Lucian's POV
*****
The chandeliers above shimmered like captured stars, swaying faintly from the tremor of the orchestra's final note.
A roar of applause followed after the first dance.
But Lucian wasn't feeling excited. Not one bit.
Because while the rest of the royal court twirled and laughed beneath Lunaria's golden banners, his mate was burning alive in his arms.
Elian's scent—sweet, sharp, and maddening—poured from him in shimmering waves. The heat rolling off his skin was enough to fog Lucian's senses, his instincts straining to the edge of control.
He swallowed hard.
"Focus, Lucian," he muttered to himself, one arm still looped protectively around Elian's waist.
Kyren and Axel lingered by the pillars near the ballroom's edge, their eyes alert and glowing faintly in the refracted light. Their postures looked casual to the crowd, but Lucian could feel their tension.