CHAPTER 50

ADRIAN'S POV

The sunlight poured through the tall windows of the mansion, scattering across the polished floors in streaks of gold. It should have been peaceful, calm—the kind of morning that invited slow breathing, coffee, and quiet thoughts. But I didn’t have that luxury. Not today. Not ever, not really. The world I lived in—the empire, the alliances, the dangers—was never quiet.

I sat at the breakfast table, fork poised over scrambled eggs that had cooled just slightly. ...