Tanaia did not send word before she arrived.
She never did.
I was in the lower courtyard when the outer guards stiffened. No alarm was raised. No challenge was given. They stepped aside.
She walked through the gates alone.
Tall. Calm. Dressed in dark leather and silver threading that marked her northern rank. Her hair was braided tight against her scalp. Her eyes were steady.
Not hostile.
Watching.
Derek moved to my right. Jax to my left. Not blocking her. Just a present.
Tanaia stopped a few feet from me. She did not bow.
Neither did I.
For a long moment, we simply looked at each other.
“I felt it,” she said.
Her voice was quiet but strong.
“What did you feel?” I asked.
“You.”
The word did not carry accusation. It carried weight.
The courtyard had gone silent around us. Wo
