Chapter: 18

Standing before me, his broad shoulders filling the entire doorway, was a man I'd never met. What stunned me, however, was the shocking sense of familiarity I felt at the sight of him.

I squinted against the early morning sun, which shone in my eyes and darkened his features. As if he noticed my discomfort, he shifted, blocking out the sun, and I could suddenly see him clearly.

Jet black hair pulled into a man-bun at the nape of his neck, dark blue eyes like an evening sky, a strikingly handsome face, and—

I gasped as my eyes dropped down-to his right arm. To the swirling sleeve of black ink covering it.

It was he: the Alpha who saved my life.

SERAPHINA'S POV "Hi, Sera."

His voice was deep and smooth, mildly anused—maybe because I was staring at him with my eyes popping out of my head.

When I didn't move or say anything, he chuckled, the sound rumbling in the space between us. "I see I must have caught you at a bad time. I'll just—"

He turned to walk away, and I gasped out of my frozen state. "Wait!" He turned back, an eyebrow raised. "It's... you."

His lips twitched. "Lucian Reed." He stretched out the tattooed arm to me expectantly.

On autopilot, I reached out with my uninjured arm and took his hand. It was large and warm and swallowed mine. "Seraphina BI—" No, not Blackthorne—not anymore. Not really Lockwood, either. Besides, he already knew my name.

"Uhm... come in, please." I stepped out of the doorway and gestured into the house.

"Thank you," Lucian said as he crossed the threshold. He towered over me, almost as tall as Kieran, and I took an instinctive step back.

"Th-this way."

Iled him to the living room and gestured for him to sit in the armchair.

He sat in it as if it were a throne, and something told me he could drop into a pile of mud and make it look regal.

His head swiveled, taking in the living room—the flowery wallpaper, the mismatched couches, and oddly matching side tables.

"Your home is lovely."

I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic, but I waved the comment away. "tt came like this. I just moved in."

As soon as I said the words, I dropped my gaze. Why was I telling this stranger my business?

"How are your injuries?" he asked, nodding toward my bandages.

My fingers brushed over the surface. "They'll heal. I—" I swallowed. "Thank you. I should have said that the moment I opened the door— thank you so much for saving my life.”

Lucian grinned, a full-toothed smile that made him look less intimidating.

"You're very welcome, Sera."