Lucien didn’t remember deciding to leave.
One moment he was in his chambers.
The next—
He was outside.
The cold night air hit his lungs sharply as he moved through the Vale grounds, his steps fast, purposeful.
Not thinking.
Not questioning.
Moving.
His wolf surged beneath his skin. He felt restless. He felt unsettled.
Certain.
That was what made it worse.
Lucien’s jaw tightened.
“What are you doing…”
The question barely left his lips before his body answered.
North.
The word didn’t form in his mind.
It settled deeper.
Instinct.
His pace quickened.
The gates of the territory passed behind him without hesitation. Patrol wolves called out to him, but he didn’t stop.
Didn’t slow.
Didn’t explain.
The forest swallowed him quickly.
Branches scraped against his arms as he mo
