The ride back to Kade’s house was too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
The kind of quiet that comes after a public war when the body hasn’t yet decided whether it survived or simply stopped noticing the wounds.
Mara sat in the front seat with unusual silence, which was how I knew the hearing had shaken even her. Kade drove with both hands on the wheel, jaw locked, eyes on the road like he was keeping the truck steady through force of will alone.
And I—
I sat in the back with my hands clasped so tightly in my lap they hurt.
The hearing kept replaying.
Liam standing in the center and saying both.
Selene unraveling.
Darius getting caught.
Maeve shifting the room.
The temporary order.
Three days under Kade’s protection.
And worst of all—
the look on Kade’s face when I stood up for
