Chapter 30
Apr 17, 2025
Felicia stood frozen in the hallway, her breath caught in her throat. She had just seen Lucien end the call, his expression unreadable, but the tension in the room was suffocating. Damien had declared war.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, panic creeping into her veins like ice. No. No, this couldn’t be happening.
She stepped forward hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Lucien?”
Lucien didn’t turn to face her at first. He stood with his back to her, his shoulders tense, the glow of the fireplace casting eerie shadows across his broad frame. His fingers twitched at his sides, his jaw clenched so tightly she thought it might crack.
Felicia swallowed hard. She could barely comprehend it—Damien had started a war. Because of her? Because of the boys?
“Lucien,” she said again, firmer this time. “Tell me it’s not true. Tell me Damien hasn’t declared war.”
Lucien finally turned, his golden eyes sharp and unreadable. “It’s true.”
Felicia felt the air leave her lungs. “But… why?” she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. “Why would he do this? What is he thinking?”
Lucien scoffed, pouring himself a drink, the ice clinking loudly against the glass. “He’s thinking like a fool,” he muttered darkly. “He’s letting his anger control him. And now, he wants blood.”
Felicia’s stomach twisted painfully. This is because of me. This is because of the boys.
Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she stepped forward, her hands trembling as she grabbed Lucien’s arm. “Lucien, please,” she begged, her voice cracking. “Don’t do this. Be the bigger person. Don’t go to war.”
Lucien stilled, his gaze dropping to where her small hands gripped his sleeve. For a moment, she thought she saw something flicker in his expression—hesitation, doubt, something human.
Then, just as quickly, it vanished.
He gently pulled his arm away and turned toward the large wooden table in the center of the room. He reached for his phone again, this time dialing a number without hesitation.
Felicia’s heart sank.
“Lucien, don’t—”
But it was too late.
The moment the call connected, Lucien’s voice was like steel. “Assemble the warriors. Prepare for battle.”
Felicia gasped. “Lucien, no!”
Lucien ignored her, his face carved from stone. His next words sent a chill down her spine.
“If Damien wants war, I’ll give him war.”
The finality in his tone shattered whatever hope she had left.
Felicia felt her knees go weak, but she refused to collapse. Her heart screamed at her to keep trying, to say something, anything to stop this madness, but she knew Lucien too well. He had made up his mind.
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the door.
Felicia stood there, helpless, watching the man who had once been her protector now march toward bloodshed.
The door slammed behind him.
And just like that, war was inevitable.
Felicia’s hands trembled as she pushed open the door to the bedroom where her two little boys lay curled up beneath the blankets.
She could barely breathe.
Her world was crumbling around her, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
“Mommy?”
Felicia looked up and saw her eldest, Elias, sitting up in bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes. His younger brother, Theo, peeked out from under the covers, his small face full of curiosity.
She forced a smile, blinking away the tears threatening to spill. “What is it, baby?”
Elias tilted his head, his innocent brown eyes searching her face. “Mommy… when will we meet Daddy?”
Felicia felt like she had been punched in the stomach.
She swallowed hard, trying to find the right words—but what could she possibly say? That their father had just declared war? That he was out there, preparing to kill the only man who had raised them? That she didn’t know if either of them would survive the night?
Her throat tightened. They deserved the truth.
But how could she break their hearts?
She slowly walked to the bed and sat down beside them, pulling both boys into her arms. She held them close, pressing her lips against their soft hair, inhaling their familiar scent.
She wished she could freeze this moment forever—a world where they were still safe, still innocent, still unaware of the war raging outside their window.
Taking a deep breath, she finally whispered, “I’m not sure, baby.” Her voice broke as she pulled them even closer. “I’m not sure… after today.”
Theo clutched onto her shirt, his little voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean, Mommy?”
Felicia closed her eyes, pressing her cheek against his head.
How could she tell them? How could she explain that their father and Lucien were about to fight a war that neither of them would walk away from unchanged?
Her grip on them tightened as she fought back sobs.
“I just don’t know,” she admitted, her voice barely audible.
Elias curled into her side, his tiny fingers gripping hers. “But we’ll see him again, right?”
Felicia opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
She wanted to promise them that everything would be okay.
She wanted to tell them that Damien would come for them.
But after today? She didn’t know anything anymore.
All she knew was that war had begun.
And the cost of it?
She was terrified to find out.
