Unspoken Tensions

Lucas POV

The council chamber emptied out, voices dwindling to murmurs as the Lunas and Alphas dispersed. I stayed behind, my back stiff against the high-backed chair as I watched Amelia leave without so much as a glance in my direction. Her absence was immediate—palpable, even—and it made my chest tighten.

I hadn’t meant to avoid her during the meeting, but every time I so much as glanced her way, the memory of last night threatened to overwhelm me. The way her breath had hitched, the way her lips had parted, the way her eyes had locked on mine— For one fleeting moment, I’d thought—hoped—that she wanted it as much as I did. That she wanted me, like that night we shared.

But then the knock had come, shattering the fragile intimacy. Mother’s servants had said my mom summons me, and Amelia had pulled back, her expression guarded, unsure. The way she’d stepped away from me, her eyes clouded with hesitation—it had cut deeper than I wanted to admit.

“She didn’t mean it,” Titan growled, his