The figure stepped fully into the light.
And my chest tightened instantly.
Not because I didn’t recognize him.
But because I did.
“Alpha Rowan…” I said, my voice low, steady—but heavy with something I couldn’t ignore.
Not shock.
Just one question.
Why.
Darius went still behind me. I felt the shift in him, sharp and controlled despite how weak he was.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.
Rowan’s gaze flickered to him briefly, then returned to me. “I could say the same to you.”
My jaw tightened.
“No,” I said, stepping forward. “Don’t do that.”
His expression didn’t change. “Do what?”
“Act like this is normal,” I snapped. “Act like you standing here—with them—makes any sense.”
The sounds of war still echoed around us, but it felt distant no
Muted.
Like everything had nar
