☆ Chapter 30 ☆
Elian's breath hitched as his trembling fingers lifted, reaching instinctively toward the image still lingering in the silver water.
Lucien.
Not the Lucien he knew—the guarded king, the distant Alpha whose presence carried weight like a blade—but a softer version, unarmored and achingly human. His golden eyes were warm, his expression unguarded, lips curved into a smile so gentle it almost hurt to look at.
A rose rested in his hand, crimson against pale fingers, as though it had always belonged there. His mouth moved silently, shaping words Elian could not hear, yet somehow felt—tender, careful, meant only for one soul.
Elian's fingertip hovered just above the surface.
Before he could touch it, before the moment could anchor itself into something real, the image shattered like mist under sunlight. The silver water stilled, draining of color until it returned to its smooth, luminous calm, as if nothing had ever been there at all.
Elian froze.
