Mason's POV
The weight of leadership bore down on me like a physical force as I paced the confines of my office. The past few days have been a whirlwind of revelations and new responsibilities, each adding to my burden. But nothing weighed on me quite as heavily as the task I had just assigned to Lucas.
"Find Aurora," I had told her, my voice tight with a mix of emotions I couldn't entirely untangle. "And when you do... bring her back. She needs to answer for what she's done."
The words left a bitter taste in my mouth. Aurora, my mate, the woman I had once thought I would spend my life with... now a criminal I was duty-bound to bring to justice. The irony of it all wasn't lost on me.
As I sank into my chair, rubbing my temples in a futile attempt to ward off an impending headache, I co
