Chapter 131: Chapter 131; Falsehood
Alina’s POV
"What happened to you all?" I demanded, my breath catching in my throat as I looked at the broken, bleeding rogues tumbling into the house.
Sammy winced as he gingerly touched a deep gash on his forearm. "It’s nothing, Alina. We were just doing some heavy endurance training. That’s why we’re all in this state."
I stared at him, my chest tightening. There was something in the shaky cadence of his voice and the way he avoided my eyes that screamed he was hiding something.
"Where is Lucian?" I asked, my gaze scanning the room.
Daniel rubbed a bruised shoulder, his face grim. "He should be on his way back with Ragnar soon."
"Okay," I murmured, trying to calm my racing heart.
Just then, the front door swung open and Ragnar walked in. My eyes instantly swept over him—he wasn’t injured at all. "Ragnar, where is Lucian?"
Ragnar looked down, his fists clenching at his sides. "I... I couldn’t find him."
"What do you mean you couldn’t find him?" Confusion and a sudden, sharp fear laced my tone. I rounded on the others, my voice rising. "Sammy just said you guys went out for training! So how can you suddenly not find the Alpha?"
Ragnar’s gaze darted uncomfortably over to Sammy.
The silence in the room was deafening. "You guys are lying to me, aren’t you?" I asked, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "Where is Lucian? And how did everyone actually get hurt?"
Sammy let out a heavy, defeated sigh, running a hand over his face. "We went to fight, Alina."
"Fight?" I echoed, my mind racing. "What do you mean, fight? With who?"
"Aiden and his pack," Ragnar answered quietly.
"Why?"
"Because Aiden has been aggressively messing with our borders," Sammy interjected, anger finally flaring in his eyes. "We had to retaliate. But the bastard set a trap for us. We barely escaped with our lives."
I stared at them, the pieces coming together in a horrifying picture. "So what now? Lucian was captured? Is that it?"
Ragnar swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "I think so. Lucian pushed me out of the room right before a heavy security door slammed down, locking him inside. I tried everything to force it open. By the time I finally broke through... Lucian was completely gone."
"Lucian has been taken," I repeated, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "And you guys are just standing here..." I stopped myself, shaking my head fiercely to clear the panic. "You have to go back out there and look for him!"
"Of course we will," Sammy said, his tone urgent. "But we need to wait for the pack doctor to patch up the front-line warriors first. Then Ragnar and I will set out to track him down."
"I am coming with you," I stated firmly.
"No," Sammy countered immediately. "It’s far too risky."
"My Alpha is out there," I said, my voice dropping into a stern, unyielding register that brooked no argument. "And I am going to find him."
Without waiting for their approval, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the pack house. I didn’t wait for Ragnar or Sammy. I ran out to my car and threw it into drive, my hands gripping the steering wheel as I sped straight toward the border, heading directly for Aiden’s territory.
I burst into Aiden’s mansion, slamming the heavy front doors open.
Aiden was sitting in the living room, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. The moment his eyes landed on me, a bright, smug smile spread across his lips. He eagerly stood up to welcome me, setting his glass aside. "Alina. You aren’t supposed to be here today. Or did I somehow miss a date on the calendar?"
I didn’t say a word. I marched across the room, channeled every ounce of strength I had, and slapped him hard across the face.
The sharp crack echoed through the room. Aiden’s head snapped to the side, his smile instantly vanishing into utter confusion. He touched his reddening cheek, his eyes darkening.
"What is your problem, Aiden?" I hissed, my chest heaving with rage. "I already agreed to your terms and conditions! So why the hell are you still going after Lucian?"
Aiden let out a dark, low scoff, slowly turning his gaze back to me. "So... you come into my home and hit me because of him?"
"And I will gladly do it again," I threatened, stepping closer.
Aiden’s expression softened slightly, a chilling, familiar smile playing on his lips once more. "You should be incredibly glad that I love you, Alina. Anyone else would have lost the ability to ever use that hand again for doing what you just did." He set his glass down on the table with a soft click. "As for Lucian... I didn’t do a single thing to him. I only did what I always do with rogue scum—I protected my people. You’ve lived with those monsters for too long to see them for what they truly are."
"They are a thousand times better than you," I snapped.
"Oh, really, Alina?" Aiden mocked, standing up so he could tower over me. "I don’t go around selling hard, illegal drugs to people to ruin their lives. Even small children aren’t safe from their clutches and that’s who you want to compare me with."
I froze, the air leaving my lungs. "What... what do you mean by that?"
"Ah," Aiden chuckled darkly, tilting his head. "Don’t tell me you are completely clueless about the kind of work Lucian and his pathetic pack of rogues actually do, Alina. They are cold-blooded murderers, and they distribute banned, highly harmful substances across the territories because that’s who they are."
"That’s a lie," I whispered, my voice shaking as I fought the urge to back away. "You don’t know what you’re talking about."
Aiden stepped into my personal space, his eyes locking onto mine with terrifying certainty. "Are you really purposefully trying to be blind, Alina? Or are you just stupidly in love with that pathetic man?"
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