KAIA’S POV
The air still buzzed with laughter as Elias wiped at the corners of his eyes like he’d actually cried from Lina’s loud, ridiculous interruption. I stood with my arms folded, fighting a smile as the girls continued bickering over who made the best cupcakes. Honestly, it was the pettiest thing I’d heard all week—and maybe the most comforting.
The men weren’t much better. Tossing jabs, egging each other on like overgrown pups. The teasing was light and harmless. For a moment, everything felt… normal. Safe, even.
Sera was halfway through her overconfident rant about her so-called chocolate chip supremacy when the shift in the air came.
At first, it was barely noticeable—a drop in the air pressure. A hush that rolled in like the forest itself had gone on alert.
Suddenly, the che
