Ayla's POV
The boys didn't wait.
The moment the door closed behind the girl, Soren was already moving out of the room and down the hallway before anyone said a word. His footsteps faded fast.
Silence pressed in behind him. The kind that had weight to it—that sat against your skin and made you feel every bruise, every memory, every inch of yourself that you'd rather not think about right now.
Ryker stayed close. Not hovering — just near. Solid and steady in my peripheral vision, a presence I didn't have to work to be aware of.
Kael stood by the desk, arms folded, gaze distant and focused at the same time. I could see him thinking—the stillness of someone whose mind was several steps ahead of the room. Then something shifted. Subtle. His body didn't move, but the quality of his stillnes
