Lucien stood in the towering marble hallway of the Ashthorne Estate, his hands tucked into his pockets as he waited outside his father’s study. The air was cold, sharp with authority and expectations. The door finally creaked open.

“Come in.”

Alpha Magnus Blackthorne didn’t raise his eyes as Lucien stepped in. He was seated behind a massive oak desk, piles of papers before him, his expression unreadable.

Lucien shut the door behind him, tension settling over his shoulders.

“You wanted to see me?”

Magnus looked up slowly. “You’re not a child anymore, Lucien. It’s time you start acting like the heir you were born to be.”

Lucien rolled his eyes...