5 parts Ongoing MatureOcean's hand caught his sleeve, tugging him back. "Wait. Just-stay one more night. Please. Don't go."
Lucas shook her off gently, like brushing a leaf from his shoulder. "Ocean, I can't."
She frowned, stepping closer, voice playful even though her chest ached. "Why the rush? What's wrong? I'm right here. I'm your mate. Why would you wanna leave me?"
He stopped, turning slowly, green eyes sharp, jaw tight. There was a weight to his gaze she hadn't seen before. "You were," he said, low, almost a whisper, "but you're not anymore. You lost that title the day you left me."
Four years after walking away from everything she once called home, Ocean has built a life defined by discipline and hard-earned independence. But when fate pulls her back to the people she left behind, she must decide whether she's ready to face the past and the throne she once refused.
