Siena’s POV

The silence after Lucian ended that call didn’t just fill the room. It settled around us like smoke—heavy, clinging to our skin and pressing into our lungs until even breathing felt like an effort. It wasn’t the kind of silence that brought comfort. No, this one was different. It was the silence that came before a storm. The kind that told you nothing would ever be the same again.

Lucian lowered the phone slowly. His fingers were wrapped tightly around it, his knuckles almost pale from the pressure. For a second, it looked like he might throw it across the room, but then, without a word, he set...