LUCIAN
I released a slow breath, forcing my fists to unclench.
Now, it wasn’t exhilarating.
Now, it felt… empty.
The rage that once fueled me now left me drained. The fear in their eyes no longer thrilled me—it exhausted me. I had built this new Bloodfang Pack to be different, to be more than what it once was. But moments like this, when my control slipped, I realized how close I still was to becoming that same monster again.
I had promised myself I wouldn’t go back.
Tonight, I had come dangerously close.
“Hm.” Tobias hummed beside me, his gray eyes studying me. He had seen it too. The hesitation. “Lost in thought, Alpha?” he mused, tilting his head.
I shot him a dry glare, but he only chuckled.
“You hesitated,” he noted. “That’s not like you.”
I ran a hand down
