The drive back was too quiet. Not peaceful. Not calm. Wrong. Selene felt it in the silence, in the way Lucian’s grip on the steering wheel remained tight, controlled but just barely. The mission had been a success on the surface. They had drawn the enemy out, confirmed their structure, tested their strength. But something about it didn’t sit right.
“They let him die too easily,” she said finally, breaking the silence.
Lucian didn’t look at her. “I know.”
Selene turned slightly toward him. “That wasn’t just loyalty.”
“No,” Lucian replied after a pause. “It was design.”
Her chest tightened. “They wanted us to see that,” she murmured.
Lucian’s jaw clenched. “They wanted us to know what we’re dealing with.”
Silence followed. Because that meant everything so far had been intentional. Eve
