ArielleThe first light of dawn bled across the horizon, cold and sharp, painting the courtyard in gray and silver. Shadows clung to the walls like dark memories, reluctant to let go, but the chill didn’t touch the fire coiling in my veins.I flexed my hands, feeling the silver hum beneath my skin, no longer a restless, raging tide but a sharpened blade waiting for a strike. Lucian’s presence at my side was a tether, steadying and familiar, and yet… my pulse thrummed for him and against him all at once. He didn’t need to speak. I could feel the promise in the set of his shoulders, the weight of his calm readiness pressing into mine.From the trees, movement stirred. A ripple of shapes, low and predatory. Dane’s pack. Their growls and snarls rolled across the courtyard, testing, probing, hungry.I closed my eyes, letting the sound settle like a stone in my chest. Not yet. Not until the right moment.Lucian leaned closer, his breath brushing the side of my neck. “Remember,” he murmured,
Last Updated : 2025-09-12 Read more