*Lucien's POV*

I didn’t need a phone call to know something was wrong. I felt it.

It hit me like a jolt—sharp, sudden, and searing through my chest like fire. A pull… no, more like a scream. Silent, but deafening.

*Aria.*

I was in the middle of a conversation with Damon when it happened. The wine glass in my hand shattered before I even realized I had gripped it too hard. Damon looked at me, alarmed, but I was already gone—running, shifting mid-stride, my wolf racing through the woods that led to Sterling.

I didn’t stop to think. Couldn’t.

Not when the bond tethering me to her *ached* with panic....