Lucian's POV
The storm swallowed her tracks by morning.
Cassius said she’d taken the southern trail—the one that cut along the ridge toward the old Blackriver border. Lucian hadn’t needed confirmation. He could feel the bond stretching thin in that direction, faint and flickering, like a heartbeat muffled by smoke.
She hadn’t severed it.
She’d muted it.
That was worse.
All through the night, Lucian paced the great hall, hearth after hearth burning down to ash beneath his restless hand before flaring back to life again. Smoke clung to the rafters. The stone walls felt closer with every passing hour. Savage prowled beneath his skin, restless, pacing with him—fur bristling, claws scraping bone.
Savage missed her.
Missed Kaela’s presence in the wind. Missed the rhythm of their shared r
