Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 46

46 (Lucian’s POV) Recovery

Lucian

Mara passed out before we even made it to the hospital.

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The paramedics had given her sedatives for the pah-just enough to quiet her body, not the

damage.

They said her ribs had healed wrong. The only way to fix them was to break them again.

We went straight into the emergency room. I stayed the whole time.

Watched them re-break her bones like it was nothing.

Watched her body jerk and shift as they worked. She didn’t feel it-thank God-but I did.

Every snap, every grimace from the doctors, burned through me.

I kept thinking of my father, and anger knotted in my chest. This was his fault. And mine, in some twisted way I couldn’t shake.

When it was over, they moved her to a private room. She slept-deep, drugged sleep-for twelve

hours.

I sat beside her, drifting in and out on that stiff hospital couch. I kept checking my phone and hers.

Tina wouldn’t stop.

She used new numbers to get through. She spammed us with insults, threats, venom. She cursed

Mara like she had the right to.

I felt sick. Ashamed. Furious.

What had I dragged my wife into? Was this her future now-ducking calls, dodging attacks from a woman I should have left behind a long time ago? Even if we took the child, Tina wouldn’t let go.

Not really.

I took Mara’s hand and kissed it, soft and slow.

Her face looked peaceful. Too peaceful for someone who’d just had her bones broken again. Her body was doing the hard work of healing.

I wished peace could reach the rest of her life, too.

Then, a knock.

The door creaked open. My father stepped inside. His eyes were rimmed red-like guilt had been chasing him all night.

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46 (Lucian’s POV) Recovery

“Lucian,” he said, quiet, almost unsure.

I didn’t answer. Just stared at him, forcing down everything I wanted to scream.

He looked over at Mara. “How is she?”

“They had to rebreak her ribs so she can heal the right way,” I said flatly.

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He lowered his head. “If I’d known… I never would’ve sent Darian to command the army. I thought he was ready. I thought he could handle it.”

I turned to him, eyes locked on his.

“We both know that will never happen, Father,” I said, my voice tight, cold.

“We both know Darian can’t lead this pack. I hope-hope-you can live with it if Mara or Rowan dies because you handed the title of alpha to the wrong man just to keep your mate happy.”

His shoulders sagged, shame pulling at his posture. “It’s not about pleasing Martha, Lucian. I have nothing else to give Darian. He’s my son too… and I’ve given him nothing.”

I stared at him, stunned by the honesty, but not moved by it.

“The pack is not a gift, Father. It’s not some heirloom to pass down to whoever’s fallen out of your guilt. It’s people. It’s lives. You don’t give it to anyone-not Darian, not me.”

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off.

“Mara’s resigning,” I said.

His head snapped up. “No. The pack needs her. They are the future, Lucian.”

“And she’s my wife,” I shot back. “If she dies, the pack will grieve for a day. I’ll carry it for the rest of my life.”

He stepped closer, desperation bleeding into his voice.

“I’ll fix this, Lucian. Just give me time.”

I shook my head, my fists clenched at my sides.

“Too many soldiers died tonight because you sent an unfit alpha to lead them. You gambled with their lives, and they lost. You think the pack will trust you after this? I wouldn’t have joined the fight if Mara wasn’t out there. You made it clear I wasn’t welcome. You humiliated me, Father. You chose Martha’s pride over mine. You elevated Darian just to make her smile. And I swallowed it. But I’m done now. I’m out. Mara is out.”

He looked at Mara, lying still on the hospital bed, her face soft, untouched by the chaos outside those walls. I looked at her too. She didn’t deserve this. None of it.

“We’re moving out,” I said.

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His hand shot out and grabbed my arm, turning me toward him. “Why?” he asked, voice cracking.

I stared at him like he’d just asked me why the sky was blue.

“Why?” I repeated, my voice barely a whisper.

“You never protected me,” I said quietly, but the words carried weight. “Not once. Not when I was a child. Not when Martha twisted every chance she got to tear me down. You let her lie about me, shame me, push me aside-like I wasn’t your son.”

My father didn’t speak. He just stood there, silent, absorbing the blow.

“You let her get away with it for years. And then you forced me to marry Mara to make her happy, like I was some pawn to trade for peace. I tried to stomach it. I tried to live with it. Until that

morning.”

His eyes flicked to mine, already knowing the moment I meant.

“You made me drag my innocent wife away from the breakfast table. In front of everyone. You didn’t ask questions. You didn’t pause. You just followed Martha’s lead. You humiliated her. Conde mned her. If Darian hadn’t taken it upon himself to dig for the truth, you would’ve destroyed Mara

without blinking.”

A tear slipped down his cheek, but I wasn’t finished

“She’s been scarred by what you did. And I will not sit by and watch you, or Martha, keep wounding her. Her heart is too gentle for this place. And you you’re too weak when it comes to that woman. That’s why we’re leaving. Mara and I deserve peace. We deserve mornings that don’t begin in fear. A home we can walk through freely.”

He wiped the tear away, voice low. “If you’ve been carrying all this, why didn’t you ever say anything?”

I let out a breath. “Because you don’t listen, Father. You never have.”

He looked away, the silence stretching until I added “And I know you didn’t hand over the company out of goodwill. Martha tried to cut me out. But legally, you couldn’t. I saw the papers. My mother changed the documents into my name. You had no choice.”

He didn’t deny it.

Then, as if reaching for some final card, he asked, “What about Tina? And the baby?”

Of course. Tina. The chaos that never ends.

“She keeps calling me, switching numbers like it’ll change anything. But Mara knows. We’re dealing with it. We’ll support her through the pregnancy, and after the birth, we’ll get a DNA test. If the child

is mine, we’ll care for it. But if Tina tries to use the baby as a weapon, we’ll fight for custody.”

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