LUCIAN’S POV
I walked away from the entrance with my hands clenched into fists, my jaw tight, and my chest burning with a fire I could not control.
Every step I took away from her felt like a step toward something darker, something I did not want to feel.
I had seen her with Lord Harry, walking through the gardens like they had all the time in the world, with her head tilted back as she laughed at something he said, and with a smile so bright that it made my stomach twist with a jealousy I had never known I could possess.
I replayed the scene in my head over and over, the way she had looked so comfortable with him, so at ease, like she had finally found someone who made her feel safe.
And then I heard my own voice in my head, cold and sharp, telling her to call me Alpha.
I had done that to hurt her, to push her away, to make her feel the same sting I was feeling.
But it had not worked.
It had only made me feel worse.
I stormed into my chambers and slammed the door behind me so hard the walls seemed to shake.
Then I paced the room like a caged animal, as my mind raced with images of her and Harry, of her smiling at him, of her choosing him over me.
The thought of her in his arms, of her laughing at his jokes, of her looking at him the way she looked at me — it made my blood boil.
I grabbed a glass off the table and threw it furiously against the wall, and watched it shatter into a hundred pieces with satisfaction.
But it did not help.
Nothing helped.
I punched the wall next, and a surge of pain shot through my knuckles, but I welcomed it, because it was far better than the ache in my chest, and the gnawing feeling that I was losing her.
I had never felt this way about anyone before, and the thought of her slipping away was unbearable.
I could not eat, I could not sleep, I could not focus on anything except her face, her voice, the way she had kissed me like she meant it.
And now she was walking with another man, acting like I did not exist.
The door opened, and Jace walked in, with his eyes wide open with surprise.
He looked at the broken glass on the floor, then at me, then at the dent in the wall, and his expression immediately shifted from shock to concern.
“What happened to you?” he asked slowly, as he stepped carefully around the shattered glass.
“You look like you are ready to kill someone.
And judging by this mess, you already tried.”
I turned to face him, and said in a low and rough voice.
“I saw her.
With Lord Harry.
Walking in the gardens, laughing, smiling like she did not have a care in the world.
Like I did not exist.”
Jace raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, with disbelief in his voice.
“Lord Harry?
The quiet one?
The one who barely speaks at council meetings?”
“Same one,” I said bitterly.
“And apparently, he is not so quiet when he is with her.
He was talking, she was laughing, and I felt like I was watching something I had no right to see.”
Jace was quiet for a moment, then he said carefully, “You know…..Maybe it is for the best.
Maybe this is what she needs to move on.”
I turned towards him and snapped.
“It is not for the best!
How can you even say that?” Then I grabbed the back of a chair and gripped it so hard my knuckles turned white.
“I waited for her all night in that cold tower.
I waited for hours, hoping she would come.
My bones were frozen, my heart was pounding, and she never showed.
And now she is out there with him, acting like I don’t exist.
Acting like that night meant nothing.”
Jace quickly held up his hands, and said in a calm, but firm voice.
“I am just saying, maybe you need to step back and think about this differently.
You can not force her to want you, Lucian.
You can not make her choose you by standing there looking like a wounded wolf.”
“You think I do not know that?” I asked, running my hands through my hair in frustration. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“But I can’t just let her go, Jace.
I have never felt this way about anyone before.
She is different.
She is everything.
Every time I see her, I feel like I am drowning.
And when I see her with another man, I feel like I am being ripped apart from the inside.”
Jace studied me for a long moment, with a thoughtful expression on his face and said calmly, “Then stop waiting for her to come to you.
Stop hoping she will change her mind.
You need to be smarter about this.
You need a strategy.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, use the push and pull method,” Jace said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
“Right now, you are chasing her, and she is running.
She knows you want her, so she feels safe pushing you away.
She is comfortable because she knows you will always be there, waiting like a lovesick pup.”
I glared at him, and hissed.
“I am not a lovesick pup.”
“Yeah, could have fooled me,” Jace said with a smirk.
“But listen.
If you act like you do not want her anymore, she will start to wonder why.
She will start to miss your attention.
She will start to question everything, her feelings, her choices, why she is even pushing you away.
And when she comes to you, that is when you pull her back in.”
I stared at him for a moment, processing his words.
Then I asked in disbelief.
“You want me to play games?”
“Noooo….It is not playing games,” Jace said with a shrug.
“It is strategy.
Look, she is scared, Lucian.
She is scared of getting hurt, scared of losing Greta, scared of what everyone will think.
If you keep chasing her, she will keep running.
But if you pull away, she will have to face her feelings on her own.
She will have to decide if she wants you badly enough to fight for it.”
I was quiet for a moment, thinking about what he said.
“That is risky.
What if she does not come back?
What if she thinks I have given up and just moves on with Harry?” I asked finally.
Jace smirked.
“Riskier than watching her walk away with another man and doing nothing?
Riskier than standing here destroying your chambers while she is out there laughing with him?”
I let out a long breath, my shoulders sagging.
“Fine.
I will try it.
But if this backfires, I am blaming you.” I groaned.
He laughed loudly, and clapped me on the shoulder.
“That is fair.
I will take the blame.
Now, why don’t you go find something to do that doesn’t involve breaking things? Find the original chapter at g.com.
While I handle the mess.”
I shook my head and left the room, still angry but now with a small flicker of hope.
It was a risky plan, but at least it was something.
Later that day, I found myself in the training grounds, my fists wrapped tightly, and my entire body aching for release.
I attacked the training dummies with brutal force, each hit a release for the anger and frustration building inside me.
I imagined Lord Harry’s face on every dummy.
I imagined Nora laughing at his jokes.
I imagined her choosing him.
“You are going to hurt yourself if you keep that up.”
Jace’s voice came from behind me, sounding so calm and steady.
But I ignored him and kept swinging, my knuckles throbbing with each punch.
“I said stop,” Jace said sharply, stepping in front of me and blocking my next hit.
“What is the point of all this?
You’re just going to wear yourself out.
And for what?
To prove that you are still angry?
Look, we already know you are angry.”
I dropped my fists, breathing hard, with sweat dripping down my face, and groaned.
“I can not stop thinking about her, Jace.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her face.
Every time I hear someone laugh, I imagine it is her with him.
It is driving me crazy.
I can’t eat.
I can’t sleep.
All I can think about is her.”
Jace nodded slowly, with his expression softening.
“I know.
But hurting yourself will not change anything.
You have got a plan now.
Stick to it.
If you want to win her, you have to be smarter than your emotions.”
I looked down at my bruised knuckles, then back at Jace and asked doubtfully, “What if it does not work?
What if she never comes back?
What if she chooses him and I lose her forever?”
Jace shrugged.
“Then you will have your answer.
At least you will know you tried something different.
And Lucian, if she chooses him, then she was never meant for you.
But if she chooses you, she will choose you willingly.
She won’t feel forced.
She will come because she wants to.”
I stood there, breathing hard, my knuckles bruised and bloody, and I thought about his words.
Jace was right.
Waiting and hoping was not working.
I had tried chasing her, and she had run.
Now it was time to try something different.
I would pull away.
I would act cold.
I would make her wonder why I stopped chasing.
I would make her miss me.
And when she came to me, I would never let her go again.