Chapter 65: Lucien Hadeon
My breath caught in my throat.
The first thought I had was that I had died and entered heaven. After all, in this reality, at least, the people whom I knew had this man’s face surely would never speak to me in such a flirtatious manner.
He had Rowan’s polished bone structure, the gentleness of Soren’s eyes, and the playful quip of Cassian’s lips. In fact, he was such a perfect blend of the triplet Alphas that I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
There was but one difference between their appearances, however. While Rowan, Soren, and Cassian had ebony black hair, this man was quite the opposite. His hair was a silvery white, just like moonlight. A few strands of his fringe fell over to curtain his eyes, but it could not completely hide the molten gold glow of his irises.
"Now, now," he said. His index finger propped my chin before gently pushing it up. "Might want to keep that jaw shut. Otherwise, you’ll be catching a mouthful of flies."
I hadn’t even realized that my mouth had fallen wide open until I properly registered his words. But once I did, my cheeks burned with embarrassment.
All my life, I had never seen such a gorgeous man before. Even if I ignored the wild thumping of my heart and the crazy onslaught of butterflies in my stomach that told me a huge part of my judgment was skewed by a fated attraction towards this stranger, I could still objectively say that he was devilishly handsome.
He seemed to have all the qualities that each of the triplets was missing that could’ve made them perfect. On top of that, he didn’t speak to me as though I were the scum of the earth.
"Do you have to be such a playboy?" the healer asked, rolling his eyes. He seemed exasperated as he shook his head. "The poor thing just woke up. Cut her some slack."
Slowly, I turned my gaze back onto Ralph. He was the only familiar face here. Why was he even here was another question, but more than that, I wanted to know where here was.
"We’re in the forest a distance away from Shadowclaw," Ralph said with a sigh. He ran a hand down his face, looking even more tired than usual. "We were on the way to the Bloodmoon Pack. However, it is too long a journey for you to travel in this state. For now, you’re safe here."
"The Bloodmoon Pack?" I asked, frowning.
I had never heard of this pack before. Granted, it wasn’t as though I had a lot of opportunities to interact with members of other packs. My position in Shadowclaw had to be the furthest away from someone who could have diplomatic relations with other packs. Thus, not having heard of the Bloodmoon Pack didn’t surprise me.
There was just something a little different about Ralph. Back in Shadowclaw, he always looked a little shy and quiet. He worked around like a mouse, afraid that one wrong step would send the Alphas after him. Now, his body language exuded confidence, even while relaxed.
Was this even the Ralph I knew? Maybe I really did step into an alternate dimension.
"Yes," Ralph answered with a nod. "I―"
He was abruptly cut off by a cough. Everyone turned to look at the silver-haired man, who only gave a small, relaxed smile. Ralph huffed.
"Forgive me," he said. "Allow me to introduce the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack― Lucien Hadeon."
My eyes widened. First, because he was Lucien, the man I was planning to search for. Second, because he also bore the Hadeon last name. That would explain why he looked so much like Rowan, Soren, and Cassian.
He was related to them.
"If you can even call it a pack," the healer commented under his breath with a roll of his eyes. Ralph awkwardly laughed.
"This," Ralph said, gesturing to the healer, "is Ezekiel. He is the pack healer."
"Please just call me Zeke," the man in the coat said. He pushed his glasses further up his nose. Even though he didn’t wear a smile, his tone felt warmer and friendlier than most people I had spoken to in Shadowclaw. "’Ezekiel’ is a mouthful."
"Anyway," Ralph continued, "you need not worry. No member of Shadowclaw will be able to find you here. They won’t even have the time to do so, considering the current state the pack is in right now."
"I wasn’t worried," I honestly confessed. "I’m just... confused." I frowned.
My eyes flickered over to Lucien, surprised to realize he was already staring at me. Instantly, I looked away, my cheeks heating up.
Goddess, what was happening to me? I needed to get a grip on myself. My heart had to be racing a thousand miles an hour with the rate it was thumping against my chest. It felt as though my ribcage would crack due to the intensity of it.
"How did I get here?" I croaked. "What happened? The last thing I remember was..." I trailed off.
I remembered riding on a black wolf’s back. It looked just like the triplets, and I would bet that the wolf was none other than Lucien. I faintly recalled that he seemed to respond to the name as well when I tried calling him that.
Then, I passed out. I couldn’t remember anything else after that.
"You’ve been unconscious for almost two days," the healer said, filling in the blanks for me as though he could read my mind. "Your vitals are fine now, but you have a very bad case of wolfsbane poisoning. We had to stop to get you medical treatment, or you would’ve died on the road."
"Wolfsbane poisoning?" I asked, frowning.
Now that was odd. I was never administered any wolfsbane for punishment. Those were typically reserved for traitors to the pack, and even after Willow’s supposed death, when I was branded as the murderer, the Alphas had never ordered that I be poisoned with wolfsbane.
Not that getting my head lopped off by a silver blade was any better, but still.
"That can’t be possible," I said slowly. "I was never exposed to it."
"There are many ways a werewolf could be affected by wolfsbane," he calmly said. "You don’t necessarily have to ingest it. Even touching a mixture made of its sap or breathing in the crushed petals could affect you long term."
I pursed my lips together, trying to think of any possible occasion. However, none came to mind.
"You don’t have to recall every last detail right now," Lucien said, stepping forward. "For now, you should rest and recover."
"As much as I hate to agree with Lucien, that will indeed be for the best," Zeke said, checking the documents on his clipboard. "Your body is still weak from blood loss..."
Whatever Zeke said afterwards, I didn’t hear. The words ’blood loss’ rang in my ears, and I felt my world spin ever so slightly. A bitter taste flooded my mouth, and I clawed at my chest.
"―ar? Briar!"
"Huh?" I snapped awake, looking back up again.
The first thing I saw was Lucien’s face. He had moved to the bed without me noticing, his hand gently covering mine. His eyes were filled with worry, carefully observing my every expression as though I were a puzzle that needed to be solved.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
