DISCUSSION: How would Elain and Lucien's story be different if Lucien had kept "you're my mate" to himself?

u/darklygrey's post about Lucien yelling telling Elain that she is his mate got me thinking: would anything be different between Elain and Lucien if Lucien hadn't told Elain she was his mate?

For reference, here's the scene where it happens:

Nesta took a breath. And when I beheld my sister, with her somehow magnified beauty, her ears … When Nesta looked to me … Rage. Power. Cunning. Then it was gone, horror and shock crumpling her face, but she didn’t pause, didn’t halt. She was free—she was loose.

She was on her feet, tripping over her slightly longer, leaner limbs, ripping the gag from her mouth— Nesta slammed into Lucien, grabbing Elain from his arms, and screamed at him as he fell back, “Get off her!”

Elain’s feet slipped against the floor, but Nesta gripped her upright, running her hands over Elain’s face, her shoulders, her hair— “Elain, Elain, Elain,” she sobbed. Cassian again stirred—trying to rise, to answer Nesta’s voice as she held my sister and cried her name again and again.

But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in. Dark brown eyes met one eye of russet and one of metal. Nesta was still weeping, still raging, still inspecting Elain— Lucien’s hands slackened at his sides.

His voice broke as he whispered to Elain, “You’re my mate.”

Part of me thinks they would have had a similar development to Nessian - but Cassian had a lot of privileges that Lucien didn't/doesn't have. Namely, being in the inner circle and trusted by Rhys and Feyre. It makes me wonder if he would have even been allowed to enter the NC at all if Feyre and Rhys weren't aware of the bond.

Idk, what do you guys think?