The rain came without asking.
No thunder.
No warning.
Just a soft gray curtain sliding across the Blackthorne territory like the sky had decided to sit beside them for a while.
Lila stood at the window of the Alpha quarters, one hand resting at the curve of her stomach, the other tracing idle patterns against the cool glass. The baby was quiet this morning, a gentle weight instead of a restless storm, and she found comfort in that stillness.
Caleb was already gone again.
Not absent.
Working.
There was a difference now, and she felt it in the way his scent lingered instead of fading. He no longer left as if he might not return. He left as a man who expected to come home.
A knock sounded at the door.
Not heavy.
Not hesitant.
Polite.
“Come in,” Lila called.
Seren stepped inside,
