The sound of relentless pounding on the door dragged me from sleep. My heart leapt in my chest as I jolted upright, disoriented and blinking in the darkness. For a brief moment, I thought maybe Lucian had finally come back, but something about the pounding felt... off. Too aggressive. Too urgent.
I threw the covers off, nerves prickling my skin as I slid out of bed. The room was eerily quiet except for the insistent knocking that echoed through the walls. I glanced toward the other bed where Justin was stirring, his silhouette barely visible in the shadows.
Fingers trembling slightly, I reached for the door, hoping, *please let it be Lucian.* But when I opened it, I found a towering figure instead, a broad-shouldered shifter with a hardened expression. He stood there like a wall of muscl
