Ivy’s POV

My eyelids fluttered open to the dim glow of the room. For a moment, I thought I was still trapped in the circle, the burn of it lingering in my bones. But then I saw him.

Lucien sat in a chair across the room, his elbows braced on his knees, his expression unreadable in the shadows. For the briefest second, I swore I saw something there—worry etched into the hard lines of his face.

“Alpha Lucien,” I whispered weakly, my throat dry and raw.

His head snapped toward me. ...