Chapter 7 Her Defender

• Serena’s POV
• As my eyes open, a long breath leaves my throat. I hear a door slam open and my gaze shifts towards the silhouette of a woman stalking towards me. I try to focus my vision as hard as I can and I remember the girl to be Aria, the beta’s daughter and Luian’s current girlfriend.
• I look around in panic. There is no one else in the room. As I avert my gaze back towards her, she smirks evilly as she notices the fear on my face. I know Aria hates me. She threatened to feed my body to vultures when I’m finally killed so I know her being here is not good for me.
• I try to lift my body from the bed but I wince in pain as the wound on my shoulder forces me to lay back down. She walks towards me and takes a seat on my bed, until she’s face to face with me and all I see in her eyes is evil. I blink several times, trying to get my eyes to focus but it’s impossible. Everything is still hazy.
• I have never been in this much pain before and my pain tolerance is nonexistent. I can’t feel my arm. I can only feel my body trying its best not to give up.
• “You know you’re pretty lucky you don’t have your wolf yet. The bullets those rogues had were laced with wolfsbane. I’m pretty sure you would have been dead by now if you could feel the effects of wolfsbane.” She smirks at me as she pushes a loc of hair away from my face.
• I twist my face in pain when she suddenly tightens her hold on my hair, adding to the pain that I am already feeling.
• “You just don’t want to die, do you?” She asks with pure hatred in her voice. “Or maybe the people trying to kill you are just incompetent. Maybe I’ll give it a go. I assure you, I never miss.”
• “What do you want from me!? Just leave me alone. Get out of here!”
• I feel a sharp pain on my cheek. My weak body jolts at the force of her slap, forcing my head in the other direction as I try to catch my breath. She stands up from the bed and starts pacing back and forth in the room.
• “I just don’t understand why he saved you! He should have just let you die.” She talks to herself as she continues walking back and forth and I am certain that she has lost her mind. She’s crazy, desperate for Lucian’s attention and approval and she’s taking her jealousy out on me, even if we all know Lucian doesn’t care about me.
• “I mean nothing to him. So if you’re acting out on some sort of jealousy-“
• “Jealousy!?” She cuts me off and snaps her head towards me. And then she starts laughing.
• “Do you really think you’re worth being jealous of? You’re just a worthless little rogue wolf. You are nothing. Your life means nothing. Your existence is a joke. You are vermin. You are worthless and all you are is a distraction to Lucian.”
• I can only keep my mouth shut because I’m scared anything that comes out of it will only annoy her.
• “What exactly will this mate bond do for him? How exactly will it help him? It won’t make him stronger. I am the only person who can offer him strength. You will only make him weak.”
• “I don’t want Lucian. I have neve wanted any of this and I will gladly accept to break the mate bond once I have my wolf. I don’t want anything to do with any of you! You all disgust me.”
• She smirks at me her eyes widening at me as she folds her arms across her chest. “You say that now, but you haven’t felt the mate bond before. You have no idea what it does to a person. You have no idea what it means to feel like your very soul is connected to someone else. The very thought of breaking the mate bond with that person makes you feel like you are losing a part of yourself.” She explains.
• “I had to force my mate to accept the rejection so it wasn’t a painful experience for me. I was strong but you, you are so weak. I am not sure you will have the courage and strength it takes to accept the rejection once you feel it. So, you know what? I think it’s best you die now. You’re a dead girl anyways. I am sure the alpha will find another rogue to replace you.”
• As soon as Aria finishes her sentence, she pulls out a dagger that I didn’t even know she had. She could have killed me the moment she walked into this room and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it, because no matter how evil she is and no matter how much I hate her, I cannot deny the truth.
• I am weak. If faced with real danger, I can never do enough to protect myself because I am weak and the thought of it annoys me. It makes me feel so small, so helpless.
• I can’t stop the tears from falling as she walks towards me. I close my eyes and take deep breaths, waiting for her to plunge the metal into my chest.
• “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Before I can take another breath, Lucian dashes towards Aria. Her dagger falls to the floor as Lucian pins her to the wall.
• “I want her dead, Lucian! Her presence here is a big mistake and you know it. Just let me finish her off before she becomes an even bigger problem.” Aria yells at the top of her lungs as she shakes her body ferociously in a futile attempt to push Lucian away but it’s useless.
• “Did I not make myself extremely clear when I asked you to mind your business, Aria?” Lucian’s voice is deep and velvety and although I know he doesn’t care about me, a part of me still feels like I can be safe with him, at least for now, before I get my wolf and he offers me to his father on a silver platter.
• I close my eyes and let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding in.
• “You’re making a mistake Lucian. You’re not thinking straight right now. You’re blinded by the mate bond. I just want to help you see clearly. I want to help you see that this girl will only slow you down Lucian.”
• “Shut up Aria!” Lucian’s voice resonates in the entire room making Aria immediately shut her mouth.
• “You do not question my intelligence! You do not tell me what to do! You do nothing without consulting me first and you definitely do not try to kill my mate! I thought I was especially clear when I told you the girl is not your problem but apparently you did not comprehend me. Whatever happens now is your own fault.”
• Lucian says simply and lets go of Aria. She looks at him with confusion on her face. “What do you mean Lucian?”
• “Guard!” Lucian calls out and a guard immediately walks into the room.
• “Ensure that Aria has all her things packed and is out of the castle in two hours. She is not to show her face here again until I say so.” Lucian says easily leaving Aria standing in front of him dumbfounded.
• “I want no arguments or justifications Aria. I just want you gone. When you get your head right, then maybe I will rethink my decision. Any more disobedience from you will make me react in more unpleasant ways so please, Aria, do not make me repeat myself again.”
• I watch the scene in front of me with wide eyes. I know Lucian is ruthless but seeing it in action like this, it scares me and all it does it tell me that being mated to someone like him will be nothing short of living in hell.
• Without another word, the guard leads Aria out of the room, she slams the door shut behind her and now I am left alone with another devil, one even more evil and dangerous than Aria.