Divorced by the Alpha, Claimed by the Rogue Chapter 83

Lucian’s pov

"What did you just say?" Ilya’s voice cut through the damp air of the room. She stepped closer, her eyes boring into mine. "You love ?"

"Yes," I replied, forcing the word out with as much steady conviction as I could muster.

Suddenly, she burst into a jagged, mocking laugh. The sound echoed off the walls, sharp and entirely devoid of real warmth. "I didn’t realize you were this hilarious, Lucian," she spat, her amusent instantly vanishing into a cold sneer. "What do you think is going to happen? You say you love , and I just fall for your pathetic lies and set you free? You clearly aren’t understanding the situation you’re in. I am going to kill you."

Her tone was deadly serious, but I didn’t let my expression waiver. I had to play this perfectly.

"You can’t kill , Ilya. You and I both know that," I said, leaning forward as much as my restraints would allow. "You love . I was actually about to confess my feelings to you back then, before you ran away."

"If I hadn’t escaped, they would have killed !" she scread, her composure cracking as raw agony flashed across her face. "Just like they killed my parents! And it was all because of you!"

"You’re mistaken, Ilya. I would never do that to you or your family," I urged, keeping my voice calm, pleading with her to listen. "I was frad. I wasn’t even in the village when the attack happened."

She tilted her head, her gaze narrowing into slits. "Did you take the substance, or not?"

"I didn’t," I swore, looking her straight in the eyes. "I truly never took any substance. I don’t need synthetic power to prove what I am. Whoever told you I had a hand in this deceived you. I had absolutely nothing to do with it."

I saw the flicker of hesitation in her eyes. Confusion crossed her features, blurring her rage. It’s working, I thought. This was my only shot. I needed to keep pushing, to chip away at her armor.

"You were the best thing that ever happened to , Ilya," I said softly, letting the mory of the past soften my voice. "Your family took in when no one else would give shelter. Why would I ever do anything to hurt the people who saved ? Just think about it. Think about the night it happened. I was sent away on purpose to help a neighboring village. How could I have known it was all just a setup to get out of the way?"

She swallowed hard, her chest heaving as she processed my words. "Then why did you never return?"

"I did return," I countered imdiately. "But by the ti I got back, you were already gone. I found out what happened to your family, and I searched for you. I really did, Ilya. I never took that substance. I didn’t do this to them."

She stared at , her hands trembling slightly as she battled with her own mind. "Why should I believe a single word you’re saying?"

"Because you love ," I whispered, holding her gaze. "I know you do. And because you love , you don’t actually want to see dead. You need to release , Ilya."

Silence stretched between us. She just stood there, staring down at , her face unreadable. My heart battered against my ribs in the quiet room. I could only pray that my words had struck a chord and that she would actually undo these bonds.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"I will release you," she said, her voice dropping to a low, calculated purr. "On one condition. You agree to marry ."

My eyes widened. A jolt of shock went straight through .

"You know I love you," she continued, stepping even closer until she was towering over . "And I have no family left. I want to avenge the people who did this to . Marry , Lucian. Together, we will be the strongest."

I stared up at her, utterly bewildered. My mind raced in a dozen different directions, panic clawing at the edges of my thoughts. There was absolutely no way in hell I could marry this woman. Alina was out there. Alina was probably at ho right now, waiting for , wondering where I was.

"What are you thinking about?" Ilya’s sharp voice snapped right out of my thoughts. She leaned in closer, her jaw tight, her fingers twitching with impatience. "Are you going to marry or not?"

I forced my racing mind to slow down. Keeping my expression as calm as possible, I looked up at her and let a faint, weary smile trace my lips. I just needed to buy ti.

But the small smile backfired.

Ilya stepped back, her eyes widening as a look of bitter realization crossed her face. "You’re lying," she whispered, her voice trembling before turning into a venomous hiss. "I knew it. You never loved . You just said all of that to stop , didn’t you? You just wanted to let you go."

"Ilya, listen to —"

"No! Forget it!" she scread, completely unhinged now. The fragile hope in her eyes completely died, replaced by a terrifying, blank darkness. "I’m done listening to you. I will kill you, and then I’ll kill myself. We can both go et our parents in the afterlife!"

Before I could even process her words, she reached into her jacket and pulled sothing out.

It was a small vial filled with a dark, volatile substance. The mont she uncorked it, a pungent, toxic odor flooded the small room. The thick, burning scent hit the back of my throat, suffocating , entirely overwhelming my senses. My wolf roared in absolute agony inside my mind, thrashing against the pure poison of the sll. It was draining my strength by the second. If she poured that down my throat, or even spilled it on my skin, I was dead.

She raised the vial, her hand shaking with lethal intent, ready to end it for both of us.

"Stop!" I choked out, the overwhelming stench making my head spin as I fought against the chains. "Stop! I’ll do it! I will marry you!"