The territory did not quiet overnight.
If anything, it grew louder.
Not with noise, no riots, no alarms but with attention. Eyes lingered longer, Whispers carried farther, Every movement in Ari’s district felt watched, weighed, interpreted. Protection came with scrutiny, and Ari felt it pressing against his ribs like a second skin.
He stood at the sink long past when the kettle finished boiling, hands braced on the counter, staring at nothing.
The bond was… still.
Not aching, not burning.
Just present.
For months it had been a wound raw and unanswered. Then a tether stretched too tight. Then silence that hurt worse than pain. Now it existed like a held breath, waiting for permission.
A knock sounded at the door. Ari flinched before he could stop himself.
Eli glanced up from the co
