SELENEA’S POV
Steam rose from the plate Lukas set before me, the scent of roasted meat and herbs filling the dining hall, the long table polished, reflecting torchlight. My boots rested on the hardwood, my hands folded in my lap, my fingers twisting, my gaze fixed on Lukas as he moved, his leather jacket creaking, his dark hair catching light, his smile soft as he slid into the chair across from me. The fork gleamed beside my plate, untouched, my stomach tight, not from hunger but from the weight of his love—a love I couldn’t match, no matter how I tried. I’d told him upstairs, my voice shaking, tears falling, that I loved him but not like he loved me, Ryker’s betrayal was still a chain on my heart, his claws, his lies, still cutting deep.
I stared, my chest rising slow, my red hair spil
