For as much as Celia wanted Lucas to believe she would be fine without him for a little while, she didn’t like him leaving.
Not at all.
She knew Darcy, Brady, and Hazel. She liked Kiernan, even if she didn’t know him well yet. He was Darcy’s mate, and Landon trusted him. None of that did anything to ease the tightness spreading across her chest after Lucas disappeared out the door.
She tried to stay busy, focusing on the meat. Ariadne murmured soothing words in the back of her mind, and her ring pulsed warmly against her skin. She drew in slow breaths, forcing herself to stay calm.
And at first, it worked.
She let herself get lost in the familiar rhythm of cooking, the sizzle of meat hitting the pan, the rich scent filling the kitchen. Brady and Hazel chatted behind her, their voices
