Riley's POV The silence came back like a ghost I thought I'd buried. It started as a distant numbness-a soft ringing in the back of my skull-but quickly swelled into the kind of silence that pressed against my eardrums like a scream I couldn't hear. No footsteps. No wind. No voices. Just the cruel quiet I thought I'd left behind in prison. Lucien had come in. But I hadn't heard it. Not the creak of the hinges, not the sound of his boots on the floorboards. Nothing. His mouth had moved, his brows furrowed like he'd said something sharp. Urgent. But I hadn't caught it. Because I couldn't hear him. My hearing had been failing more and more lately-especially when I was exhausted, when my wolf Nyra was too weak to hold it together. The beatings in prison had left more than scars on my skin. Sometimes it was like my ears just... stopped working. And tonight, they had. I didn't want Lucien to know. Didn't want to see the pity in his eyes, the way everyone used to look at me like I was broken beyond repair. So I forced Nyra to rise, even though she barely stirred. I tapped into the dregs of her power, enough to make out fragments of sound-a muffled syllable here, the low hum of Lucien's voice there-but nothing clear. It wasn't enough. So I fell back on what I'd trained myself to do since prison: watch. Study. Read lips like my life depended on it. Because it had. And still does. Lucien's lips moved again, and I focused hard, catching the shape of his words even as the world around us blurred into nothing. I think he was asking if I was okay. I didn't answer. Couldn't.Not with the way my throat closed up, the way my chest constricted. Then I heard it-sharp and sudden, slicing through the void. Kael. His voice wasn't always clear to me these days, but when he screamed, when he spat poison into the air, somehow it still reached me. Like a curse that refused to die. "I swear to the Goddess, Riley Vale! Keep whoring around with that Stormridge Alpha, and one day when you die in his bed, don't expect the Ebonclaw Pack to claim your corpse! We won't bury your shame!" His voice thundered through the night, wild and unhinged, shattering the silence like claws raking across stone. I didn't need to look out the window to know he was outside. I could feel his rage pulsing through the walls like a storm begging for something to destroy. But I didn't flinch. Not this time. Not when Lucien's arms were suddenly around me, grounding me with a steadiness I didn't know I needed. His hand was pressed firm but gentle against the small of my back, holding me close-too close. I could feel every inch of him through the flimsy fabric of my sleep shirt. The heat of his body, the power in his frame, the tension simmering just beneath his skin. He looked down at me, his gaze sweeping over my face. And I... I just stood there. Watching him. Breathing him in. Trying to pretend the whole world wasn't tilting underneath my feet. I shouldn't be here. Not when I now knew exactly who he was. Lucien Duskgrave. The infamous Alpha of Stormridge. The male with the curse in his blood and a body count in his past. The one they whispered about in Ebonclaw Pack halls like a warning. A predator wrapped in velvet, cursed to bring ruin to every she-wolf who ever dared love him. I knew now. The signs were too obvious. The surname. The stories. The rumors I'd once scoffed at and dismissed as campfire tales. But he was real.And he was holding me like I was something fragile. Precious. And Goddess help me... a part of me felt happy. Happy. Even though I should've been terrified. Even though every instinct in me-every broken shard of logic-screamed that this was the moment to run. Because this was the Stormridge Alpha with bloodied hands and a dark legacy. But instead of fear, there was this flutter in my chest. This ridiculous little flicker of something I couldn't quite name. Fate? No. Something softer. My heart raced like it wanted to leap straight out of my chest. His scent was everywhere-cedarwood, smoke, and something darker, more dangerous. A scent that shouldn't have been comforting, but was. I hated how safe it made me feel. How easily my body leaned into him, like I didn't know better. Like I hadn't been taught what happened when you trusted the wrong male. "Th-thank you," I murmured, barely louder than a breath-though whether he actually heard it or only saw it on my lips, I didn't know. Lucien didn't say anything. I tried to step back, but my body wouldn't obey. My legs were trembling, unsteady-especially the right one. That old injury from prison was flaring up again, like it always did when I was on edge. I lost my balance for a moment. Lucien caught me instantly. He pulled me tighter against him, enveloping me in warmth and something stronger-something that felt like protection. Not the kind that locked you in a cage for your own good. The kind that stood between you and the rest of the world and dared it to try again. I was small compared to him, almost swallowed by his broad frame. My face was buried against his chest, only my wide, startled eyes visible as I stared past his collarbone. He didn't loosen his grip. Didn't move a muscle.Lucien exhaled sharply, his breath brushing my hair as he pulled me closer, cradling me like I was something wounded but sacred. The warmth of his embrace burned against the ice buried deep inside my chest. I didn't want this. I couldn't want this. Not from him. Not from anyone. Because no one stays. Because no one means it. But Goddess, it felt good. To be held like this. To be looked at like I wasn't broken beyond repair. He must've known what I was thinking. He always seemed to. But then-just as I thought he'd release me-he didn't. Instead, he shifted closer and let his lips brush against the side of my throat. I froze. Time stilled. A jolt shot through my entire body like lightning on a dry night. My breath hitched. My fingers clenched instinctively in the fabric of his shirt, trying to anchor myself, trying not to unravel completely. Lucien didn't kiss me-not really. It was a touch, a breath, a claim made without words. And it set my whole body on fire. I could barely breathe. Downstairs, Kael's shouting had fallen silent-at least for a moment. But I knew he was still there. Watching. Judging. His rage would only grow worse after this. He would twist this into something vile, something shameful. But for once, I didn't care. For once, I wasn't afraid of what they thought.Not when Lucien held me like I was worth fighting for. Not when his presence was louder than their cruelty. Still, reality crept back in. I pulled away slightly, finally finding my voice, my shame, my trembling sense of control. "Lucien," I whispered, staring up at him, "you... you can let go now." He didn't answer right away. Just looked at me. His eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light, were unreadable. And for a moment, I thought he might refuse. But then, slowly, he eased his hold. The warmth stayed. Even when his arms weren't around me anymore, I could still feel them. Like a phantom imprint on my skin. A reminder. He looked down at me, his gaze sweeping over my face.