جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 17

The afternoon sun had begun its slow descent, bathing the garden in gold and stretching the shadows long across the grass. We still hadn’t moved from the bench. Lucian’s hand remained in mine, his thumb tracing slow, absent circles over my knuckles—a quiet, grounding rhythm neither of us acknowledged aloud.I sensed the change before I saw it. A subtle tightening in his shoulders. The way his gaze flicked toward the hedge line, sharp and alert, as though listening to something beyond my hearing.Alpha instincts. Always watching.“Someone’s coming,” he murmured, not releasing my hand.A moment later, footsteps crunched along the gravel path. Amira appeared at the edge of the clearing, moving quickly though clearly trying not to look rushed. Behind her trailed a young boy—no more than ten—cradling a small wooden box in both hands as if it held something precious, something sacred.Amira’s eyes found mine first. Relief flashed across her face, quickly followed by something sharper—worry.

The fire had burned down to glowing embers by the time the last of the pack drifted away. Laughter still echoed faintly from the far side of the courtyard, but here, near the ivy-covered wall, the night felt private, like the world had stepped away.Lucian and I remained on the bench, shoulders touching now, the distance between us narrowed by small, unconscious shifts neither of us acknowledged aloud.I felt his warmth beside me. It was calm. Safe. His scent surrounded me—cedar smoke clinging from the fire, the clean bite of winter wind, something deeper and uniquely his. My wolf felt it too. She was no longer restless. She settled, peaceful, like she had finally found a place to rest.Lucian broke the silence, his voice low. “You surprised them tonight. You surprised me too.”“In a good way? I hope.”“The best way.” He turned to look at me. The firelight was fading, but I felt his eyes on my face. “You spoke from here.” He tapped his chest lightly. “Not from memory. Not from duty. J

The midday sun shone over the training ground, bright and hot. The wide dirt circle lay empty except for us. Lucian had kept his word. Lucian had kept his promise. No warriors watching from the sidelines, no curious kids peeking through the fence. Just the hard ground, wooden weapon racks, and the distant call of birds drifting in from the trees. I stood in the center, rolling my shoulders and breathing slowly. This body felt familiar, yet new. The muscles remembered things I did not. I wore dark leather training clothes that fit close to my skin. A short sword hung at my hip, light and easy to hold. A dagger was strapped to my thigh. Nothing heavy. Nothing fancy. Just tools to test what this body could do. Lucian faced me across the circle, stripped down to a fitted black tunic and pants, sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair was tied back, showing the sharp line of his jaw and that faint scar I’d traced the night before. He carried no weapon yet—hands loose at his sides, posture