RYAN POV
Lucien took a step closer.
"I heard about what happened," he added after a moment, his tone turning slightly softer. "The rejection."
Something in me snapped instantly.
"Don't," I said sharply, my voice cutting him off instantly.
He stopped, but he didn't back down.
"I'm not here to talk about your personal matters," he continued, calmly. "I'm here because your people are disappearing, and they need their Alpha present, not sitting behind a desk pretending everything is under control."
My jaw clenched harder.
"I am in control," I replied coldly.
Lucien held my gaze. "Then prove it," he said sharply.
And heavy tension-filled silence fills the room. Because he wasn't wrong, and that was the problem.
His eyes moved briefly to the document on my desk
