Chapter 73: She Was Never A Prisoner
"Alpha Lucien..." Sienna trailed off, her eyes wide and almost a little teary as she stared at us. Her eyes locked onto Lucien’s hand at my waist, her lips trembling with indignation. Sienna’s words failed her because she knew that Lucien was right.
On the other hand, my eyes widened to the size of saucers. I had prepared myself to be reprimanded for my actions, maybe even for Lucien to publicly deny that I was his fated mate. However, I had never expected that he would stand up for me so surely and quickly.
"Bloodmoon’s role of Alpha and Luna had always been passed to the strongest fighters of either gender," Lucien said. "If Briar has won you in a duel that you’ve started, according to tradition, you should be passing down the role of Luna to her."
"Alpha Lucien, how can you suggest such a thing!" Georgia cried out. "That is a preposterous suggestion! She is a prisoner!"
"Who said that Briar was a prisoner?" Zeke asked, sighing as he shook his head.
Everyone’s attention turned to him. Even Sienna and the other two girls had whipped their heads around so quickly that I was worried for a second that their necks might snap.
"B-But... But―" Isabella stuttered as she exchanged glances with Georgia. Wedged in the middle of those two girls, Sienna’s face paled. "If she’s not a prisoner, then―"
Zeke huffed, folding his arms across his chest. "I don’t know where you girls got the idea from, but Briar is not a prisoner of war. Did you really think that we attacked the Shadowclaw Pack for the fun of it?"
"We stole some things..." Georgia said, trailing off.
"That’s right," Isabella said, nodding. "I thought we attacked them to steal what we could, and to get a hostage so that we could bargain for more."
"If we wanted a hostage, we would’ve taken someone much more important," Zeke snapped. "What use would we have for some weak, wolfless omega servant who the Alphas of Shadowclaw couldn’t give two fucks about?"
I flinched, feeling a jab in my chest at that subtle, indirect dig. It was the truth, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt to hear it.
"Zeke," Lucien said, his tone stern.
Zeke merely huffed at Lucien’s reminder, shaking his head as he raised his hands in surrender. "I am going back to the infirmary."
With that, he left without another word. Now that he was gone, all that was left was Lucien and me, along with those three girls who looked like they were about to cry. Sienna’s face was as red as a tomato, and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
Sienna stared at Lucien, biting on her bottom lip. She looked like she had plenty of grievances she would like to first air out, but she wasn’t sure where best to start.
At the same time, I felt a dull throb in my dominant arm, and whenever I moved my wrist, a sharp pain would jolt through my body. I had been through enough accidents to know that this was never a good sign.
"Lucien..." Sienna said, her eyes watering. "I―"
I zoned out and moved my hands, trying to check whether I could fix this myself or if I needed Zeke to have a look at my wrist. My guess was that I had perhaps sprained my hand while throwing Sienna. After all, this was a rare display of strength for me, and not something that I often did. It could be possible that I had injured myself as a result.
I didn’t realize that Lucien’s eyes were watching me the entire time. The moment I sucked in a sharp gasp of air through my teeth due to the rush of pain, he reached down. Lucien’s one hand went under my knees, and the other supported my back, easily lifting me off the ground.
I yelped in surprise, clutching onto him for dear life.
"Alpha Lucien?" Sienna said, only to receive Lucien’s cold shoulder.
"W-Wait!" I called out, but Lucien paid me no heed. "Where are we going?"
Instead of replying, he started to head in the same direction as Zeke did. The crowd naturally carved out a path for him to allow him passage.
We entered the tent, and Lucien immediately set me down on the same bed that I had just left.
"Her arm seems to be injured," Lucien said, calling over his shoulder at Zeke who was looking through some papers. "Come have a look."
My eyes widened. I hadn’t expected Lucien to notice I was in pain. It felt strange to have someone notice even the most minute changes in my expression. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, of course.
"Always so stingy with your pleases and thank yous," Zeke grumbled under his breath. Nevertheless, he came over without delay, adjusting the thin frames of his glasses.
He sat down on the stool next to the bed, reaching for my hand.
Only to be slapped away by Lucien like a scandalized maiden.
"What are you doing?" Lucien barked.
"Examining her hand. What else could I be doing?" Zeke shot back, raising an eyebrow.
Lucien huffed. "There’s no need for you to hold her hand," he grumbled sulkily under his breath.
I nearly thought I had hallucinated Lucien’s words, but Zeke’s reaction told me that wasn’t the case.
Zeke rolled his eyes. "Not everyone has the intention of stealing your girl away from you. Do you want her examined or not? I have other better things to do otherwise."
Lucien scoffed before shuffling to one side. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes firmly trained on Zeke’s hand where he touched my arm.
"Let me know if there’s any pain," Zeke flatly said, entirely ignoring Lucien’s scorching hot gaze.
Despite his scathing words, Zeke’s touch was gentle. He lifted my hand and twisted it in a few angles. Some of them were alright, some had a mild throb. However, when he twisted it in a specific direction, a sharp pain jolted through me, and I flinched, pulling out of his grip on instinct.
