that soul bond, the undeniable sensation that you’re with your other half.

“There’s just…so much going on, and I…” I could’t think of the right thing to say, my chest starting to constrict. Something deep in me was screaming that Lucius wasn’t the right one.

“I’m sorry I put you on the spot,” Lucius said, sounding entirely broken. His voice even shook, which was unlike him. No matter what, he’d always been able to hold it together.

That’s just how much he cares, I thought, my throat aching. What was wrong with me?

“Is it Alaric?” Lucius whispered the question, pained.

“I…” I had to blink back the tears that suddenly swelled in my eyes. “I don’t know.”

“You two always had a real spark,” Lucius murmured, dazed. “I think everyone could see that — even me.”

Lucius had always encouraged Alaric and I to be together, to fight through things, so his own emotions must have been pretty conflicted.

“Did you really push him to tell me the truth?” I asked gently, knowing the topic wasn’t the easiest for him to discuss.

“Always,” he sighed, shaking his head a little. “I never, ever agreed with the lies, but there was nothing I could do.”

“I know,” I whispered, having accepted that. It was never his secret to tell, and no matter what his feelings for me were, he stayed loyal to his closest friend.

“Listen, I — I should go.” He abruptly stood up, struggling to meet my eyes. I’d never seen him like this before, and knowing it was because of me only hurt more.

“Lucius…” But nothing else came out, and he didn’t stop to see if anything would. He just walked right out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

I wanted to feel guilty…only I didn’t. It wasn’t my fault the feelings just weren’t there, that the bond wasn’t meant to be. We didn’t necessarily choose our bonds, did we?

They just found us, when the time was right.

You’ve already found yours, something in me whispered, and I almost choked.

It was my wolf again.

Please don’t go, I begged, already feeling it fade away.

Make the right choice and I’ll stay. My wolf sounded so tired, so lost, and it broke me. I knew exactly what it was talking about, but I wasn’t ready to face it yet.

His name whispered over and over in my mind, clenching my heart. I couldn’t face any of those feelings until this mess was resolved.

The following night, we would set out in the tunnels and take down Alaric’s uncle, marking another historic moment in history.

Alaric would take the throne, and who knew what would happen after that? It could completely change him.

Only time would tell.