Lucien’s POV

The headache was a rhythmic thumping behind my eyes, a physical manifestation of the stress Alec had been pouring into me for the last hour. I paced the length of my study, the floorboards creaking under the weight of a man who felt the world tilting on its axis. The familiar scents of the room—old parchment, expensive leather, and the lingering ozone of a winter storm—did nothing to calm the wolf clawing at my insides. Every step I took felt like I was walking on glass, the ...