Lucian’s POV
I returned to her bedside, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept. The possessiveness I felt surprised me with its intensity. Diana wasn't mine had never been mine in the way I wanted. She'd made it clear over the years that she wasn't looking for a mate, that our friendship was valuable precisely because it came without those complications.
And I'd respected that boundary, no matter how painful. But seeing Ryan with her, with Damian, the easy way the boy responded to him, the history that connected him to Diana—awoke something primal and jealous in me that I struggled to contain.
"Lucian?" Diana's voice, weak but alert, pulled me from my dark thoughts. "What happened?"
I moved closer, relief washing through me. "You collapsed after healing that child.
