RED EYES

Chapter 38

Narrator POV:

Lucian sat quietly, taking in the serene beauty of the surrounding nature. The rustling leaves whispered secrets in the gentle breeze, and the late afternoon sun cast a warm, golden hue over everything. As he closed his eyes, savoring the peace, a sudden breeze brought with it a whiff of a scent, her scent.

His heart skipped a beat, and for a fleeting moment, he could almost feel her presence beside him. The air seemed to thrum with her essence, wrapping around him like a comforting embrace in his solitude. Lucians eyes fluttered open, half-expecting to see her sitting there, her smile as radiant as ever. But there was no one.

Confused, Lucian jolted up, his senses instantly alert. Everywhere he turned, he caught her scent lingering in the air like a haunting melody. It was unsettling, as if she were a ghostly presence, drifting through the very essence of her kingdom.

Her fragrance, delicate and familiar, wrapped around him, not merely confined to the vicinity of her grave but permeating the entire area. Lucian's heart quickened.

With each step, the scent grew stronger, an intoxicating lure pulling him further. Finally reaching her chamber, he hesitated at the threshold, torn between the desire to retreat and the irresistible pull drawing him inside.

Unable to resist any longer, he crossed the threshold, the heavy door sealing behind him. The room lay before him, unchanged since the last time he had been there, a painful reminder of what he had lost.

"Finally, you've come, Lucian," a voice echoed through the room, soft and haunting. He spun around, catching a glimpse of her silhouette seated on the edge of the bed. But when he reached out, there was nothing but empty.

His heart sank as he realized it was just another hallucination, a cruel trick played by his mind. She wasn't there, couldn't be there.

"I love the flowers you brought," the phantom whispered, her voice trailing like a faint whisper on the wind. Lucian's gaze darted to the window where she appeared to be gazing out at the gardens surrounding the castle.

For a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to believe she was real, that somehow he had found her again. But reality crashed down around him, reminding him of the truth he couldn't escape.

Closing his eyes, Lucian surrendered to the pain, knowing that the Isabella he saw was merely a figment of his imagination. Yet, even as he acknowledged the illusion, his heart refused to let go.

"It brought us happiness, even if it was fleeting," his wolf murmured.

"Yeah," Lucian whispered.

Lucian's emotions were a turbulent sea, caught between happiness at the sight of her and the sorrow that gripped his heart seeing her clad in the same blood-stained attire, bearing Lorenzo's cruel mark on her delicate neck.

Each glimpse of her etched Lorenzo's final words deeper into Lucian's mind, a haunting echo that refused to fade. Even as she began to speak, telling the same tales she tells him in his castle. Seating himself upon the cold stone floor, Lucian's eyes never wavered from her face.

Alexander laid down a bouquet of flowers, a silent prayer offered for her well-being. Yet, when Alexander sought Lucian within the castle's corridors, his search proved futile.

"Have you seen Lucian?" he asked the nearby guard.

"Yes, my lord," the guard replied dutifully, "He is upstairs... inside Queen Isabella's room." Without disturbing his friend, Alexander quietly left to attend to the pressing matters of the kingdom.

As Lucian sat silently, listening intently to her words, his gaze never wavered. When she rose from her seat and lay down on the bed, her image gradually began to dissolve, just as it always did. Lucian sighed deeply and made his way downstairs.