A Queen's Dark Prison

Chapter 7: A Target

-Valerio-

The run had definitely been necessary. They were right. Of course, they were. I was just stubborn and in so much pain that it was hard for me to see clearly. I was lucky to have this family, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel just as alone and in pain as the run was over, and I saw everyone leave with their mates. Lucian was the only one left, and we sat down on the couches to drink.

“Is this where you offer me a seat too?” he teased me.

I chuckled.

“Didn’t you hand over the pack to Maddy and Evan?” I asked.

He nodded, smiling and raising his glass.

“Best decision ever,” he said.

“Why?” I inquired.

Lucian sighed, then scratched the side of his stomach. There was no doubt Lucian was from an upper-class family. Always looking so perfect, even though he had traded thousand-dollar suits for leather jackets and pants and carried guns.

Yet, there was something about him that changed his whole pretty boy look, and that was the enormous burn scar on the side of his stomach that his hand was running over just now.

It was still surreal to look at it, as if it shouldn’t be on someone like him. I knew his family had died in a tragic fire, leaving Maddy’s and Kate’s father in charge of the pack, but since Lucian had come of age, it should be him who was in charge. Yet he didn’t seem to want to be.

“We all have our secrets,” he said.

That we did. But what was his?

“Don’t ask,” he warned me.

“You’re acting all secretive. Why shouldn’t I?” I countered, smiling a bit smugly, before sipping my drink.

He chuckled a little.

“I know you want to know. Kate and Maddy always did, but I don’t want to think about that night,” he said.

“It almost seems like you’re implying there is more to it than just a fire.”

It wasn’t the first time I had thought about this. Before Chris was taken, he had directly asked Lucian once why that scar was on his body and how he got it. He just mentioned his family’s death and shrugged. But then Chris had pressed for details, and Lucian had gotten quiet, as if he didn’t want to talk about the details, like he was hiding something.

Maybe he was. As he said, we all have our secrets, and there was definitely more to the scar than what you could see. His eyes met mine, and I could see it in them. There were secrets hiding behind them. Secrets that had kept him from ever wanting to be the alpha he could be.

“You know what it’s like to watch your family die, right?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Do you… Do you ever think about that night and try to figure out what you could have done differently?”

I hesitated, then nodded once more. I had thought about it many times. I had pondered many times what would have happened if I had done what my father told me to and followed Rider to get our mother and sister. Would they be alive today if I had? Would my father? Would I?

“Too often,” I admitted.

“And what’s your answer? Could you have changed anything?”

I sighed and shook my head.

“No, I don’t believe I could have. We were surrounded. Half the pack was dead before the mad king and his followers even reached the castle. The other half was on their way to their knees. My family was one of the last ones standing, and over half of them died that night. My brother, my sister, my mother, and my father. For years, I thought I was the only one alive. Turns out now, that’s not true,” I said.

“Well, I don’t see it that way,” he told me.

“What?”

“I could have done something.”

“Why do you think that?” I inquired.

He looked away, taking another sip.

“I just know,” he stated.

“Is this why you don’t want to be alpha?” I asked. “Because you think you let down your family, and therefore, you can’t rule? Lucian, I can’t tell you how many here have thought-“

“That isn’t it,” he quickly interjected, his eyes meeting mine.

I looked at him, puzzled. “Then what?”

He sighed and finished what was left in his glass.

“An alpha shouldn’t have a target on his back. It will only put his pack in danger,” he explained.

I was shocked. Lucian? A target? That made no sense. He had lived with his uncle, aunt, Maddy, and Kate most of his life. Before that, he lived with his parents. He had lived a protected life, though. How on earth did an alpha like him get a target on his back?

“You seem surprised,” he remarked.

“It’s just unexpected,” I replied. “Someone like you—"

“Shouldn’t have a target on his back? No, but I do," he cut in.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked.

“Were you planning to kick me out?”

“Should I be concerned about who might be coming for you?” I inquired.

He shook his head. “I don’t believe he will come anytime soon. I hope he never does, but I can’t be naïve enough to think my past will stay buried. It never does.”

No, I couldn’t deny that. Still, it did make me wonder.

“The pack is in good hands with Maddy and Evan. They lead it well. Much better than my uncle and aunt did,” he stated.

I could only agree with that. They had done an excellent job as luna and alpha, and those two were a strong couple. It was strange to see Evan so happy now. Before, he had always been grumpy and dark. It seemed like Lucian had taken on that role a bit.

“Don’t you think your pack would have your back?” I asked.

Lucian shook his head. “They probably would want to, but they can't."

“Why not?” I asked.

Lucian sighed and placed his glass on the table in front of him.

“This is the part I hope remains buried,” he confided.

I sighed too. “Very well, but if the past comes back to haunt you now…”

“No, I don’t think he would ever join Connor,” he assured me.

“No, and why not?” I inquired.

“Because you aren’t what he’s after.”

“Many have joined Connor for something other than me,” he said.

“It isn’t his way. He likes to be the one in charge,” Lucian explained.

“I wish I knew who we were talking about.”

Lucian just smiled a little. “If he ever comes back for me, I will handle it. I won’t let you all get involved.”

“We are family now,” I reminded him. “You don’t think I would have preferred to stay in my office?”

We both chuckled.

“Yeah, I know. I don’t think Kate and Maddy would ever let me deal with this alone, but even they don’t know about this,” he admitted.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want them involved. It’s my mistake, and I need to fix it.”

“Is this where you tell me it’s your fault your family died?” I asked, thinking I was starting to figure it out.

He shook his head.

“It wasn’t my fault,” he affirmed. “I never believed that.”

“But you still think you could have changed something.”

He nodded. “I know I could, but life is never that simple. We don’t get a do-over.”

He was right about that.

“Now,” he said, standing up, “I’ll let you get back to work.”

“And what will you do?”

“I’ll go burn off some more energy,” he replied, walking outside again.

I knew the wise thing might be to follow him and get him to talk about why he had a target on his back, but I didn’t. Instead, I went back to focusing on my own work.