Chapter 125

125 A Calm Morning

Lucian

Mara looked adorable-curled up with a sandwich in her lap, completely absorbed in her food like it was the only thing that mattered. I’d never seen her eat like this. After the chaos, the stress, and the throwing up, she deserved to inhale every bite.

There was a streak of mayo on the side of her mouth. I leaned in, brushed a hand along her cheek, and licked it off. She blushed, her eyes flickering down, but when I kissed her, she melted into it-just like always.

I didn’t want to go to breakfast. I wanted to stay in this bed, with her, pretending the world outside didn’t exist. But my father had called for a formal sit-down. We couldn’t blow it off. The attack had caught us off guard-it was too calculated, too well-timed. We were lucky we hadn’t lost more.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the prisoners we’d taken. Wolves who’d rather die than be captured? That kind of loyalty didn’t come from fear. It came from belief. Purpose. There was someone powerful behind this. Likely an Alpha. Only someone like that could inspire such fanaticism. And if we didn’t figure out who, we’d stay vulnerable.

“We need to get ready,” I told Mara.