Lucien continued, quieter now, "This way, they can't claim you. They can't touch you. As my legal partner, you'll be under the full protection of Ravenmoon's Alpha. It's the only way to shield you without starting a war."
Devon stared at him, at the calm authority in his voice, at the strange sincerity behind his words.
A marriage. Not of love. Not of choice. But of survival.
His fingers clenched around the paper until it crumpled slightly. "You're asking me to give up what little freedom I have left."
Lucien's gaze softened, almost imperceptibly. "I'm asking you to live."
Devon froze. The words struck deep, sharp, unguarded, honest. He looked down at the contract again, the gold lettering gleaming faintly under the afternoon light. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then quietly, as if to himself, he whispered, "This can't be real."
But the warmth in Lucien's eyes and the burning wax seal between their names told him otherwise.
Devon's heart pounded as the words sank in, each beat echoing painfully in his chest. Marriage. To the Alpha of Ravenmoon. He pushed away from the desk so abruptly that the chair screeched against the floor.
"No," he said, voice trembling. "I can't do this."
Lucien's gaze followed him, unreadable. "You can't, or you won't?"
Devon's throat constricted.
"Both." He stepped back until his legs hit the edge of the rug, his trembling hands clutching the crumpled contract. "You're an Alpha. You have a pack to lead, an image to uphold. Do you have any idea what they'd say if they knew you married me? A cast-out omega? A man with no status, no name, no..."
"Enough." Lucien's tone wasn't loud, but it cut cleanly through the air. The weight of authority in it made the very air stir, pressing down until Devon's shoulders trembled under it.
Lucien stood, tall and calm, his presence filling the room like a shadow stretching toward him. "You're not listening, Devon. This isn't about what they say. It's about what they'll do if they find you."
Devon took a step back.
"So what? You'll chain me here under your name to keep me safe? Call that protection?" His voice cracked under the rising panic. "You don't understand. Redstone doesn't stop. If they find out I'm alive, they'll come for anyone near me, including you and your son."
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly. "And if they do, I'll handle it. That's my burden, not yours."
Devon shook his head violently.
"No… no, you don't get to decide that for me!" He dropped the paper onto the desk, voice breaking. "I can't be a burden again. I can't be owned again."
He turned on his heel, rushing toward the door.
"Devon."
He ignored the warning in Lucien's voice, hand gripping the handle, only for a sudden wave of energy to pulse through the room. The air shimmered faintly, magic reacting to the Alpha's command. The lock clicked shut on its own, sealing the exit.
Devon froze. His breath came in ragged gasps as he turned back, eyes wide. "You… you used magic?"
Lucien's expression didn't change. "You're not thinking clearly."
Devon's vision blurred with tears he didn't want to shed. "You think trapping me here will make me say yes?"
Lucien took a slow step forward, his voice steady but quieter now. "No. I'm trying to make you stay alive long enough to decide something rationally."
Devon's hands clenched. "You don't know what Redstone did to me, Lucien. What they'll do again if they find me. You can't just..."
"I do know," Lucien interrupted, and for the first time, something raw flickered behind his calm. "I've read the reports. I've seen the scars on your back."
Devon went silent.
Lucien stopped a few paces away, his voice dropping lower. "And that's exactly why I won't let them touch you again."
For a long moment, the only sound was the quiet thrum of power in the air.
Devon's chest heaved. His wolf stirred weakly beneath his skin, torn between instinct and disbelief.
"You don't even know who I am," he whispered.
Lucien's gaze softened, not with pity, but with something heavier, quieter. "Then let me find out."
Devon swallowed hard, the words striking something in him he didn't understand.
But the weight of everything, the fear, the past, the pain, crashed down again, and his knees nearly gave out.
"I just want to be free…" he whispered, voice breaking. "For once in my life, I want that."
Lucien stood silently, watching the tears streak down his pale face, and when he spoke again, his tone was no longer commanding, just quiet, certain.
"Then let this be your freedom, Devon. Not a chain, a shield."
Devon shook his head weakly, retreating a step. "I can't."
Lucien's jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't argue. Instead, he reached out, picked up the contract, and folded it neatly.
"Very well," he said softly. "You may go. The guards will escort you out of the pack borders by morning."
Devon froze mid-breath.
He had expected threats, persuasion, not this quiet acceptance.
Lucien turned away, his voice calm but cold now. "If that's your choice, I'll respect it. But once you cross those borders, I can't protect you anymore. Whatever finds you out there… You face it alone."
The words hit like a physical blow. Devon stared at the Alpha's back, the firelight flickering against his broad shoulders, his eyes half-turned in shadow. He wanted to say something, anything. But no words came.
When Lucien finally dismissed him, Devon walked out in silence, his heart hammering painfully. He didn't know if the Alpha was bluffing… or if he truly meant to let him go. All he knew was that his steps toward the gate felt heavier than any chain Redstone had ever bound him with.
The air was still before dawn, a cold, gray silence that blanketed the forest beyond Ravenmoon's high walls. Mist coiled around the path like thin ribbons of smoke, and the faint call of a distant crow echoed through the quiet.
Devon stood by the northern gate, a small satchel slung over his shoulder. It wasn't much, just the spare clothes given by the servants, a flask of water, and a loaf of bread.
The guard stationed nearby looked uneasy as he unlatched the gate at Devon's request, but said nothing. The Alpha's orders had been clear, let him go if he chooses.
Devon didn't look back.