KAIA’S POV
The moment I stepped into the meeting room, all eyes shifted to me. The tension in the air was almost suffocating. Some people looked at me with sympathy, others with judgment, and a few with straight-up curiosity. I didn’t care. Let them stare.
I didn't even have the time for anyone right now. Or the energy, for that matter.
Who cared what they were thinking?
I took the empty seat at the far end of the table and kept my eyes on the long polished surface, trying not to think about the stinging pain still lingering on my cheek—or the ache in my chest.
The door opened a moment later and Mia, Jordan, and Elias walked in, taking their seats.
Alpha Gareth stood at the front, arms folded across his chest, chin raised.
He didn’t look at me. Not once.
And I was so grateful to th
