Chapter 146

• Riley’s POV
• The car door shut with a heavy thunk, sealing away the cold, the chaos, and the brother I no longer recognized.
• Lucien slid into the seat beside me, the leather creaking beneath him, and the air instantly filled with the quiet dominance of an Alpha. His presence always shifted the energy of a room—or in this case, a car. But tonight, I didn’t flinch. I didn’t shrink away. I was too exhausted to keep pretending I wasn’t broken.