Chapter 9

Lucian stood stoically before the window, gazing at the inky blackness of the night sky. The chill of the night air brushed against his skin like icy fingers, while the silence of the forest was broken only by the occasional howl of a lone wolf.

Behind him, his aide's voice echoed through the chamber like the hiss of a viper, but Lucian remained unmoved, his back turned, a silent symbol of his resolute determination.

"Are you seriously going to do this?" Carlyle retorted, his voice tinged with frustration. "We all remember what happened with the last stray we took in. We can't afford to make the same mistake twice."

Carlyle was way more than Lucian's assistant. He was his only trusted friend, more like a brother. They'd risen together as mere betas and had masterminded several conquests within the years.

Lucian's eyes glimmered with an intense passion as he spoke, his voice thick with emotion. It was like a gust of wind blowing through a dense forest, clearing the path ahead. The whol