Selene lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, tracing the faint cracks as her thoughts raced faster than her body could move. Pain throbbed along her side with every heartbeat a constant reminder that last night had been very real. The attack. The darkness. The gunshot. Lucian’s panic. Rafe’s strange behavior. The mansion that had once felt like home had turned into a cage.
Her eyes flicked toward Lucian. He stood near the window, shoulders stiff, jaw tight, hands clenched at his sides. He hadn’t noticed her watching, but she could feel the tension radiating off him. Every measured step, every flick of his gaze spoke of a man teetering on the edge of control. And in the quiet corners of her mind, Selene realized something crucial he was terrified, not for himself, but for her.
“You shouldn’
