Olivia’s POV
The morning after felt heavy, as though the air itself carried the taste of unspoken fear. The storm Emily had promised—threatened—was no longer some distant echo. It was here, creeping at the edges of our lives, waiting for a moment to strike.
Lucas hadn’t said much since the news. He sat at the edge of our bed that morning, staring out the window while the sunrise painted his profile in soft gold. To anyone else, he might have looked calm, regal even. But I knew the stiffness in his shoulders, the way his hands curled and uncurled restlessly against his thighs. It wasn’t peace—it was restraint. A man holding too much inside.
I sat up, wrapping the blanket tighter around me, watching him with an ache I couldn’t voice. He had fought wars for his pack, shielded them from ene
