KAIA’S POV
I leaned forward over the table to talk to my father, lowering my voice so it wouldn’t carry to where the elders still debated with Gareth and Athena.
“Dad, is everything okay? You look deep in thought.”
He hadn’t spoken a word to me since I entered the hall, and he didn’t even look like he was truly present here.
My father’s brow was furrowed, the deep lines on his face etched with worry.
“Kaia, sweetheart…” he began, his tone heavy, as if the words themselves weighed him down. “Are you certain about this?” His eyes searched mine. “Leander—he’s not just any wolf. He’s a Lycan. That changes things. You do understand what that means, don’t you?”
I swallowed, my pulse thrumming in my ears. Of course I understood. The moment the truth had settled in my chest, it hadn’t been f
