Lucian POV:
Okay... I messed up.
Shouldn’t have said that. Shouldn’t have taunted him.
But f**k, I was angry — furious, even. Watching Damian circle around her like she was his, like he had any right to breathe the same air as her, let alone claim her. I wanted to hurt him, to twist the knife, remind him who got to her first — in blood, in body.
I didn’t expect her to react like that.
Didn’t expect the fury in her eyes, or the way her voice trembled when she screamed at me. Didn’t expect her fists, her kicks, her tears.
Didn’t expect the shame that followed either — sharp and unfamiliar, clawing through my chest like it belonged to someone else.
But it was mine. It is mine.
Because no matter what she said, no matter how much I tried to deny it, she’s my Beloved.
And that changes e
