Lucian's POV
The second Allison disappeared around the corner, the smile peeled off my face like cheap paint in the rain.
No more performance. No more restraint. Just me, him, and the storm brewing in my chest.
"Not bad," I said, reaching across the table to refill Bellingham's glass with deliberate smoothness. "I underestimated your tolerance."
His cheeks were flushed, but his posture remained rigidly upright, like a soldier refusing to flinch under fire.
"Not as impressive as yours, Alpha Lucian," he said, his voice dry but steady.
I tilted my head, letting my eyes sweep over him, dissecting every twitch of muscle.
He was holding on by a thread, but damn if he wasn't determined to make it look like steel.
"If you know you can't beat me," I said, voice low, "why
