Lucien pov

The Circle did not strike us. That was the first thing I understood when the pressure settled over Bloodmoon. No fire. No tearing of the land. No punishment that wolves could point to and fear.

Instead, the air changed.

It got heavy in a way that made it hard to hide from yourself.

I stood in the center of the courtyard without my Alpha bond. No pull from the territory. No awareness of every heartbeat around me. Just my own breath and the sound of Bloodmoon shifting ...