Lucian's POV
I was sitting behind my desk, staring at the mountain of paperwork that never seemed to shrink, even though I had just cleared half of it the night before. My office, dimly lit and cold, matched my mood perfectly. Peaceful silence, with the sound of the pen scratching against the paper, was exactly what I needed to get through the day.
Of course, that never lasted.
The door to my office swung open with a loud creak, but I didn't look up. If it was important enough, they'd speak. If not, I'd continue working. I didn't have time for interruptions, not when there were more pressing matters than... whatever this was.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my Beta-Rylan. His usually perfect posture was slouched, and he had that look on his face. The one that said he had bad news but knew better than to share it. He collapsed onto the chair in front of my desk. Whatever drama he was bringing, I wasn't in the mood for it.
"Lucian," Rylan groaned, rubbing his temples like he was nursing the worst headache of his life. "The elders are at it again."
I continued signing the papers in front of me without missing a beat. "I fail to see how that's my problem."
"They're on my neck, man!" he exclaimed. "They want you to take the mate search seriously. You know, Luna, pups- the whole happy-family bit. They're getting restless, and I'm pretty sure one of them has a voodoo doll of me at this point."
I looked up at him briefly, deadpan, before returning to my paperwork. "Tell them they can shove their restless energy up their-"
"Lucian!" Rylan interrupted, his voice strained, but I saw the twitch of a smile on his face. "They want a Luna. And, apparently, so does every single girl in the pack. You should've seen the crowd of hopefuls gathering outside the packhouse this morning."
"They want pups. Wonderful," I said dryly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tell the elders they can start knitting little onesies for their imaginary grandchildren because that's as close as they're going to get to me having offspring."
Rylan tried not to laugh, but I could see the twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips. "Lucian, come on. They're serious. They even sent a list."
I narrowed my eyes. "A list? They sent a list?"
Rylan pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and waved it like a white flag of surrender. "Potential candidates. They've been... vetted."
I snorted. "Vetted? Like I'm buying a used car?"
His eyes darted toward me nervously. "Well, in their defense, they did check to see if any of them are, you know, crazy."
I threw my pen down and finally leaned back in my chair, my eyes meeting his. "Rylan, for the hundredth time, I'm not interested. Tell the elders, tell the desperate girls, tell their mothers who keep sending pies and whatever weird homemade potions they think will make me fall in love. Hell, tell the mailman if you want. I'm not finding a mate, I'm not having a Luna, and I'm definitely not producing any offspring just to appease a bunch of geriatrics who probably have nothing better to do."
Rylan's voice softened, but he didn't back down. "Lucian, they just want what's best for the pack. You're a great Alpha, but they think a Luna will help stabilize things-make the pack stronger. They respect you, but they want... balance."
"Balance?" I scoffed. "You mean, they want someone to play house with me and give them cute little heirs to fight over when I'm dead."
Rylan rubbed the back of his neck, clearly knowing better than to push too far, but he tried anyway. "It's not about heirs-"
"It's always about heirs." I cut him off sharply, my tone cold. "I'm not my father!"
Rylan's expression softened more, and he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Lucian, no one thinks you are. But they just want the pack to be... complete."
I could feel my patience fraying. "Complete? My father fell apart because of love. That's what they want for me? To be weak, distracted, vulnerable to our enemies? My mother wasn't strong enough to protect herself, and my father wasn't strong enough to protect the pack because he was obsessed with her. I'm not letting that happen to me. End of story."
Rylan was quiet for a moment, clearly weighing his words. "Lucian, no one is asking you to be weak. But you're not invincible either, no matter how much you pretend to be. And maybe- just maybe- having someone by your side doesn't have to be a curse. Maybe they can make you stronger."
I barked out a laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Yeah? And maybe pigs can fly."
"You're not your father," RyIan said quietly. "You're nothing like him."
I paused and glared at him. "And I intend to keep it that way."
Rylan groaned again, slumping even further in the chair like he was trying to melt into it. "You know, Lucian, you make it really hard for me to stay alive sometimes. They're ready to skin me if I come back with that answer again."
"I trust you to handle it," I said flatly, waving my hand dismissively as I leaned forward to grab another file. "You're good at talking them down. Do your Beta thing. And while you're at it, tell those desperate girls throwing themselves at me to find a new hobby," I added, my voice dripping with irritation. "I'm not their savior, and I'm not interested in rescuing anyone from spinsterhood."
Rylan raised an eyebrow, leaning back in the chair with a smirk. "Not interested in any of them, huh? What about that girl who brought you the strawberry pie last week? She was cute."
"Cute," I muttered, giving him a withering look. "Do I look like someone who's interested in 'cute'? If I wanted pie, I'd go to the bakery."
Rylan snorted, standing up and stretching his arms overhead. "Yeah, well, I tried. But just so you know, the elders are going to keep pushing. And if you don't choose someone soon, they might just do it for you."
I shot up from my seat and gave him a glare that could've frozen lava. "Tell them to try if they dare."
He held up his hands in surrender, backing toward the door. "Okay, okay. I'll tell them you're not interested. Again."
"Good," I muttered, sitting back down and picking up my pen as if the conversation was over. "Anything else? Or are you done being the elders' errand boy for today?"
"There is one more thing," Rylan said, the amusement fading from his face. "They're hosting a ball... in your honor. They think if you meet these 'candidates' in person, you might change your mind."
I stared at him, deadpan. "A ball. In my honor. Fantastic."
Rylan winced. "I didn't say it was a good plan."
"I'm not going," I said firmly. "Tell them I'll be busy that night. In fact, tell them I'll be busy every night for the foreseeable future."
Rylan couldn't help but laugh this time. "Sure. I'll let them know you're... eternally occupied."
"Good man," I said, smirking as I went back to my paperwork. "And if any of them tries to send another 'list' my way, remind them what happened to the last one."
Rylan snorted. "You mean the one you burned in the fireplace?"
"That's the one," I replied, still grinning. "Consider it a public service."
Shaking his head, Rylan headed toward the door. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"I've been told," I said nonchalantly. "Now go. I've got a pack to run."
"Yeah, yeah. Try not to terrorize the elders too much, okay?"
"No promises."
As he opened the door to leave, I called after him, "And Rylan?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time they send you to nag me about this, make sure you look less like a half-dead zombie. It's not a good look for a Beta."
Rylan grinned, clearly relieved to be leaving. "Noted, Alpha. Noted."
The door clicked shut behind him, and I couldn't help but smirk. Oh, those elders were about to shred him like old receipts. Not my circus, not my monkeys—he was on his own.
The truth was, no matter how much I pretended not to care, the thought of a mate wasn't something I could just shake off. But I wasn't about to let history repeat itself. I wouldn't become weak. I wouldn't fall in love.
Not now. Not ever.