Sera stood frozen, staring at the door that had just closed behind him. Her heart pounded, each beat echoing like thunder inside her chest.
War is coming.
The words hung in the air, a chilling promise whispered into the bones of the night.
The room felt colder without him, as if his absence stole the very heat from the air. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make sense of the avalanche of truths Lucien had dropped in the span of minutes. Wolves. Packs. Rival Alphas. A hidden world that had always been lurking just beneath the city's sleek, glamorous surface—and somehow, she was caught in the center of it all.
And him.
Lucien Cross.
The man who touched her without touching, who saw her like no one else ever had. His presence lingered like a phantom across her skin, and even now, her lips still buzzed with the memory of his kiss.
A knock at the door startled her.
She turned sharply, her breath catching. But it wasn't him. Of course not. Just the wind rattling the balcony doors. She walked toward them and slid them open. The city was still alive below—cars, lights, a dull buzz of night energy. But it felt distant now. Small. Insignificant.
Because her world had shifted.
Something primal had awakened in her. Something that whispered things she wasn't ready to name. She leaned on the railing, letting the night wind dance across her skin, and whispered to no one, "What happens now?"
—
Far across the city, Lucien stood atop a rooftop, his eyes scanning the skyline. His shirt was still half-buttoned, revealing the ridges of his chest that still burned from the feel of her. His wolf was restless beneath his skin, pacing, snarling, protective. The moment he walked away from Sera, the urge to turn back nearly broke him.
But she wasn't safe with him—not with rival Alphas circling like vultures. He needed to protect her from afar. Until he could claim her fully.
He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent that still clung to him like sin. Vanilla and wild roses. The mating bond was awakening—and it was dangerous.
"Soon, little mate," he growled to the wind. "Soon, you'll be mine."
—
Back in the apartment, Sera tried to sleep but couldn't.
Everything burned. Her body. Her thoughts. The ache between her thighs. She remembered the heat of his mouth on her skin, the wild way her body had responded. She pressed a palm to her stomach as if she could calm the storm inside her.
She was falling for a man who wasn't just dangerous—he wasn't even fully human.
But gods help her… she didn't care.
The next time she saw him, she wouldn't hold back.