Lucien returned halfway after being alerted that Leia had run away. The moment he stepped into the living room, he heard Ronan screaming at the servants for not keeping an eye on an omega.
"It was you because of whom she escaped!" Kieran snapped at Ronan.
"What did you say to her?" Lucien asked, approaching Ronan in the blink of an eye.
"He called her a slave and told her to prepare herself tonight!" Kieran revealed.
"I wasn't wrong. An omega shouldn't speak the way she does!" Ronan yelled.
"You won't see Leia for a week once I return with her," Lucien said, glaring at him before leaving the mansion.
Leia's scent was imprinted in his mind. The lingering fragrance of fresh peonies still hung in the air. He headed to the back of the mansion, right below the window of the room assigned to her.
Lucien didn't need to shift into his wolf; he already knew exactly where Leia had run. Even in his human form, he was faster than normal Alpha wolves. He reached the forest, where Leia's scent was strongest, and finally spotted her lying naked on the ground.
"Don't look at me. Please."
Her voice trembled as she urged him, and an odd sensation stirred in the back of his head. His wolf growled slightly, but he was quick to drape his overcoat over her and lift her into his arms.
Leia didn't look good when she cried. He had thought she was the kind of she-wolf who never feared anyone.
When he taunted her about it, Leia shouted at him. "I hate you. I hate you the most." Even with her remaining strength, she hit his chest multiple times. "I will not bend down and let you have me. You will regret buying me."
That burning defiance in her eyes appeared again, and Lucien couldn't help but muse. He had never regretted his decisions.
"I think you'll regret saying those words," he told her, wanting her to etch them into her mind. He could feel the shiver in her body, so he quickened his pace until they reached the mansion.
Kieran rushed toward them, but Lucien gestured for him to stay back, along with Ronan.
"Omega, you should not have run away! This is our territory," Ronan declared proudly.
"Leia, are you alright?" Kieran asked, his tone filled with concern.
One was insensitive, while the other was too hyperactive. Lucien needed to ensure Leia felt safer here and wouldn't attempt to run away again.
"Both of you stay back unless you wish to spend the next few days in the dungeon," Lucien threatened his brothers. That was the only way to make Leia feel better. He looked at her and found her eyes were shut. Without wasting another second, he ascended the stairs and stopped only in Leia's room.
Laying her on the bed, he covered her with the duvet. His knee remained on the mattress as he tucked strands of hair away from her tear-stricken face. This time, she didn't refuse his touch.
"I want to be alone. I don't want anyone to disturb me," Leia said.
"As long as you don't attempt to run away," Lucien responded, locking his gaze with hers. "Give your wolf some rest. She is weaker than you."
"Don't act as if you're an idol of kindness," Leia snapped at him.
"I never did," he said with a smirk. "Wear something before you go to sleep. Also, I am going to stay in this room the entire time," he pronounced and stood straight.
"You can't do that!" Leia said in shock.
Lucien moved toward the window and shut it. "You should have thought about that before jumping out of this window," he remarked before glancing at the chair.
"I promise I won't do it again," Leia said, meeting his gaze.
"Words can be deceptive, Leia," he stated firmly.
"Then leave for a moment. I need to wear clothes," Leia said.
"I am not going anywhere," he told her in a stern tone. "You can take your clothes from the cupboard."
Lucien could see her holding back her anger, but this was his way of keeping Leia in control. The last she-wolf didn't need pampering.
In his eyes, what she needed most was discipline, which he was more than willing to provide. He unbuttoned his cuffs and folded his sleeves before unbuttoning his shirt halfway.
He felt Leia's gaze on him, making him arch a brow at her.
She quickly turned her back to him, clutching the duvet tightly. He slumped into the chair, absentmindedly moving his fingers over the ring on his middle finger.
After more than fifteen minutes passed, he pushed himself up from the chair and walked to the other side of the bed to check on Leia.
Getting on his knees, he found her fast asleep.
"It's easier to submit than to defy, Leia. Once you breed the pups, I will grant you the freedom you desire. But doing it against your will is impossible. I hate it when women start crying," he murmured before standing up.
He took a few steps back before leaving the room.
As he entered the living room, he found his brothers seated on the sofa chairs as if waiting for him.
He sat in the middle of the couch and looked at Ronan. "Leia won't spend a night with you. I've decided she should be given time to adjust here. She has lived among humans for a long time, so she's less aware of our ways. Ronan, my earlier punishment remains the same. Don't go near Leia for a week. Defy me, and you'll bear the consequences," Lucien warned. It was necessary because Ronan loved breaking rules more than anyone.
"I understand," Ronan replied.
"And you, Kieran, don't manipulate Leia. I know your tricks too. Keep in mind, I am your older brother." His deception was a dangerous tool, and Leia was a vulnerable fool who would fall for Kieran's tricks first, which Lucien wouldn't want to happen.