Aaron’s POV
Dinner had never felt like this before.
Same table. Same people. Same food I’d eaten since I was old enough to sit without a booster. But tonight, every bite tasted like ash in my mouth, and every sound felt too loud, like my nerves hadn’t caught up to the fact that I was alive and home.
Elias sat to my left, too close, like he was guarding me with his body. He’d been doing that since I woke up. Watching my hands. Watching my face. Watching how often I shifted in my seat, like he expected me to falter if he blinked too long.
Across from me, my mother sat straight-backed, spine rigid, eyes sharp and assessing. She’d already checked my posture twice and asked if the meat was cooked enough for healing. She hadn’t asked how I felt. She didn’t need to. She could see it in the wa
