It was late by the time Jake left his brother’s apartment and walked back to the packhouse, his mind full. As much as he had wanted to go find Lyra right after dinner, he’d chosen to give her space, to let her calm down. He could still hear the way her voice had cracked before she ran.
The names she had called herself… it gutted him. He knew those were the things she’d been called growing up, and James had been right. Jake had never stood up for her. That was something he had to live with. He couldn’t go back and fix it, but he could do whatever it took to make sure she never felt that way again.
He had stupidly hoped she’d be in his room, but it was cold and empty when he got there. Her scent was faint, letting him know she hadn’t come back at all. After mindlinking Callan and Russ to m
