Page 134 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

"You really didn't have to come," he said, glancing at Serenity in the passenger seat. "Not after yesterday."

She looked better today—the color had returned to her cheeks, and that sharp intelligence was back in her golden eyes with those distinctive red flecks. A far cry from the pale, shivering mess Darius had described finding her.

"I'm fine," Serenity said, her voice carrying that precise, calculated tone she used when she wanted to sound stronger than she felt. "Besides, I wanted to come."

Guilt gnawed at Lucian's insides. Where the fuck had he been when she needed him? Taking care of business, sure, but still. An Alpha took care of what was his.

"Darius really tore me a new one this morning," he said, taking a sharp turn. "Said I should've been there."

"He's overprotective."

"He's right."

The morning's conversation replayed in his mind. Darius standing in his office, eyes cold as ice as he laid into both him and Ronan.

"She was fucking sick all day, and neither of you bothered to check your phones?" Darius had snarled, his usual composure slipping. "I had to carry her to bed myself."

Ronan had merely shrugged, but Lucian had felt the weight of failure pressing down on him. Then Darius had dropped the bomb that changed everything.

"She doesn't get sick," Darius had said, voice lower. "Not like this. The doctor confirmed it—her Heat is approaching."

The car rolled to a stop at the cemetery gates. Lucian cut the engine but didn't move to get out.

"I should have been there," he said, staring through the windshield at the rows of headstones stretching into the distance.

Serenity turned to face him, studying his profile. "You're here now."

That was Serenity—always pragmatic, always focused on what could be done rather than what couldn't be undone. It was one of the things he admired about her.

"Thank you," he said, the words feeling insufficient.

He got out and retrieved the flowers, then walked around to open her door. As they stepped through the wrought iron gates, the weight of Darius's warning hung over him like a storm cloud.

"But she's been taking suppressants," Ronan had argued back at the compound.

Darius had shaken his head. "Doctor says it doesn't matter. She's been around us practically 24/7—it's going to happen regardless. Her body's chemistry is responding to compatible Alphas."

"So we're just running against the clock," Ronan had said, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"Exactly."

Lucian guided Serenity down the path, his thoughts racing. Her Heat was coming, and he'd need to be prepared. To protect her. To support her. To claim her if that's what she wanted.

"You're quiet," Serenity observed as they walked side by side among the graves.

"Just thinking."

"About your sister?"

"Among other things."

The cemetery was quiet save for the occasional chirp of birds and the soft crunch of gravel beneath their feet. It was peaceful here. Deceptively so.

"I owe you an apology," Lucian said, breaking the silence.

"For what?"

"For not being there yesterday. I should have been. As your Alpha—" He caught himself. "As an Alpha in your pack, I should have been available."

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