Mara
Ever since the library incident with Darian, Lucian had changed.
He was still polite—pleasant, even. Bought me everything he thought I needed without being asked. But the distance between us was obvious.
Unspoken, cold, and deliberate. He came home late now, slipping in during the early hours, quiet as a ghost. I didn’t ask where he went. I already knew.
The library incident had changed him. I’d seen it coming. Tina got more of him than I ever would.
As for me, my heat never came.
I counted that as a blessing.
I threw myself into combat training, mostly to keep my head above water. Darian and Rowan trained with me.
I kept things professional, always making sure Rowan was there, like a buffer. Darian still tried to catch me alone, always hoping for a crack in the wall I’d bui
