Lucian
I walked Emma back to her room with my wolf pressed tight under my skin.
At her door, I forced myself to stop. “Rest,” I said. “If you need anything, I’m down the hall.”
“I know,” she said. “You’re always there.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
I waited until the latch clicked, then turned away before I did something ridiculous like stay planted outside her door for the next six hours.
My office looked like December had exploded.
Reports, patrol schedules, supply lists, event summaries—stacked, spread, half-sorted. On a normal Christmas week, I’d have all of this handled already: donations signed, patrol shifts locked, guest lists confirmed down to the last spoon.
This year, I was behind.
The top page was a weather and logistics report from Maine. Under it, in K
