KAEL
He wasn’t made to be a father. That truth settled heavy and sour in my chest.
A scowl pulled tight across my face as I watched them walk away together. I didn’t like the way Thane looked at her. It wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t calculating.
It was soft.
It was admiration, plain and open, and that bothered me more than hunger ever could.
Aria was beautiful. Not just in a polished way. Out here, among dirt and pine and smoke, she was something rare. New. The kind of presence people noticed without trying. The fact that she was pregnant didn’t seem to slow Thane down at all. If anything, it seemed to interest him more.
Children ran through the camp, laughing, tripping over their own feet. Pups mattered here. They were protected. Cherished. Aria was young. Strong. Already proven fertile.
