Present Day
Lucas had barely slept. His mind had been too full of Celia. He kept seeing the look on her face when she opened her bedroom door, how her eyes had gone soft with wanting and pain all at once. He hated himself for putting that look there. Hated how he craved her anyway.
He’d dragged himself out of bed before dawn to help with training. Running drill and sparring usually cleared his head, but not today. Every time he caught a faint trace of her scent on the wind, it was like a hook under his ribs.
When training ended, he hadn’t even gotten a chance to shower before his father’s beta found him and told him Alpha Marcus wanted him and Landon in his office. His father had spent the better part of an hour lecturing them both about expectations, responsibilities and the timeline
