Maximus's POV
The door groaned open before I spoke.
Lucien entered, silent as ever, but I felt the faint tremor of caution that always accompanied him when I was like this. The scent of stone dust and iron still clung to my skin. My muscles ached from the night’s brutal transformation, every breath scraping like broken glass down my throat.
“These walls aren’t strong enough to hold me anymore.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, rough and hollow. My voice sounded foreign—like someone else wearing my skin. “Prepare the underground room. Tell Soraya to use her strongest spells. I want chains I can’t break. No matter how hard my beast pushes.”
Lucien’s jaw tightened, but he bowed without a word. He understood orders, not feelings. Good. Feelings were a disease.
When the door
