Chapter 140: Chapter 140; Please stop!
Lucian’s POV
The kiss grew deeper, the raw, suffocating jealousy that had been clawing at my chest all night finally exploding out of me. I wrapped my hands around her waist, lifting her effortlessly, and placed her right on top of the marble counter sink. A low, ragged moan escaped my throat straight into her mouth, my lips desperate to erase the lingering memory of Aiden’s touch from earlier.
"Lucian, wait..." she murmured against my mouth, her small hands coming up to press against my chest.
But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I kept on kissing her, deepening the hold, pouring every ounce of my frustration, possessiveness, and fear into her.
"Wait," she breathed out more forcefully, sharply breaking the kiss this time.
We both hung our heads, catching our breath, our chests heaving in the quiet restroom. Alina looked up at me, her eyes dark with a mix of desire and anxiety. "Why are you even here?"
"Don’t worry," I muttered, my hands still firmly anchored on her hips. "No one is going to come in here."
"No, Lucian, that’s not what I mean. Why did you come to this party at all?"
"Because I really miss you," I confessed, my voice raw. "I knew you would be here tonight, so I came."
Alina let out a stressed breath, looking toward the door. "This entire venue is filled with Alphas and pack wolves who despise rogues. And you..."
"I don’t give a flying fuck about them," I snarled, stepping closer until our bodies were completely flushed. "I will go absolutely anywhere just to see you, Alina. Anywhere." I paused, my jaw clenching as the image of her walking hand-in-hand with her ex-husband flashed behind my eyelids. "I don’t like this, Alina. You aren’t his wife anymore, so why the hell is he treating you like you both are still happily married? Alina, I am jealous. I am this close to completely losing my shit. Please don’t continue with this game. I don’t think I can take it anymore."
She opened her mouth, about to say something, but the sheer panic in my chest cut her off.
"Alina, let’s just leave," I begged, the mask of the strong, unbothered rogue completely slipping away. "We can pack up, go to a completely new city, and start all over again. I don’t want to face this environment anymore. It’s literally killing me."
Alina stared at me for a long moment, her expression softening. "Do you really trust me, Lucian?"
"Yes, I do," I whispered without a shred of hesitation.
"Then that’s all that matters," she said softly. She leaned forward, pressing a reassuring, gentle kiss against my lips, before sliding gracefully down from the counter to stand on her own feet.
I let out a harsh breath, pushing my dark hair backward as a wave of possessive anger washed over me again. "I swear to God, Alina... if Aiden lays a single hand on you tonight, it is going to be bloody."
She gave a small, faint smile, shaking her head. "You don’t need to get this aggressive."
"You really don’t understand, Alina. I really don’t think you do," I muttered, my voice dropping into a dark, unyielding register. "I own you. You are mine alone to love and to keep. I can’t share you with him, okay? I just fucking can’t."
"You don’t have to," she replied quietly.
"Well, it sure as hell doesn’t seem like it out there," I countered, the bitterness bleeding back into my tone.
Alina let out a heavy sigh, smoothing down her outfit. "Lucian, go home."
"Will you come with me?" I challenged immediately.
"Jeez, Lucian, you are being..."
"I am being what? Unreasonable?" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Come on, Alina. Put yourself in my shoes. How would you honestly feel if I was out there doing this exact same thing with someone else?"
"You literally did it with Ilya," she pointed out sharply, her eyes narrowing.
"Because you told me to do it!" I yelled back in a harsh whisper.
"I don’t want to argue about this right now," she said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Neither do I," I muttered.
The tension between us was thick, deep-rooted, and entirely suffocating.
"This conversation is getting us absolutely nowhere," Alina sighed, turning back toward the mirror to check her reflection.
"Please... just end whatever it is you’re playing at with him," I pleaded, staring at her back.
"That is exactly why you shouldn’t have come here tonight, Lucian."
"Why?" I demanded, my wolf snarling at the implication. "Because you didn’t want me to see you getting all friendly and cozy with him?"
"You are completely overreacting now."
"Call it whatever the hell you want, Alina," I whispered, the fight completely draining out of me, leaving nothing but a hollow ache in my chest. "You’re going to see me dead if you keep up with this. I might look all strong and big on the outside... but my heart literally breaks into pieces seeing you with another man. You don’t need to do any of this anymore."
Alina turned around to face me, her eyes wide with a sudden flash of conflict. "Lucian, I..."
"Don’t tell me you actually love the attention he gives you," I interrupted, my tone breaking completely, the raw vulnerability of my words hanging heavily in the air.
"What! You think I love his attention? Are you being serious right now, Lucian?"
The vulnerability that had just been hanging between us vanished, instantly replaced by a sharp, biting annoyance laced in her tone. She stared at me, her chest heaving as her eyes flashed with genuine anger.
A sudden pang of regret hit me square in the chest. Fuck. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I had really pushed it too far, letting my insecurity completely override my tongue.
"You are seriously getting out of line now, and I—"
A sharp, demanding knock on the door cut her off mid-sentence.
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