Lucian took a step forward, then stopped, as if unsure of his reception.“Grandmother,” he said, his voice carefully controlled. “I’d like to show Aurelia to her wing. If she’s comfortable with this.”Seraphina’s gaze sharpened, turning toward her grandson with a look that could cut glass. The warning in her eyes was clear: behave.“Lucian—”“Please,” he said quietly. “I need to speak with her.”I wanted to refuse. Wanted to tell him to stay away, to let Seraphina handle everything, to avoid being alone with him for even a minute.But we couldn’t avoid each other forever. Not if I was living here. Not if we were going to raise a child together, even from separate wings of this massive estate.“It’s fine,” I heard myself say.Seraphina looked at me. “Are you certain?”“Yes.”“Very well.” She turned back to Lucian, her voice dropping to a tone I suspected terrified even Alphas. “You will be respectful. You will be kind. And you will remember she is a guest in this house, under my protec
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