Chapter 118: Worried

OLIVIA’S POV

I stared at the message, reading it again to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood.

The woman who saved Lucian in the forest was his mate?

And he had never told me?

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching from the rooftop entrance. I quickly placed the phone exactly where I had found it, but my heart was already pounding.

"Olivia?"

I looked up and found Lucian standing a few feet away, holding a small gift bag and smiling at me.

"I hope I didn’t keep you waiting."

I stared at him, suddenly unable to return his smile. The man standing before me had a fated mate somewhere, and all this time, he’d kept it a secret from me. I didn’t even know what hurt more: the fact that he had a mate or the fact that he’d deliberately hidden something so important from me.

Lucian’s smile slowly faded when he noticed my expression.

"Olivia? What’s wrong?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out. Normally, I would have pretended that everything was fine. I would have kept what I’d discovered to myself until I had enough time to think about it, but this was different. I couldn’t sit there smiling at him when I had just discovered something that could change everything between us.

Without saying anything, I picked up his phone and held it out toward him.

Lucian looked at the phone before turning his confused gaze toward me.

"What is it?"

"Take it."

He took the phone from me, still looking confused, and glanced at the screen. The moment he saw the notifications, his expression changed. His smile disappeared completely, and when he looked back at me, I could see that he already knew what was wrong.

"Olivia..."

"Is it true?"

He looked at me for a moment before taking a step closer.

"Olivia, please. I can explain."

I let out a disbelieving laugh, although there was nothing funny about the situation.

"Explain what, Lucian? That you have a mate somewhere and you never thought to tell me?"

He sighed and placed the gift bag on the table.

"Yes, Olivia. The woman who saved me in the forest is my fated mate."

For a moment, I couldn’t say anything. I had already read the message, but hearing him admit it made everything feel even more real. I felt a painful tightness in my chest, and suddenly, the beautiful evening we’d been enjoying seemed like something that had happened a long time ago.

"You have a mate," I repeated quietly.

"Yes, but I need you to understand something. I’ve stopped looking for her. I already instructed my tracker to abandon the search because I don’t want to find her anymore."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"And you think that’s supposed to make me feel better?"

"Olivia, that’s not what I meant."

"Then what exactly do you mean? You told me about the woman who saved your life. You told me what happened in that forest, but you conveniently left out the part where she turned out to be your mate."

"I know, and I’m sorry."

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

Lucian ran a hand through his hair, looking troubled.

"Because I was afraid something like this would happen. I knew that if I told you about her, you would start worrying about our relationship. I didn’t want something that happened in the past to come between us, especially when I’ve already decided that you’re the woman I want."

I shook my head, struggling to understand how he could have thought keeping such a secret was the right thing to do.

"Lucian, you should have allowed me to make that decision for myself. You can’t keep something like this from me simply because you’re afraid of how I’ll react."

"You’re right," he admitted quietly. "I should have told you. I just didn’t want to lose you."

His last words made my chest ache. I looked away from him, trying to understand how I was supposed to feel. Part of me appreciated that he had stopped searching for the woman, but another part couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if she eventually appeared. After all, it wasn’t as though he could simply erase the bond because he’d decided he no longer wanted it.

After a moment, I turned back toward him.

"How did you even know she was your mate?"

Lucian pulled out his chair and sat down.

"It happened when she came to help me. I was badly injured, and I could barely move. But the moment she approached me, my wolf recognized her."

"Your wolf?"

He nodded.

"Yes. He started howling that she was our mate. I could feel the bond, Olivia. There was no mistaking it."

My stomach tightened at his words. I hated how easily I could imagine the scene and how his wolf must have reacted to the presence of the woman the Moon Goddess had chosen for him.

"Then why didn’t you claim her?"

"Because I couldn’t. I was poisoned and in so much pain that I could barely move, let alone speak properly. She helped me, but I lost consciousness before I could tell her anything. By the time I woke up, she was already gone."

"And she didn’t know you were her mate?"

"I don’t think so. She didn’t say anything about a mate bond, and from what I remember, she didn’t behave as though she’d recognized me."

I lowered my gaze to the table, trying to process everything he was telling me.

"So you’ve been searching for her ever since?"

"Yes. I wanted to find her, but that was before things changed between us. Olivia, I stopped the search because I realized I didn’t want to spend my life chasing after someone I barely knew when the woman I love is right here."

I looked at him, unsure what to say. I wanted to believe him. Goddess knew how badly I wanted to believe every word coming out of his mouth, but there was a part of me that refused to be reassured.

The problem wasn’t that I doubted his feelings for me. I knew Lucian loved me, and I loved him deeply too. But I also knew what a mate bond meant to werewolves. I hadn’t found my own fated mate yet. I didn’t even know what it felt like to recognize one, but I’d heard enough stories to understand how powerful that connection could be.

What if Lucian and I eventually got married? What if we started a family together, only for his fated mate to appear one day? Would he still look at me the same way, or would everything we’d built suddenly mean nothing to him?

"What happens if we decide to be together and your mate suddenly shows up?" I asked.

He frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. What if we get married, and one day, the woman who saved you comes back? What happens then?"

"Nothing will happen, Olivia."

I stared at him.

"Nothing?"

"Yes. Because I won’t leave you for her."

I let out a short laugh, although there was nothing amusing about the situation.

"Lucian, please."

"I’m serious. I love you, Olivia, and no mate bond is going to change that."

I shook my head, wishing his words could be enough to silence the fear growing inside me.

"You’re saying that now because she’s not standing in front of you."

"Olivia, a mate bond doesn’t mean I have no control over my decisions."

"I know that, but you can’t pretend it doesn’t matter either. Your wolf recognized her the moment she approached you, even though you barely knew her. What makes you think those feelings won’t become stronger if you see her again?"

Lucian sighed and reached across the table, attempting to take my hand, but I gently pulled it away. I saw the hurt that flashed across his face, and it made my chest ache, but I couldn’t bring myself to pretend that everything was fine.

"Please, just listen to me," he said. "I know you’re upset, and I understand why. But I need you to believe me when I say that I want to be with you. I don’t care whether the Moon Goddess has chosen someone else for me. You’re the woman I’ve fallen in love with, and that’s not going to change."

I swallowed hard, trying to control the emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

"Lucian, you don’t understand. I haven’t found my mate yet, so I can’t tell you exactly what a mate bond feels like. But I know how powerful it is. What if your wolf starts demanding that you claim her? What happens to me then?"

He looked directly into my eyes.

"I would still choose you."

I laughed bitterly.

"That’s easy to say when you haven’t seen her again."

"Olivia, why are you so convinced that I’ll abandon you?"

"Because I’m scared, Lucian!" I finally admitted, my voice trembling. "I’m scared of giving you my heart, only to wake up one day and discover that the woman the Moon Goddess chose for you has returned. And then what? Am I supposed to compete with your fated mate?"

"You won’t have to compete with anyone."

"How can you promise me that?"

"Because I know what I want."

I shook my head, feeling tears threaten to fill my eyes. I hated how vulnerable I suddenly felt. Just a few minutes ago, I’d been certain about my feelings for him, and now I was wondering whether loving him would eventually leave me heartbroken.

Lucian lowered his gaze, and for several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he finally broke the silence.

"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I thought I was protecting what we have, but I can see now that I only made things worse."

I remained quiet. I knew he was waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t know what to tell him. There were too many questions running through my mind, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear any more explanations.

"Lucian, I want to leave," I finally said.

He looked at me with concern.

"Olivia, please. Can we talk about this? I know you’re upset, but I don’t want us to leave things like this."

I shook my head.

"No, please. I just want to leave. I need some time to think about everything."

He stared at me for a moment before sighing.

"Okay. I understand."

I pushed my chair back and stood, avoiding his eyes. Lucian also stood and picked up the small gift bag he’d brought from his bedroom.

"Olivia, please, at least take your gift."

I glanced at the bag in his hand. Under different circumstances, I would have been excited to see the necklace he’d chosen for me. But right now, I couldn’t even bring myself to smile.

"Lucian, you don’t have to—"

"Please. I bought it for you, and I still want you to have it."

I hesitated briefly before accepting the bag.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"You’re welcome."

He slipped his phone into his pocket before stretching out his hand toward me.

"Shall we?"

I looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before placing mine in his. Despite everything that had happened, his touch still sent butterflies fluttering through my stomach, reminding me just how deeply I loved him.

A moment later, we teleported away from the rooftop.