He shook his head. “It’s more about the whole rather than every word on its own,” he said quietly. “Put together,Suncrown Ridgegave Lucien the feeling of a dry, cutthroat, isolated place. So he changed it.”
“Montrevere,” I murmured, thinking it through. “What does it mean in French?”
“‘Mountain of revelations and dreams,’” Blaise replied at once, a soft smile stretching his lips. “A name fitting for a pack led by an Alpha dead set on ushering in a new era for not just werewolves but all Otherborne as well.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that, feeling warm inside as I looked at Lucien’s sleeping face. He wasn’t just a beautiful man on the outside; Lucien was just as beautiful on the inside too. He was a good man who’d been through a lot, but also a man who stuck by his moral code, and who refused to let his own idealism put his people in danger again.
He harbored the same guilt I did regarding his pack in Paris, and his family. He couldn’t save his sisters either. That’s why he understood when I told him about Willow and Julianna. Why he held me close and just let me cry until I had no more tears left.
Blaise’s voice drew my gaze back to him. He was now looking at me intently, emphatically. “I’ve known Lucien my whole life,” he told me. “He’s like a brother to me. I swore to fight for him, and protect him in my own way too. That’s why I know when he’s in true danger.”
My eyes widened, but Blaise didn’t stop. “You sound like a good woman, Drew,” he said, face serious. “It’s quite obvious to me why Lucien caught feelings for you.”
I froze, jaw on the floor.
“My Alpha is a man who puts his heart on his sleeve,” Blaise continued like a bulldozer making its crude way into my very soul. “It shows even in something like changing a pack’s name to fit his vision.”
Everything in my mind screeched to a full stop as I stared at Blaise, entranced.
“He has never given his heart to a woman before.” His words hit like a hammer on my heartstrings. “But it seems he has given it to you.”
A few splashes of coffee hit my fingers, and I realized my hands were shaking.
Blaise plucked the cup from my hands and put it down along with his empty one before he returned his gaze to me. Then he said, “I’m afraid I can’t approve, because you’re going to break him.”
My head shook from side to side at once as I felt my throat constrict. But I had to force the words out. “Is it ...” I tried to clear my throat and failed, so I croaked, “Is it because I’m human?”
Blaise’s gaze was pitying. “If you werejusta human, then no,” he said grimly. “But you’re his Eteria.”
I hugged myself, unable to stop shivering. I couldn’t think. I could barely even breathe. “The magical mind control,” I gasped out, feeling so cold, yet also hot, because Blaise’s words were like sharpened knives filled with hope.
Did Lucien really have feelings for me? Could it really be possible?
Blaise suddenly took my hand, snapping my attention back to him. “There is a way for you to stop being his Eteria.”
I froze again. My shivering stopping too. Everything came to a halt. “What?”
“An Alpha has the power of Transference,” he said, his hold on my hand tightening. “It’s a special magic carried by Alphas only that can transform a human into a werewolf.”
I tried to process his words and failed.
“If you become a werewolf,” Blaise continued, eyes almost pleading with me, “you will no longer meet the criteria of being an Eteria, because you will no longer be human.”
My mouth hung open. My mind raced with so many thoughts I completely blanked out. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I couldn’t believe such a thing was even an option.
“You seem to have feelings for Lucien too,” Blaise said now, letting my hand go and rising to his feet, eyes as dark as the night sky. “Theymay be the product of your Eteria status, or they may not. Wouldn’t you want to find out?”
I had no words. I could hardly even think about what he was saying.
Seeing I was at a loss, Blaise put a hand on my shoulder, squeezed, and stepped back, grabbing the cups of coffee. “I’m going to go now,” he said quietly, glancing at Lucien briefly before returning his gaze to me. “Think about it, Drew.” He paused, grimaced. “At least for Lucien’s sake.Please.”
Before I could respond, he left, closing the door behind him.
My heart was beating in my ears as I slumped against the chair, confused and shocked, and turned to look at Lucien.
And suddenly, I was filled with pain. Because if Lucien did have feelings for me like Blaise assumed, then why didn’t he offer to transform me into a werewolf to begin with?
If he cared for me even a little, why didn’t he tell me this was an option? That I could stop being his Eteria? That would’ve solved all our problems!