I unclasped the medal, the familiar weight vanishing from my throat, and placed it in his palm with an empty expression.
For a moment, he froze. His fingers tightened around the necklace like he wasn’t sure he deserved to hold it—but eventually, he kept it.
“Don’t worry,” he repeated softly, almost like he needed the reassurance himself. “Once her pup comes, it’ll be back where it belongs.”
But his words didn’t touch me anymore.
“She’s welcome to keep it as long as she pleases,” I said, voice flat.
Overwhelmed by something he mistook for gratitude, Lucian suddenly pulled me into a hug. I shoved him off immediately, disgust curling in my gut—but he didn’t seem to care. Without another look at me, he walked straight back into Sabrina’s room.
A heartbeat later, her delighted squeal filled the hallway.
I stood there, staring blankly at the moonlit window.
Tomorrow, I would leave this place.
And for the first time in months…
…I wouldn’t look back.
