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The chamber was heavy with silence.
Not the silence of peace, but the silence before lightning splits the sky, before fire devours a forest.
Kael’s grip on Aria’s chin was iron, his silver eyes sharp with fury, his wolf snarling just beneath the surface. Her fire licked against her skin in answer, not shrinking, not submitting, but rising—daring him to try and cage it.
“You lied to me,” he said, his voice low, trembling with the effort to stay controlled.
Her breath came fast, chest heaving. “I kept a secret. That’s not the same.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t play with words, Aria. You trained behind my back, with her. You let Mira guide you when you should have come to me.”
The bond between them pulsed with jagged tension, every emotion raw and exposed.
Aria’s eyes blazed. “Becau
