LUCIAN’S POV
I’d never been one for peace and quiet.
The clang of bodies hitting mats, the hiss of breath, the sharp bark of instructors ringing above the din—that was my happy place.
I lingered at the edge of the Arena, half-distracted by the countless emails and reports I had to sort through, half-attuned to the rhythms of the OTS.
Normally, nothing here surprised me. I had built this place from nothing, watched countless wolves arrive broken and claw their way toward something sharper.
But when Maya strode toward me, her grin practically splitting her face, I knew something unusual had happened.
Maya never smiled during training—smirks, maybe. Smug little twists of her lips when she dismantled an opponent. But this…this was different.
“You won’t believe what just happened!” Her dark eyes gleamed, sweat glistening on her caramel skin.
I arched a brow. “Uh-oh. If you killed someone, I don’t want to hear it. Plausible deniability.”
