The moment I stepped into Adrian’s study, the air felt thicker, heavier, like the space itself was holding its breath. Zeus lifted his head and growled softly, sensing the storm I’d brought with me. Adrian looked up from his desk, eyes narrowing, hands frozen over papers that might as well have been irrelevant.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was calm, but the edge beneath it could have cut steel.
I slammed my bag onto the floor. “What am I doing here? Adrian, do you seriously not see what’s happening?”
His jaw tightened. “We’re not having this conversation, Nova. Not like this.”
“Oh, we are!” I snapped, stepping closer, heat and frustration radiating off me like fire. “Zaria… she’s creeping in. She’s everywhere, Adrian. Planting doubts, staging coincidences, worming her way into
