LUCIAN’S POV
The LST internal platform rarely surprised me.
Most posts followed predictable rhythms: after-action reports polished to within an inch of their lives, congratulatory blurbs that said everything and nothing, the occasional clipped announcement—noise, curated and controlled.
So when Selene’s post detonated across my feed, it wasn’t the fact that it went viral that caught my attention.
It was who was in it.
I was mid-brief when the alert chimed—three short pulses, priority-coded. I dismissed the staff with a flick of my hand and glanced down at the tablet instead.
The thumbnail loaded.
Sand. Sun. Motion.
And Seraphina.
I stilled.
She was unmistakable, even in a fleeting glimpse, her posture loose in a way I’d never seen before, laughter tumbling o
