Chapter 37: The Beast Who Saved Me

Olivia’s POV

​I still couldn’t believe I was back in my bedroom. Only minutes ago, I had been trapped in that pit, watching the water rise and thinking I was going to die. And now, somehow, I was safe, standing right in front of Lucian.

​I stared at him, still struggling to breathe properly. His clothes were completely soaked, his dark hair was dripping wet, and for once, there was no coldness in his eyes.

​Looking at his face, he actually seemed... worried.

​"Are you okay?" he asked again, his voice dropping lower.

​I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

​Was I okay? I didn’t even know. My entire body was still shaking uncontrollably. My fingers wouldn’t stop trembling, and no matter how many times I told myself that I was out of that pit, I could still feel the muddy walls around me. I could still feel the water slowly climbing higher.

​I had almost died.

​The realization hit me so suddenly that something inside me broke. Before I could think about what I was doing, I stepped forward, wrapped my arms around Lucian, and pulled him into a tight hug.

​His entire body went stiff. I felt the sudden shock ripple through him immediately, making him freeze. For one awkward second, neither of us moved. He didn’t wrap his arms back around me, but he didn’t push me away either.

​And honestly? I didn’t care.

​I tightened my arms around him and buried my face against his chest as I began sobbing uncontrollably.

​I had been so sure I was going to die down there. After trying to climb those walls again and again, after screaming until my throat hurt and watching the water rise higher, I had started to believe no one was coming.

​Just minutes ago in that dark, flooded pit, I had accepted my fate. I knew I was going to die. I could literally feel death flickering right before my eyes as the dirty water reached my neck. And then, out of nowhere, he appeared like an angel in the middle of the storm.

​Of all the people who could have found me, it had been him. The same man I had spent the last week arguing with. The same man I had called a beast. The same man who had threatened me, insulted me, and somehow managed to make my life more miserable every single day.

​That same man had saved my life.

​"Thank you, Lucian," I sobbed against his chest, my voice breaking over and over. "Thank you."

​He still didn’t hug me back. Typical. But his body slowly relaxed beneath my arms, and he allowed me to hold on to him for as long as I needed to anchor myself back to reality.

​Eventually, I became aware of what I was doing and quickly pulled away.

​I wiped the wet tears from my cheeks with the back of my shaking hand and awkwardly looked away.

​Lucian stared at me with a completely blank expression for a second before his jaw tightened.

​"What the fuck were you thinking?" he snapped, his voice growing harder. "It was pouring terribly outside! You could barely see anything in that storm, yet you decided it was a good idea to run outside alone?"

​I swallowed hard and looked up at him, answering as calmly as my shaky voice allowed. "I lost something very dear to me."

​His brows pulled together into a deep scowl. "What could possibly be important enough for you to risk your life in weather like that?"

​"My mother’s ribbon," I whispered softly. "I lost it in the herb garden."

​Lucian stared at me for a few seconds before looking away in frustration. "You nearly drowned because of a ribbon! You were almost completely underwater when I found you, Annabel." His eyes snapped back to mine, burning with anger. "Do you even know how to swim?"

​I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Then I closed it.

​Now was probably not the best time to admit that I couldn’t. How was I supposed to tell him that Princess Annabel, a woman who had grown up surrounded by every luxury imaginable, didn’t even know how to swim?

​Lucian stared at me, waiting for an answer. I stared right back in total silence.

​His eyes narrowed. Apparently, my silence answered the question for him. He dragged a hand down his wet face and released a heavy sigh.

​"Go change," he said coldly.

​Before I could say anything, the air around him warped, and he disappeared. Just like that. One second he was standing in front of me, and the next, there was nothing but empty space.

​I blinked. So he really could teleport.

​I slowly moved my feet, but my legs were still weak. I began dragging my feet toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of dirty, muddy water behind me on the clean carpet.

​When I reached the bathroom, I peeled off the heavy, wet nightclothes clinging to my skin and stepped under the warm shower. I closed my eyes as the hot water washed over me. But that was a big mistake.

​The pit immediately appeared in my mind. The muddy walls. The pouring rain. The water slowly rising toward my neck.

​My eyes flew open. I placed both hands against the shower wall and took a slow, deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I was safe. I was in my bathroom. I wasn’t trapped anymore.

​After washing all the mud from my body and hair, I stepped out, dried myself off, and walked into the closet. I changed into a clean nightdress before climbing straight into bed, pulling the duvet up to my chin.

​For a long time, I simply lay there staring at the ceiling, my heart still beating fast. I had almost drowned tonight. I had almost died in that garden. If Lucian had arrived only a little later...

​I immediately pushed the thought away. No, I wasn’t going there.

​But another question refused to leave my head. How had he even known where I was? The guard knew I had gone to the herb garden, yes, but how had Lucian found the exact place where I had fallen? And why had he come looking for me himself?

​Before I could think about it any further, my bedroom door suddenly opened.

​I gasped and sat up immediately, my pulse jumping into my throat.

​Lucian walked inside. He had changed out of his wet clothes and was now dressed in a fresh pair of comfortable night clothes. His hair was still slightly damp, but there was no trace of mud or rain left on him.

​"You are here?" I asked softly, watching him take a few slow steps into the room.

​He didn’t answer. Rather, he walked toward the bed and stopped a few feet away from me. He stared at me for a moment, his expression completely unreadable, before slowly opening his palm.

​Resting in his hand was the wet silver silk ribbon.

​My breath caught. My eyes widened, and I gasped softly. "My ribbon... You found it..."

​I quickly climbed out of bed and walked over until I was standing right before him. He held it out, and I carefully took it from his hand, holding the small piece of fabric tightly against my chest.

​For a moment, I simply stared at it. He had gone back for it. After everything that happened, he had actually gone back out into that storm and brought it to me.

​"Thank you," I whispered.

​Lucian gave me one of those blank, unreadable looks that made it impossible to know what he was thinking, his voice flat and even. "Get ready tomorrow. You’re accompanying me to an official function."

​My brows pulled together in confusion. "What function?"

​"A summit."

​Before I could ask anything else, he turned and walked toward the door.

​"Alpha Lucian."

​He paused instantly, his hand resting on the door handle, but his back stayed turned to me in the doorway.

​I looked down at the silver ribbon in my hand before lifting my eyes to his broad shoulders, my voice trembling with genuine emotion.

​"Thank you," I said softly. "I’m truly indebted to you for saving my life."

​Lucian hesitated for a long second, his body staying completely still in the entryway. He didn’t turn back to look at me. Instead, he simply opened the door wider and walked out into the corridor.

​I stood there staring at the closed door, clutching the silver ribbon tightly in my hand.

​Maybe there was more to Alpha Lucian than the cold, heartless man he wanted everyone to believe he was.