Mortimer's POV
After Tade cleared out, I tried to hit Seraphina up through the mind-link. No surprise—she'd dead-bolted the connection.
My heart was actually thumping.
"Where are you? Free for dinner tonight?"
I sent it. Then I waited.
Five seconds felt like an hour. No ping.
Thinking about how ice-cold she'd been lately, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I actually felt a jolt of stage fright—the Alpha of the Blades was genuinely afraid of being left on 'read.'
I gritted my teeth and quickly sent a follow-up to bait the hook.
"I wanted to pick your brain about Rolf's condition."
That did it. The reply came back almost instantly.
"I'm at the pack. If it's about Rolf, I can call the ICU for an update, but he should be stable."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and star
