Elena’s POV
Morning crept into the room in soft, golden slants of light, brushing over the tangled sheets and the hollow stillness that lingered between our breaths. My body ached—not with pain, but with the echo of something deeper, something ancient that had uncoiled inside me the moment I stepped into the Hollow.
Lucien’s arm was heavy over my waist, his warmth curled protectively around me. His breathing was slow and even, but I could feel the tension beneath his stillness, like his wolf was awake even in sleep, always alert.
I watched him in the hush of dawn, memorizing the sharp line of his jaw softened by sleep, the dark lashes resting against his cheeks, the faintest crease between his brows even now. He looked younger like this. More human.
But I knew better.
He wasn’t just t
