The moment we stepped through the massive double doors, the room fell silent in that slow, suffocating way that makes your skin prickle. Every eye swung toward us—like we were a spectacle they’d been waiting to dissect.
Lucas’ hand stayed firm around my waist, steady, warm, grounding. He looked calm on the outside. But I felt the tension in his body, the stiffness beneath the suit, the way his thumb pressed a little too hard into my hip.
Then my eyes landed on Cameron.
He was standing near the far end of the hall, glass in hand, surrounded by a group of men who looked just as smug as he did. He was watching me with this expression that made something cold and sharp crawl up my spine.
And it hit me—the strangest, darkest instinct.
A pull in my chest.
Something vicious and unfamiliar w
