Lucien's POV

I get to my feet and help Adam up as well. We slowly make our way back to where we left our vehicles, but we're shocked to find that most of them are gone, and the few that are left are badly damaged. Even my SUV is nowhere to be seen. The realization of what this means hits me like a ton of bricks. We're stranded.

I start laughing like a madman, the sound echoing through the forest. Adam looks at me, his face a mixture of concern and confusion. "What's so funny?" he asks, clearly perplexed by my strange reaction to the situation. I look at him and grin, my eyes glittering with a dangerous light. "Everything," I say. "It's all so absurd."

I lie back down on the ground, my expression turning somber. I look at Adam, my eyes dark and solemn. "I think my luck is running out," I say, my voice low and serious. "My marriage to Natasha was all part of a plan to unlock the Bloodstone Orb. It's a powerful artifact that can amplify the power of any Alpha by 50 times” I take a deep breath as I fe