The Rival is here

Evelyn POV:

By morning, the whispers had multiplied. Everywhere I went, someone was talking about the night I’d been summoned to the Alpha’s chamber.

No one said what they thought happened, but their smirks said enough.

Selena found me near the training yard, scrubbing the benches. “Still here?” she said loudly, so her friends could hear. “Maybe if you clean hard enough, the Alpha will notice you again.”

Laughter followed.

I kept my head down. “Yes, Miss Selena.”

She stepped closer, heel pressing on the bucket’s rim until it flipped. Water splashed over my feet. “Oops,” she said. “Clumsy omega.”

Then a voice cut through—flat, low, full of weight.

“That’s enough, Selena.” Rowan said as he worked towards us.

Everybody fell quiet. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Rowan stood a few paces away. Lucien’s Beta. Rowen, who gave orders with one look and who the younger guards followed without question. He didn’t often speak to the low ranks. When he did, people listened.

Selena turned, surprise cracking her composure. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Rowan said. He didn’t shout. He didn’t need to. “She has done nothing to deserve this.”

Selena’s smile twitched. “Are you defending an omega? that Bold of you Beta.”

Rowan stared at her like she’d forgotten how to behave. “I’m defending basic decency. Call it what you like.”

The laughter died awkwardly. Her friends shifted. Selena’s jaw tightened. She was smart enough to know when she’d pushed too far—at least for now.

She left with a forced laugh. Her heels moved like a metronome, timed to make sure everyone saw her go.

Rowan crouched beside me and set the bucket upright. He moved like a man careful not to make anyone notice he’d touched a low servant.

“You okay?” he asked, quiet.

“I’m fine,” I lied. Lie after lie. The words were smooth, easy armor.

“You don’t have to be,” he said softly. “Not for me.”

It warmed me in a way nothing had since the ceremony. A shield I didn’t deserve. He stood, touched the strap of his braid the way he did when thinking, then walked back to his post without another word. he didn't even let me thank him.

Lucien POV:

From the balcony above the yard, I’d seen everything.

Rowan standing up for her.

Evelyn looking at him like he’d just handed her the moon.

My fists clenched before I realized it. A growl built in my chest, low and sharp. What was that, anger? Jealousy? No. Impossible. I don't have feelings for the weak.

“She’s beneath you,” I muttered, to myself this time.

Yet when I went to the training grounds later, I found myself searching for her. I told myself it was to make sure she was working—obedient. Nothing more.

But when I saw her in the storeroom, stacking supplies with quiet focus, something inside me twisted again. Her scent hit me first—warm and clean, like rain on earth after fire. The bond tugged hard.

“Evelyn,” I said. It came out rougher than I meant.

She froze. “Alpha.”

I hated the fear in her voice—and hated more that I’d caused it.

“Did you tell Rowan to speak for you?” I asked.

She shook her head quickly. “No, Alpha. I didn’t.”

The silence stretched. I should’ve left. Instead, I stepped closer. One step. Another. Until I could see the rise and fall of her chest.

Her pulse raced so fast I could hear it.

“Why can’t you just stay out of my head?” I murmured.

“I don’t” she started, but her voice broke.

And before I could stop myself, I closed the distance and kissed her.

It wasn’t soft. It was anger and hunger and confusion all tangled together. She gasped, and that sound undid me completely. For a heartbeat the world disappeared—just warmth, just her.

Then I saw my own reflection in her wide eyes—lost, weak.

I tore away, breathing hard.

“This,” I said, my voice shaking with fury I didn’t understand, “this is what you wanted, isn’t it? To make me lose control?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I never”

“Enough.” I turned away before the bond could pull me back. “You’re nothing, Evelyn. Remember that.”

She didn’t answer. The sound she made wasn’t quite a sob, but it cut through me anyway.

I walked out before I could take the words back.

Outside, the night air was cold, but not colder than I felt inside.

The taste of her lingered, sweet, dangerous, impossible to forget.