CIARA'S POV
“I don’t understand,” I said, my voice quieter than I meant it to be. “Why would this be an issue?”
My father’s mouth was a thin line, his gaze hard as stone. But it was my mother who reached for me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Cormac,” she said, her voice laced with a quiet warning, “the war ended. There is peace between our packs now.”
I glanced between the two of them, unsure if I was missing something huge or if they were simply overreacting. “Exactly,” I said, grasping onto her words. “The war ended. There’s peace. What’s the problem then?”
My mother gave me a small, tight smile, like she was trying to keep things gentle. My father didn’t bother with gentle.
“I know Bastien,” he said. “And I know how the man thinks. This bond—this thing between you and his so
