Lucian’s POV

"Isn’t that Davon?" Aiden’s voice broke the silence, sharp and filled with disbelief. "What the hell is he doing with Alina?"

My fingers curled into tight fists at my sides, my nails biting into my palms as a blinding wave of fury washed over me. I didn’t answer him. My legs moved on pure instinct, eating up the pavement as I marched straight toward them.

"Alina," I called out, my voice tighter than a pulled wire.

The brilliant smile on her face faltered the exact moment her eyes met mine. She stopped in her tracks, looking slightly guilty but mostly surprised. "Lucian... you came a little late today. I was actually about to let Davon drop me off at home."

My eyes stretched wide in absolute shock, my chest tightening so hard I could barely breathe. Drop her off at home?

"By the way," Alina continued, completely oblivious to the war raging inside me as she gestured to the man beside her. "This is Davon. He’s the guy I told you about—the one who saved my life."

Davon stepped forward, his eyes locking onto mine. A sickening, familiar smirk played on his lips, full of mockery. He extended his hand toward me, his voice smooth and dripping with hidden malice. "Nice to meet you, Lucian."

I didn’t even look at his hand. I ignored his handshake entirely, my gaze turning cold enough to freeze blood. I reached out, my fingers wrapping securely around Alina’s wrist to pull her to my side. "Alina, we should go. Right now."

Before we could take a single step, Aiden materialized in front of us, blocking our path. His face was twisted in a dark scowl as he looked past me. "Alina, I need to speak to you."

"Don’t even bother," I snapped, trying to usher her past him. "We are leaving."

"Lucian, stop!" Aiden roared. He lunged forward, his hand aggressively clamping down on Alina’s other wrist to halt her completely. His eyes flashed with a dangerous, untamed anger. "I want to speak to the mother of my child."

Alina flinched slightly at his tone, but she quickly composed herself. She looked up at me, a pleading look in her eyes. "Lucian, it’s fine. Just let me hear what he has to say."

I stared at her, the tension rolling off my shoulders in waves, but I finally gave her a tight, reluctant nod.

Alina turned her full attention back to her ex-husband, her jaw tightening. "What do you want, Aiden?"

"I haven’t been able to see my son for the longest time, Alina," Aiden hissed, stepping closer, his voice laced with bitter resentment. "You aren’t intentionally keeping a child away from his father, are you?"

"I am not keeping him from you," Alina countered instantly, her voice rising as her defense mechanisms went up. "But the chaotic situation we got thrown into made things incredibly difficult. And honestly, Aiden? I don’t want you to take my child away from me again like you did the last time. I am simply not ready to take any chances with Leo."

"That is absolutely not a valid excuse!" Aiden snapped, his chest heaving. "Leo is just as much my child as he is yours. I need to be a father to him, so you better stop making this difficult for me... or I will get the Council involved in this."

A low, menacing growl ripped from my throat before I could stop it. I stepped squarely between them, shoving Aiden’s hand off her wrist. "Are you fucking threatening her right now?"

Aiden didn’t back down. He scoffed, looking at me with pure venom. "Call it whatever you want, Lucian. You’ve got my ex-wife and my child living under your roof. Trust me... I haven’t even started with the threats yet."

Alina stepped around me, her eyes flashing with a sudden, icy determination. "Okay, fine, Aiden. Let the Council get involved. I will gladly answer to them myself. If that is seriously all you have to say to me... can I leave now?"

Aiden’s jaw clenched, but he finally gave a stiff, silent nod.

Alina didn’t waste another second. She grabbed my arm, her touch grounding me. "Lucian, let’s go."

I threw one last, lethal glare at Aiden, but as I turned, my gaze inevitably collided with Davon. That bastard was still standing there, watching the entire spectacle unfold with a smug, highly amused smile. My goodness, I hated his face so much it took everything in me not to tear his throat out right then and there. Ripping my eyes away from him, I ushered Alina straight to the car and slammed the door shut.

The entire drive back to the estate was suffocatingly quiet. I kept my eyes locked on the road, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly the leather groaned under my palms. I didn’t say a single word.

The moment we stepped through the front door of the house, Alina finally broke the silence.

"You are definitely hiding something from me, Lucian," she said flatly, crossing her arms as she blocked my path into the living room. "What exactly is your deal with Davon? Do you know him or something? There is something you aren’t telling me."

I swallowed the sudden lump of panic in my throat, forcing my voice to remain as calm and level as possible. "I just didn’t get a good vibe from that person, Alina. And besides... I thought I explicitly told you to have absolutely nothing to do with him."

Alina let out a frustrated sigh. "He just came around to the bakery to get some pastries, Lucian. It was a complete coincidence that I happen to own the store."

My jaw ticked. I knew for a definitive fact that it wasn’t a coincidence at all. Davon was hunting.

"Lucian, he literally saved my life," she reminded me, her tone softer now, almost pleading. "So it’s only right that I be nice to him."

I closed the distance between us, looking down into her eyes as a bitter thought crossed my mind. "Then what was so damn funny? What made you laugh like that with him before I walked up?"

Alina opened her mouth to answer, but she stopped. A sudden, playful smile broke across her lips, the heavy tension completely evaporating from her features. She let out a soft, teasing chuckle. "You’re jealous, right?"

I blinked, caught entirely off guard.

"There is really nothing for you to be jealous about, Lucian," she whispered sweetly, stepping closer until her chest rested against mine. "But I promise you won’t have to worry about it. I won’t be seen around him ever again."

With that, she threw her arms around my neck and pulled me into a tight, comforting hug.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my face into her hair, breathing in her scent. But as I held her close to my heart, my mind was miles away, racing in the dark. A cold, terrifying question kept echoing in my head.

What the hell does Davon actually want?