The Witch and Her Four Dangerous Alphas

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The Moment Before the Storm

| had to look away for a moment, just to breathe.

It was suffocating any rational thought. But still | couldn’t tear my eyes from her completely; the sight of her, so

broken and silent in his lap, twisted something deep in my chest | couldn't name.

Lucian knew it too. That's why he kept talking. That's why he smirked like he was winning something.

And maybe he was.

He was pushing my limit, testing how far | would go before | would snap at his face.

He wantedto lose control. To lash out. To prove that Selene still held power over me. Because if | did... if | so

much as looked like | cared, Lucian would turn it on her. That was the kind of man he was. A snake who didn’t

bite until he knew where your weakness lived.

And Selene? She was mine.

Or at least, she had been. Before all this.

| inhaled slowly and forced my jaw to unclench. My fingers had curled into fists behind my back. | released them

one by one, letting my voice smooth into the cold courtesy I'd mastered over the years at court.

"My apologies for the interruption," | said, my tone even, perfectly measured. "| merely cto ensure

everything was progressing well before the coronation. It seems I've intruded on a... personal moment."

Lucian’s grin widened like a man who thought he'd won a game.

"Not at all, Your Highness. You're welcany time. Selene doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight."

I didn't rise to the bait.

Instead, | stepped back with careful grace and gave a shallow nod toward the door.

"Please let the others know I'll be returning to the main estate. | suddenly remembered an urgent matter | must

attend to before tomorrow's event."

Lucian raised a brow, amused. "So soon?"

| met his gaze directly. "Yes. | think I've seen enough for now."

His eyes glittered. But | didn’t stay long enough to hear his reply.

| turned and walked out with steady steps, refusing to look back. My footsteps echoed down the hall like

drumbeats against the stone, every one of them carrying the weight of the storm inside me.

| didn’t stop until | was well out of the wing—out of that cursed chamber with its suffocating air. Only then did |

let the breath out. It clike fire through my lungs.

| had to leave. Not for my sake.

For hers.

Because if | stayed a moment longer, | might have done something reckless. And he would have made her pay

for it.

Lucian wantedto snap. He wanted an excuse to tear into her in ways worse than what he'd already done.

And if | gave him one... if | lost control...

Selene would suffer.

And | couldn't protect her. Not when they have full control over her life.

But soon | would.

| clenched my hands again, nails biting into my palms.

Selene’s POV~

As soon as the prince walked away, something insnapped.

| couldn’t hold it in anymore.

The silence | had kept so tightly shattered. My body twisted hard in Lucian’s lap, trying to get free. | didn’t care if

it hurt. | didn’t care if | fell. | just needed to get away.

Tears poured down my face, hot and fast. My arms pushed against his chest, and my legs kicked against the

couch. My heart felt like it had been torn in half. | couldn't believe he had done this to me.

He humiliatedin front of the only person left who still remembered me. The only person who might have

helped me. The only person I still wanted to believe in.

And Lucian had destroyed even that.

| sobbed harder, my chest heaving. | hated him. | hated him so much it burned.

"Get off me!" | cried, but my voice was weak and shaking.

Lucian didn’t move. He didn’t say a word at first. He just stared atlike he couldn't believe what he was

seeing.

Then suddenly, he snapped.

"What are you crying for?!" he shouted, his voice thundering in the room.

I flinched, but he didn’t stop.

"Feeling bad that your lover saw you like this? Is that it?! Feeling disgusted that he got to watch another man

touch you?! Is that what's tearing you up?!"

His voice was filled with fury. Each word hitlike a slap.

"Do you hate it that much?" he growled. "That you're crying like your heart is breaking? You didn’t even cry like

this when your father died!"

| froze, choking on a sob.

Lucian stared at me, breathing hard, and for a moment... his eyes changed. Like something inside him cracked

too.

His voice lowered, but the anger didn’t fade. "You think this hurts? You think this is the real pain?"

He moved back and stood over me, his chest rising with rage. His eyes burned as he looked down at me—still

crying, still shaking, still curled like a broken thing on the floor.

"You want to cry now? You want to act like a pitiful doll?" he said, stepping closer. "Where were these tears when

my entire pack was slaughtered like pigs? Huh? Where was your pain then?!"

| could barely breathe. My throat was tight. The tears wouldn't stop.

He dropped down again, suddenly grabbing me—his hands rough, his hold harsh.

With one motion, he shovedhard on the floor, trappingbeneath him.

His weight pressed down on me, and | couldn't move. My hair spilled across the cold floor, and | stared up at him,

terrified and confused.

He hovered over me, and | could see it—how much he hatedin that moment. Or maybe he hated himself. |

didn’t know.

"Look at you," he muttered, eyes scanning my tear-streaked face. "A pitiful mess. Does it feel good now? Now

that you get to feel what it’s like to be ruined in front of the one you love?"

His hand gripped my chin hard, forcing my face to look up. | whimpered, recoiling at his touch.

That only made him angrier.

"Do you detestthat much?" he asked, voice breaking slightly. "Then why, Selene? Why did you givethat

letter back then? Why givehope?!"

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| just wanted him to stop.

"Please..." | whispered, but it cout like a breath.

But Lucian didn’t stop.

He shoved his thigh between my legs, forcing them apart. My torn dress rode up to my thighs. | panicked and

reached to cover myself, my arms shaking.

But that made him furious.

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His hands grabbed my chin again. He leaned down until our faces were inches apart. His breath hit my lips. |

could barely see through the tears.

My body shook under him. | felt like |

would break into a thousand pieggs:

couldn't fight anynié.) cbuldn’t

UBdErstah his rage or his words. All |

knew was that every touch felt like

fire. Every look felt like a dagger. The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

| turned my face to the side, muffling another sob.

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