LUCIAN'S P.O.V.
Teresa's scream tore through me like a serrated blade. I stood frozen, my massive paws rooted to the ground, claws glinting under the silver glow of the moon. My mate—my Teresa—looked at me as though I were a nightmare come to life. And maybe, in her eyes, I was.
Ares, whimpered like a wounded pup. The sound echoed in my mind, raw and keening. "She's afraid of us, Lucian. Of me." His voice cracked. "Our mate doesn't trust us."
"No," I tried to soothe him, though the tightness in my chest made it hard to think straight. "She just needs time. She'll understand—she has to."
I tried to take a step closer, my massive wolf form lowering to the ground in what I hoped was a non-threatening gesture. But the moment I moved, she flinched back, clutching Ollie so tightly that the baby began to cry. My heart cracked open further at the sound.
