The room begins to breathe again, but I can’t.
The meeting’s over. Everyone knows it, but no one wants to move first. The air still hums with what they saw—what Caden and I became. They’re polite enough not to speak it aloud, but they feel it. The silence is reverent. Or afraid.
Alpha Zane is the first to break from the circle, his daughter riding on his hip. His son flanks him, full of energy, unaware of the storm rolling just beyond the trees. Lena follows with the toddler, who’s blinking up at the ceiling lights like they’re stars.
Lena meets my eyes and smiles softly. “Thank you. For everything.”
Zane grins. “We’ll see you at the next summit. You better make it. We’ll bring wine.”
“I don’t drink wine,” I murmur.
“You will after parenting three of these,” Lena teases.
I force a s
