He Claimed My Best Friend, I Claimed My Future Chapter 07

He Claimed My Best Friend, I Claimed My Future Chapter 07

Lucian came to Ironclaw. But the gates of 

Ironclaw Warrior Academy weren’t open to 

everyone. 

The first time Lucian stood at the gates, he was 

turned away. 

He opened his mouth, ready to say he was my 

mate. But the words died in his throat. 

That night, he didn’t get to see me. 

He couldn’t have. The trainee dorms at Ironclaw 

were at the far end of the academy, past three 

checkpoints and two training fields. 

But he came back the next day. 

And the day after that. 

Seasons changed. Snow melted with spring, then 

fell again with winter. 

Lucian never missed a single break again. 

From Capital Pack College to Ironclaw’s city, the 

high–speed train took nearly seven hours. 

He caught the last train after his Friday classes, 

arrived late at night, slept in a hotel near the 

academy, and stood outside the gates early the 

next morning. 

Then he caught the last train back on Sunday. 

He didn’t know if I had been granted leave. He 

didn’t know if I had requested leave. He didn’t even 

know if I was still at Ironclaw. 

He only knew that if he never came, he would 

never have a chance to see me. 

When the first snow fell, he stood outside the 

gates wearing nothing but a thin jacket. The guard 

took pity on him and handed him a cup of hot 

coffee. 

“Who are you waiting for?” the guard asked. 

“My mate,” Lucian said. 

The guard looked at him, then toward the depths. of the academy, and shook his head. “If she’s your 

mate, why are you out here waiting? Why won’t 

she come see you?” 

Lucian didn’t answer. 

Because he already knew the answer. 

The afternoon he threw my acceptance letter into the incinerator, he had already lost. 

That year, he lost a lot of weight. His jawline grew sharper. The shadows under his eyes deepened. 

The Alpha heir who had once been adored by everyone in Silverpine’s Pack Hall was now just silent, shut out and unwanted. And his guilt got 

him nowhere. 

Then one day, I finally got a half–day pass. 

Ironclaw’s rules were strict. New trainees were 

allowed out only once every two months. 

Rina dragged me into town, complaining that 

supplies on campus were too expensive and we 

needed to stock up. 

I changed into civilian clothes and walked out the 

gates with Rina. 

The sun was bright. I took a deep breath. The rare taste of freedom relaxed my wolf for a moment. 

That was when I saw him. 

Lucian stood a short distance from the gates, wearing a dark gray jacket. 

His hair was longer than it had been a year ago. The expression on his face was froze. 

The moment he saw me, his whole body locked up. He forgot how to breathe. 

One year apart. 

He had changed a lot. Thinner. Quieter. The arrogant pride had faded from his posture. 

But I still recognized him in an instant. 

Rina noticed me pause. She followed my gaze and asked softly, “Nora, you know him?” 

I looked away. 

“No,” I said, my voice flat. “I don’t know him.” 

Rina didn’t ask more. She just looped her arm through mine and pulled me forward. 

I didn’t stop walking. 

Just as I passed him, Lucian finally found his 

voice. 

“Nora!” 

He rushed in front of me and blocked my path. His 

hand came up, almost grabbing my wrist, then 

jerked back like he’d been burned. 

“Nora, it’s really you. I finally found you.” 

I stopped and looked up at him. 

“Can I help you?” I asked. 

Lucian’s eyes turned red on the spot. 

“Nora, I know I was so wrong,” he said, his voice 

shaking. 

“I never should have destroyed your acceptance 

letter. I never should have denied you to protect 

my pride. I never should have messed around with 

Serena.” 

“I ended things with her a long time ago. You’re the 

one I like. My heart has always been yours. I was. 

just too messed up to see it. I took you for 

granted.” 

He took a breath. 

“I know I screwed up. Can you forgive me? Give 

me one more chance?” 

I let him finish. Then I shook my head gently. 

“Lucian, I’ve already forgotten the past. You should forget it too. Go home.” 

I turned to leave. 

“Nora.” He reached out again. His fingers brushed my wrist this time, but only for a second, like he 

was afraid. 

“I can wait,” he said, his voice rough. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to forgive me. Until you’re willing to talk to me again. I don’t care how long.” 

I turned my head and looked into his eyes. 

Those sky–blue eyes. They had made my wolf. wake up three years ago by the Darkwood. They 

had once been the eyes I wanted to lose myself in. 

Now they were just eyes. 

“Lucian,” I said, clear and deliberate. “A mate bond 

is not a leash.” 

He froze. 

“You used it like one. You used it to tie me down, 

to make me wait, to make me endure, to keep me as your shadow in front of everyone.” 

“You thought that as long as the bond was there, I would always come back.” 

“But I am not your shadow anymore.” 

“I’m happy now. I have my own life. My own friends. My own future. I don’t need your apology. And I don’t need you to wait.” 

“Don’t come here anymore. We go our separate 

ways. No more contact. That’s for the best.” 

I turned and walked back to Rina. 

She didn’t ask anything. She just offered me her arm, and I took it. 

We walked away together.