Carrying The Alpha Billionaire's Heir

Chapter 16 – Bedside Promises

Celina’s POV

THE world blurred into chaos the moment Lucien’s body hit the ground.

“Lucien!” My scream tore through the silence left in the wake of the Council’s declaration, the echo still hanging heavy in the night air. My legs moved before my mind caught up, carrying me across the bloodstained circle where Kael’s broken body had been dragged away.

The scent of iron and earth clogged my lungs. His blood—so much of it—streaked the soil, slicking my palms when I knelt beside him. His chest still rose and fell, shallow but there, and I clung to that rhythm like it was the only thing tethering me to sanity.

“Don’t you dare leave me,” I whispered, pressing my hands against the wounds that refused to stop bleeding. His skin was burning hot, wolf-heated, but his lips were cold when I brushed my thumb across them.

Around us, the Council moved like carrion birds, their hushed voices sharp as knives.

“The Alpha is weak.”

“He may not survive the night.”

“Perhaps the bond between heir and mother should be renegotiated—”

“Silence!” My voice cracked like a whip, but it wavered with fear I couldn’t hide. I lifted my head and glared at them, baring my teeth like a cornered animal. “He fought for you. For your law. For his pack. And you circle him like he’s already dead?!”

One of the elders sneered. “Do not forget your place, girl. You are not his mate. Not yet.”

The words cut, sharp and deliberate, but I didn’t back down. My fingers dug harder into Lucien’s wounds, as if my will alone could keep him anchored. “Then I’ll remind you of yours. He is still your Alpha. He bleeds for this Council, and if you think for one second I’ll let you strip him of what’s his, you’ll have to tear me away from his side.”

Their eyes flickered with irritation—yet none stepped forward. None dared.

Lucien stirred faintly beneath my touch, a broken sound escaping his throat. His wolf was still there, fierce and restless, but caged by the toll of battle. I bent low, pressing my forehead to his, ignoring the blood between us.

“You hear me?” I whispered, voice shaking. “You’re not done. You promised me… you promised him.” My hand slid over my stomach, trembling. “So fight. Please, Lucien. Fight.”

The moonlight glared cruelly overhead, and for a moment, I swore it pulsed with his heartbeat.

But the Council only watched. Waiting. Measuring. Deciding if the Alpha of the Thornes would live—or if they would already begin carving out his legacy without him.

THE FIRST time I saw him bleed, I thought he would never get back up again.

Lucien Thorne—Alpha heir, ruthless billionaire, the man who made entire packs bow with a single glare—was lying broken on crisp white sheets, his skin marred by claw marks so deep I could still see where Kael’s fangs had tried to tear him open. The Council had declared him victor, but the victory had cost him something—something I wasn’t sure he could get back.

Something I wasn’t sure I could bear losing if he didn’t.

The steady beep of the heart monitor was both a comfort and a torment. Every dip in rhythm, every staggered breath, had me gripping the rails of his bed until my knuckles turned white. I had never realized how fragile even an Alpha could be until I watched him fight for his life beneath the glow of a sterile hospital light.

And the strangest part? He looked younger like this. Not the invincible Alpha. Not the man who towered over Council halls and spoke in commands. Just… a man.

My hand moved before I could stop myself, brushing his damp hair from his forehead. He stirred faintly at the touch, a low groan escaping him, his lips barely parting as though he wanted to speak.

“Shh,” I whispered, leaning closer. “Don’t talk. Not yet.”

He didn’t open his eyes, but his hand twitched, fingers seeking something. I hesitated, then slid my palm against his. His skin was warm, feverish, but the grip he found on me was unyielding. Even unconscious, Lucien held on like the world might fall away if he let go.

So I stayed.

For hours. Days maybe. Time blurred in the sterile confines of that ward. I read aloud just to fill the silence—an old book I had packed without thinking, its pages worn soft from years of turning. My voice trembled at first, because who was I to sit at his side like this? I was supposed to be the enemy, the woman who walked into his life with the intention of unraveling it. But somewhere between secrets and stolen moments, he had stopped being just the Alpha I wanted to expose. He had become… something else. Something I couldn’t name without my heart betraying me.

Sometimes, when I thought no one was looking, I’d lower my head beside his arm and sleep. His scent—wild, grounding, laced with faint iron from the fight—was the only thing that calmed the storm inside me.

And then one night, his voice cut through the haze.

“Celina.”

I startled awake, lifting my head to find his eyes half-open, heavy with pain but clear. His lips curved, just barely, into something between a grimace and a smile.

“You… stayed.”

Relief hit me so hard I almost cried. “Of course I stayed. What did you think I was going to do? Walk away?”

His hand tightened over mine, weak but deliberate. “Wouldn’t… blame you if you did.”

“Lucien.” My throat burned. “Don’t you dare say things like that. Not after—” I stopped myself, swallowing back the tide of words. Not after I thought I’d lost you. Not after I realized how much it would shatter me if I had.

He studied me, eyes still hazy but sharper than before. “You look like you haven’t slept.”

“And whose fault is that?” I tried for lightness, but my voice cracked. “Next time you want to play hero, maybe try not almost dying in the process.”

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, strained and broken but real. “Noted.”

Silence stretched, heavy but not uncomfortable. He kept his gaze on me, as though he were memorizing the lines of my face. And when he finally spoke again, his voice was softer. Raw.

“You want to know the truth?”

I blinked. “About what?”

“About me. About us. About why I keep fighting even when I shouldn’t.” His eyes darkened, and he exhaled, ragged. “I wanted to keep you safe, Celina. But more than that… I wanted you to see me. Not the Alpha. Not the title. Just… me.”

My chest tightened. “Lucien…”

“I’ve hidden behind too many walls. Buried too many truths.” He swallowed, wincing. “But I can’t keep doing that with you. Not if I want to keep you. Not if I want…” His hand brushed my wrist, faint but deliberate. “…not if I want us.”

The word us hit me like a strike to the chest. I had imagined it—longed for it—but hearing it from him was different. Dangerous.

I should have been careful. I should have remembered all the reasons I had to guard my heart. But instead, I leaned forward, pressing my forehead to his.

“I don’t want protection, Lucien. Not just that. I want the truth. All of it. No more half-truths. No more lies.”

He closed his eyes, his lips ghosting against my skin. “Then I’ll give you everything.”

I shivered at the promise, my heart skittering like it didn’t know whether to soar or run.

Then he said it—the words that unraveled me.

“When I’m strong enough, when I can stand before you without bleeding into the sheets—I’ll claim you properly. No more pretending. No more halfway. A mating ceremony, Celina. Real. Binding.”

My breath caught. My heart pounded. A ceremony. His mate. Not as cover, not as blackmail, but because he wanted me.

I should have been terrified. Maybe I was. But more than that, I was drowning in the weight of what he was offering.

I leaned closer, brushing my lips against his ear. “I’ll say yes. But only if you promise me… no more lies. No more secrets.”

His hand shook as it rose, weak but determined, cupping the back of my neck. His breath fanned against my skin, hot and unsteady.

“No more lies,” he whispered. “No more secrets.”

And for the first time, I believed him.