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"I don't know if I can," I whisper.

"Let me try at least." He says, taking a step closer. "Let me show you how badly I want for us to work out. Let me show you how much I've missed you." Another step closer. "Let me show the beautiful family we can have.""You already have a family, Lucien." My voice is breathless and weaker than I intend, but it passes the message clearly.

Lucien lets out a small smile and straightens his posture, but he does not step away from me. "I was wondering when you were going to bring that up."

"I won't take away another woman's husband, and I sure as hell did not go through all of this to end up as your mistress in the end.""Rora," he says my name like a silent prayer. "You won't be taking anything from anybody. I've always been yours."

I let out a scoff, stepping away from his zone of influence to clear my head. "I believe everyone would have a very different answer."

"Selene found her mate, and she's currently at his pack to see his people through a difficult time."

The wheels in my brain spin at a very speedy rate, putting two and two together. A gasp escapes my lips. "The alpha of Ironclaw? Didn't he…isn't he…dear Goddess. How is she?"

"Not her best, but Selene's a tough one. She'll pull through."While I never had a close relationship with Selene, she has always been one of the females I admired in the pack. I have no doubt she'll pull through. She was practically raised to be a leader, but at the same time, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a mate.

Lucien and I might've been separated for a long time, but the mere thought of his death chills me to the bones.

I don't notice Lucien close the distance between us till he's practically in my face. "I told you it's going to be different this time. Even the circumstances are aligning in our favor."

Despite the haze of emotions clouding my brain, I find it difficult to disagree with him. The situation seems almost tailored in our favor, but I don't admit it to him. Hope will only get me hurt, and I cannot afford to trust in the words of a man or make mindless mistakes. I have my son to think about.

"Rora." Lucien picks up a stray lock of hair from my shoulder, wrapping it softly around his index finger. The movement is innocent and almost mindless, but it causes my stomach to flip in the most unnatural way.

It has to be his closeness to me. Even the air has gone from refreshing to being doused with pine and amber. His scent clouds my thoughts, and he is all I can inhale.

I make an attempt to take a step back and collect my thoughts before I make a mistake, but Lucien eats up the distance as soon as I create it.

"Stop fighting us. I know you feel this too." His voice is raspy and heavy with need, and his eyes burn at every point they touch. I silently curse myself for the emotions pouring through me.

"Lucien—

"Shhh," he places his forehead on mine, our breath mingling. My chest is heaving against his, the swell of my breast straining through the soft fabric of my shirt and brushing against his muscled chest.

His eyes trail from my eyes to my lips down to my hardened nipples and back to my face.

Just as he moves to close the distance, my phone rings, the sharp sound cutting through the stillness of the night and startling me out of the moment.

I fumble for it in my pocket. Pulling it out to find a very familiar name flashing through the screen.

Damon.

My throat tightens. I feel Lucien stiffen beside me, his gaze darkening as he catches a glimpse of the name flashing across my screen.

I hesitate for a beat too long, and Lucien exhales sharply. "Don't take it."

I look at him to find his eyes on me, pleading, and then back at the screen, my finger hovering over the button.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lucien

The scent of vanilla and lingering traces of Aurora's perfume cling to the air as I sit behind my desk, fingers pressed against my temple.

Selene is seated across from me, her eyes scanning the map in front of her and making out territories that've been attacked by Silver Pack and weak spots."These bastards are making more progress than we think. They're taking over every little pack in their path and using their warriors to boost their numbers. We have to do something quickly."

"We're working on it," I reply, watching carefully as her eyes light up with rage.

"Working on it? At this point, I expect us to be executing, not working."My lips curl. "This is why you're not a warrior." I lean back into my chair, supporting my arms with the armrest. "Silver Pack is cunning and no doubt calculated. They're aware of the damage they've done, and right now, they're waiting for us to get emotional and make an uncalculated move."

"And you're not emotional about this? Need I remind you that you lost—"

"I'm well aware of what we've both lost to Silver Pack, Selene, but emotions don't make great war strategies. We're going to hit them once, and we're going for the jugular, but we won't be successful if we lead with anger."

She takes in a steadying breath, and her clenched fist on the table loosens. "So, what's the plan?""Liam and I are working on something, and we'll let you know as soon."

"I don't want you to let me know," she cuts. "I want to be a part of every step you make."

"Selene," I lower my voice, sending a pointed look at her abdomen. "That is hardly ideal for your situation."

Her pregnancy is only a few weeks old and has not started showing, but that doesn't mean her pup cannot be harmed.She scoffs. "This is exactly why I need it to happen soon. I need to rip off the head of my mate's murderer before this pregnancy starts to show and weakens me." Her voice drops to a defensive whisper. "I need to avenge his death. I need to look at my baby and let him know his father didn't die for nothing."

I nod in understanding. I can't imagine being asked to calm down should anything happen to Rora. I'd unleash hell on those responsible, and it would be carnage wherever I went.