Adrian woke to moonlight streaming through the windows and the steady rhythm of Lyra's breathing against his chest. The mate bond hummed contentedly between them, a warm presence that felt as natural as his own heartbeat. For a moment, he simply lay there, memorizing the way she fit perfectly against him, the way her hair spilled across his shoulder like dark silk.
Then he felt it—a pull that had nothing to do with the mate bond.
A mental summons, precise and undeniable.
"My study. Now. Come alone"
Lucien's voice in his mind carried the weight of absolute authority and something else. Something that felt like... reluctance. As if the Alpha King was about to do something he'd been avoiding for far too long.
Adrian carefully extracted himself from Lyra's embrace, tucking the blankets ar
