Lucian's POV
After parting ways with Allison, I couldn't bear the thought of returning to the pack house. The silence there would be too loud, reminding me of her absence. Instead, I called Ryan and Aldric to meet me at Liquid Gold, the exclusive nightclub in the heart of the city where members of elite packs often gathered.
When I arrived, the club was pulsing with energy—strobe lights cutting through artificial fog, bodies moving to the heavy bass—but none of it reached me. I headed straight for our usual VIP section and ordered a bottle of whiskey.
By the time my friends arrived, I'd already consumed more than half of it.
Ryan slid into the booth beside me, eyeing the nearly empty bottle. He draped his arm over my shoulder with easy familiarity. "You drag us out here just
