Divorced by the Alpha, Claimed by the Rogue Chapter 98; The poison crumb

Lucian’s POV

I wrapped my arms even tighter around Alina’s waist, burying my face into the crook of her neck as we lay entangled on the mattress. I held her like she was a phantom who might vanish into the air if I let go for even a single second.

"Lucian..." her soft voice muffled against my chest, a breathless chuckle catching in her throat. "If you continue to hug this way, I might actually suffocate to death."

Hearing her speak, I loosened my grip just a fraction, pulling back enough to look down at her flawless face. I leaned down and pressed a long, desperate kiss against her forehead.

"I was so scared, Alina," I admitted, my voice trembling with a raw, suffocating fear that I couldn’t shake. "Your screams... they completely terrified . I swear to you, I don’t know if I would have ever been able to forgive myself if anything had happened to you."

Alina smiled gently, finally breaking free from the tight hold of my arms. She sat up slightly, reaching out to place both of her warm palms flat against my cheeks. Your touch was the only thing anchoring to sanity. "Nothing is going to happen to , Lucian. I have you. And I know you will never let anyone hurt ."

I shook my head violently, the burning behind my eyelids finally spilling over as hot tears welled in my eyes. "I failed you. I didn’t stop Ilya when she attacked you. I brought that monster into our ho. I caused all of this."

"No," Alina insisted firmly, her thumb wiping away a stray tear from my cheek. "You shouldn’t bla yourself for her madness. We are going to get rid of Ilya eventually. Trust ."

A small, weary smile broke through my panic. I leaned my face into her hand, but as the adrenaline completely faded, the dical mystery of it all caught up to . I looked closely at her skin. "How did your wounds disappear so quickly? I’m an Alpha, and it has never been that easy to get rid of my own minor injuries... let alone a deep, chemical burn like the one she gave you."

Alina paused, an unreadable flash crossing her eyes before she offered a casual shrug. "Maybe I just got lucky. And besides... I am fully bonded to a really strong Alpha, aren’t I? Maybe the strength of our bond is what healed ."

The explanation ward my chest. I leaned forward, capturing her lips in a sweet, lingering kiss before pulling her back into a hug.

"You better leave before Ilya finds you here," Alina whispered against my ear, her voice dripping with an amused tone.

"It’s not funny," I grumbled, my jaw clenching. "I don’t want to be anywhere near that woman."

"You have to go," she reminded softly, pushing at my chest. "What happened to our plan?"

"I really don’t care about the plan anymore," I snapped, the sheer frustration boiling over. "I just want to be with you."

"You will be with forever," Alina promised, her gaze locked onto mine with absolute certainty. "But you need to go right now."

Letting out a heavy, incredibly reluctant sigh, I finally dragged myself off the edge of the bed. I stood up, running a hand through my hair. "This is killing , Alina. And you know that."

"It will all be over eventually," she said, giving a soft, reassuring half-smile.

I turned around and walked out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind . The exact mont I stepped out into the empty hallway, a heavy ache settled into my chest. I instinctively pressed my hand flat against my sternum. I felt entirely hollow, like a piece of my soul remained inside that room the second I was away from her.

Numbing my mind, I forced my feet to carry down the corridor toward Ilya’s private suite. I twisted the handle and pushed the door open.

The mont I stepped inside, my stomach violently turned.

Ilya was standing by the vanity, wearing a revealing, incredibly sexy piece of lingerie. The sheer sight of her skin made feel like puking right then and there.

She turned around, a triumphant smile breaking across her face. "Oh, you are finally here. I see you finally rembered that you actually have a fiancée."

"I didn’t even give you a ring," I countered flatly, crossing my arms as I leaned against the doorfra.

The smug smile on her face faded for a fraction of a second, but she quickly masked it, offering another wide, artificial grin. "It doesn’t matter. We are publicly engaged, and that is final."

She walked over to the side table, picking up a small, beautifully decorated plate. "Look... I made sothing special for you to eat." She walked over, handing a small piece of cake. Her eyes held a strange, desperate gleam. "Eat it. Consider it sothing to get you in the mood for tonight."

I looked down at the pastry with absolute disgust. "I don’t eat cake."

"It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not," Ilya snapped, her voice suddenly dropping into an annoyed, commanding register. "You need to eat it right in front of , Lucian. Or we are going to have a serious problem."

I let out a heavy, irritated sigh, holding the plate loosely in my hand.

Suddenly, Ilya gasped, her face twisting as she tightly clutched her abdon. "One second..." she muttered, her voice straining as a sudden wave of pain hit her stomach. "I... I need to use the bathroom. Do not eat that until I co back out! Do you hear ?"

I simply rolled my eyes as she scrambled across the room and slamd the bathroom door shut behind her.

A sharp, firm knock rattled the entrance to the bedroom.

"Co in," I called out, desperate for any distraction.

The door pushed open, and Ragnar stepped inside. "Lucian, there is sothing incredibly important I need to speak to you about—"

Before Ragnar could even finish his sentence, Boca entered right behind him, his expression tense and guarded.

I looked between the two of them, my brow furrowing. "What’s the problem?"

Ragnar opened his mouth to reply, but his gaze suddenly locked onto the small plate in my hand. He looked at the piece of cake, his stomach letting out a low rumble. "Hey... are you going to eat that? Mind if I take it?"

"Sure," I said without a second thought, practically shoving the plate into his hands. "Take it."

Ragnar smiled, taking the fork and shoving the entire piece of cake into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed it within seconds.

But the exact mont the food hit his stomach, Ragnar’s eyes went completely wide.

The plate shattered against the floorboards as Ragnar instantly collapsed, falling hard onto his knees. He clutched his throat, his face turning an unnatural, suffocating shade of purple as his body began to violently tremble.

"Ragnar!" Boca shouted, his alpha reflexes kicking in. He lunged forward, catching Ragnar’s broad shoulders before he could faceplant onto the floor. "Hey! Are you okay? What’s happening?!"

Ragnar couldn’t even speak. His wild, suffocating gaze on Boca , his fingers clawing at Boca’s arms as he choked for air.

I stood paralyzed, my mind completely confused on what’s happening.

The bathroom door clicked open, and Ilya stepped back out into the room. "Alright, Lucian, I’m—" She stopped "What happened?!" Ilya shrieked, her voice rising into a panicked crescendo. "Where is the cake?!"

I looked up at her, my voice entirely flat. "Ragnar ate it."

"What?!" Ilya scread, her face going completely pale with pure horror.