Lucien's POV
I could taste her on the air.
Wildflowers, rain, and something sharper. Something that made my veins throb, my wolf pace. It was not fair. No one had warned me the bond would feel like this, like drowning in fire, like every breath depended on her nearness.
And yet, even with the fire in me, she kept slipping away.
Not toward strangers. Not toward rogues. But toward them.
My brothers.
Caelan made her laugh. That easy, golden sound that melted every wall she tried to build. He touched her without fear, kissed her like it was natural, and she let him. She leaned into him. She glowed with him.
Kieran made her burn. I saw it in her eyes when he was near, the hunger she tried to deny, the way she trembled when his hand brushed hers. He had kissed her too, and the memory of it was carved into me like a scar.
And me?
When she looked at me, I saw hesitation. Fear.
