Lucien POV

The weight in my chest never leaves.

It pulses with hers, dragging at my ribs like a chain.

Every shiver she fights, every shallow breath, every heartbeat that falters—I feel it.

Pain spikes through my skull. Sharp. Twisting. A migraine that could shatter glass.

And then Rheon growls. Low, deep, inside my mind.

“Move,” he snarls. “Go to her. Protect her.”

I clutch my desk, hands shaking.

I cannot.

Not yet.

Not while she’s fragile.

Every nerve in my body screams, ...