Chapter 109: LOVING YOU IS MY GREATEST PRIVILEGE

Chapter 110

Lumi

The warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders did little to stop the cold shiver deep inside my bones.

Sitting in the heavy silence of Ren’s private study, every time I closed my eyes, I was dragged right back to the terrifying moments before everything shattered.

It had all started earlier with a simple, sweet promise. Ren had gone out to get something special for me...a small surprise he refused to name.

He had kissed my forehead, told me he would be back in twenty minutes, and walked out the front door.

But fifty minutes passed, and there was still no sign of him.

My heart had started pounding against my ribs. Ren was never late, especially not when he knew I was waiting for him.

I kept turning my head toward the window, watching the heavy rain pour down, feeling a cold knot of worry tighten in my stomach. Why was he taking so long? Why hadn’t he called?

Neve had come upstairs shortly after to check on me, just like she did every single day. When she noticed the empty room and saw how anxious I was, she smiled softly and decided to stay and keep me company until he returned.

"He probably just got caught talking to one of the border guards, Lumi," Neve had reassured me gently, helping me sit up on the edge of the bed.

"You know how Ren is. He loses track of time when he’s taking care of pack business. Let’s work on your physical therapy session while we wait."

We had spent the next twenty minutes slowly working on my weak leg. Neve stood right beside me, holding my hand, patiently guiding me through each step across the wooden floorboards.

I was just beginning to relax, trying to convince myself that Ren was completely fine, when Neve suddenly froze dead in her tracks.

She dropped my hand, her body stiffening as her nostrils flared.

"Neve?" I had asked, my voice trembling. "What is it?"

"Blood," Neve whispered, her eyes turning wide with instant fear. "And... silver."

Before she could even take a step toward the doorway, the heavy front doors downstairs were blasted completely off their hinges with a deafening crash.

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a shaky breath as I leaned against Ren’s side on the leather couch.

His large, warm hands wrapped around mine, holding them tight. His wrists, fully healed without a single scar, felt solid and comforting against my skin.

"You don’t have to replay the horror, Lumi," Ren whispered softly, lifting my hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss against my knuckles.

"You’re safe now. They are locked deep in the dungeon. No one is ever going to hurt you or Neve again."

"I know," I said, looking up into his dark, loving eyes.

"But when I smelled that silver, I knew something terrible had happened to you. Callum walked through the front doors with ten armed rogues. He didn’t care about pack laws. He came straight for us."

Ren’s jaw clenched tightly, a shadow of pure rage passing across his face as he listened.

"Neve tried so hard to protect me, Ren," I continued, my voice breaking slightly.

"She didn’t hesitate for a second. She grabbed a silver blade and fought like a true warrior. She cut down the first rogue who tried to reach me, but Callum was too fast. He grabbed her by the throat, lifted her off her feet, and slammed her straight into the stone wall."

Ren’s grip on my fingers tightened, his chest heaving as he pictured his sister being hurt.

"I begged him," I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes.

"When Neve hit the floor, bleeding from her shoulder, Callum turned his eyes to me. He pulled out a dagger, bared his fangs, and came at herbneck.

I screamed and pleaded with him to take my life instead. I begged him to spare Neve because she was innocent. I told him to do whatever he wanted to me, as long as he let her live."

"And the coward shot her anyway," Ren growled, his voice deep and rough with suppressed anger.

"Yes," I said softly. "He shot her in the shoulder to keep her down, tied my hands with thick rope, and threw us both into the trunk of a car.

They took us to that old mill to trap you. My father and Callum knew you would come for me. They planned to use my weakness to destroy you."

Ren pulled me close, wrapping his strong arm around my waist and pressing his forehead against mine.

"And I walked right into it, Lumi. I stood there without my wolf and took three silver bullets to my chest just to get one step closer to where you were lying.

When my heart stopped beating on that floor, all I could think about was how much I loved you, and how sorry I was for failing to protect you."

"You didn’t fail me," I insisted firmly, resting my palm flat against his chest, feeling his heart beating strong, steady, and fast.

"When I touched your hand, when I felt you slipping away into the dark, something broke open inside my soul. For nineteen years, everyone in my life told me I was broken. They called me wolfless. They pitied me and treated me like a useless human."

A soft, emotional smile broke through my tears as I looked into his eyes.

"My wolf wasn’t missing, Ren," I said softly. "She was just sleeping. She was saving every drop of her ancient power for the exact moment the man I love needed a miracle." Ren stared at me with pure wonder and devotion.

"The glowing white wolf," he murmured, his voice filled with reverence. "You healed my body, Lumi. You burned the poison straight out of my blood and brought me back from the edge of death."

"When our hands connected, it felt like two pieces of the same soul snapping into place," I whispered. "I felt your strength flow into me, and mine flow into you. It meant I didn’t do it, we both did together. We aren’t separate anymore, Ren. We’re a team."

"We are," Ren agreed, his dark eyes glowing with an unbreakable promise. "Forever."

A quiet knock sounded at the study door, breaking our quiet moment. Darren stepped inside, his face tired but relieved, holding a set of heavy iron keys.

"Alpha," Darren said respectfully, bowing his head. "Callum and Lumi’s father are secured in silver chains in the lowest level of the dungeons. Julian is upstairs keeping watch over Neve. She’s resting peacefully now, completely healed thanks to Lumi."

Ren stood up from the couch, his posture turning rigid and powerful, stepping back into his role as the supreme Alpha of the pack.

"Is the pack waiting outside?" Ren asked, his voice low and commanding.

"Every single person," Darren answered. "Word spread fast about the white wolf and the golden light over the timber mill. They know what happened at the gates, and they know who saved us. The whole pack is gathered near the council hall, waiting for you."

"Tell them to wait until morning," Ren instructed softly, his tone softening as he turned back toward me. "My mate needs rest tonight. We will address the entire pack at sunrise."

"Understood, Alpha," Darren bowed once more and quietly closed the door behind him, leaving us in peaceful solitude once again.

I took a deep breath and pushed the warm blanket off my shoulders, preparing to stand up from the leather couch.

"I should go to the bedroom and check on Neve before I sleep," I said, sliding my feet toward the floorboards.

Before my bare soles could touch the rug, Ren stepped forward and effortlessly scooped me up into his arms.

One of his broad arms rested securely under my knees while the other supported my back, pulling me snugly against his wide chest.

I gasped in surprise, automatically wrapping my arms around his neck to anchor myself.

I looked into his dark, handsome face, feeling a gentle warmth flush through my cheeks.

"Ren," I said, a faint laugh escaping my lips. "What are you doing? Put me down."

"I am carrying you upstairs," he replied simply, taking a solid step toward the door.

"Ren, I can walk on my own," I reminded him, shaking my head with a soft smile.

"My leg feels much better, and the white wolf’s power healed me completely. I don’t need to be carried anymore."

Ren paused in the doorway, his dark eyes meeting mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.

The gentle golden light that now permanently bonded our wolves flared softly in the depths of his gaze.

"I know you can walk on your own, Lumi," he whispered, his voice deep, rich, and brimming with endless devotion.

"I know how strong you are. I know you carry the most powerful wolf this pack has ever seen. But knowing you can walk doesn’t mean I don’t want to carry you."

He tightened his grip on me slightly, leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss against the side of my neck, right over my pulse point.

"You spent your whole life having to be strong all by yourself," Ren continued as he started walking up the grand staircase, his footfalls silent against the carpet.

"You spent years fighting through pain while everyone around you failed to see who you really were. So let me do this. Let me take care of you. Not because you are weak, but because you are my mate, and loving you is my greatest privilege."

I rested my head against his shoulder, listening to the steady, rhythmic pounding of his heart beneath his shirt.

I closed my eyes, breathing in his comforting scent of pine and rain, feeling safer than I had ever felt in my entire life.

"Okay," I murmured softly, tightening my arms around his neck. "Take care of me."