Chapter 26

LUCIAN’S POV Events like this weren't my thing—suits, speeches, fake smiles—I just couldn't stand them. But as an Alpha and a CEO, it became a part of me. But tonight wasn't about appearance. It was about Elora. I had to see her, I had to talk to her, to ask why the hell she vanished without a word to Nora. The ache in my daughter's voice every time she asked for her mommy was starting to eat me alive. The event being in Manhattan made it easier. Two birds, one stone. But what I didn't expect…was to find her here. Dressed in that silk dress, radiant under the soft glow of chandeliers, and in someone else's arms. My fist clenched before I realized it. She never made such an effort with how she looked while we were together. And now she went all out for him. Lucas Banner. He had his hands on Elora’s lower back like she belonged to him. My blood boiled. My wolf stirred beneath my skin—restless, hungry for violence. It took everything in me not to shift right here, not to march across the