"I'll be with him through it," I promised, squeezing his hand. "Diamond and I both."
Lucious nodded, gratitude flowing through our strengthening bond. "I can feel him pushing closer to the surface with each passing minute. It's... overwhelming."
"That's normal," Kane assured him. "The first shift is always intense."
We moved quickly to the shift room Brent had mentioned, a specially reinforced chamber in the east wing designed to safely contain newly shifting werewolves. The walls were padded, the door secured with both physical and magical locks that could only be opened from the outside.
"You'll stay with me?" Lucious asked as we entered the room, vulnerability plain in his voice despite his efforts to hide it.
"Of course," I said without hesitation. "I wouldn't leave you to face th
