They met in the library annex, not the infirmary.
Aria insisted. “He needs to see another room where his wolf is loud and no one calls it a problem,” she’d said. “Not just medical beds and monitors.”
So Nolan commandeered a corner of the annex—a round table under a skylight, a portable monitor case, a tray of snacks. Books rose around them in quiet towers.
Maris brought Tavi at the agreed time. His parents stayed in a nearby sitting room with Mara and Riven and a pot of tea that smelled like barely contained panic.
I came with my son.
“Buddy system,” El had said. “Small gods in pairs.”
Tavi stood when we entered, shoulders bunched, eyes wary. The circles under them were darker than yesterday. My boy hovered behind my leg for exactly one heartbeat, then stepped out, Wolfie clutched to
