-Lucien Draven:
I watched from the tree line, hidden beneath the shadows, as Ronan said his goodbyes to his mother and grandfather. I had known this moment was coming, but I hadn't expected it to feel so… heavy.
His mother was crying, gripping onto him like she could keep him there by sheer will alone. His grandfather—stoic, hardened—held onto him in a way that spoke volumes, even without words. I had never seen Ronan look this vulnerable before, but right now, in the arms of his family, I saw it.
He wasn't just a vampire hunter.
He wasn't just a warrior.
He was a son. A grandson. A man leaving behind the only home he had ever known for the woman he loves to both protect her and leave his family out of this mess.
And I wasn't supposed to be here.
I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near his family.
If they saw me—if they knew a vampire stood mere feet away from them while they poured their hearts out to their beloved son—things wouldn't end well.
