The waiting was worse than the blood.
Worse than the gunshots.
Worse than the silence.
Lucian stood outside the operating room, completely still.
Hours had passed.
Or maybe minutes.
He couldn’t tell anymore.
Time didn’t matter.
Only one thing did.
Selene.
If she didn’t make it
His jaw tightened.
No.
He refused to let his mind go there.
Because if she didn’t
There would be nothing left of him to control.
The doors stayed closed.
The light above them still on.
And Lucian
Still standing.
Like something carved out of pure restraint and barely contained rage.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
He didn’t turn.
He didn’t need to.
“Report.”
His voice was low. Cold.
One of his men stepped forward carefully.
“We secured the perimeter,” he said quickly. “Two attackers were captur
