The night air was heavy with guilt.
I stood at the edge of the rogue encampment, the silence between me and Lira louder than the distant crackle of the fire behind us. She looked beautiful under the moonlight—cold, unreadable, lethal. But for once, I wasn’t here as her lover.
I was here as Michelle’s brother.
“She was locked in a cage,” I finally said, my voice low, sharp. “You told me this was about negotiations, not torture.”
Lira’s red eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t my call. You know that. You left. You gave me no orders, Kody.”
I clenched my jaw. “You could’ve stopped them.”
She folded her arms, unimpressed. “You made your choice to walk away when it got uncomfortable. Don’t come back with blame like it makes you noble.”
My wolf growled low in my chest, but I forced myself to breat
