Seraphina
I knew the moment I walked into the council room that something had changed. Not politically. Emotionally. Which was far worse. Rowan stood beside Marybeth near the war table while the remaining patrol leaders filtered slowly out of the room.
Their shoulders were angled toward each other over the maps, speaking quietly enough that no one else could hear. But they didn’t need words much anymore. That was what unsettled me. The understanding between them looked instinctive.
Natural. Dangerously intimate. Marybeth pointed toward one of the eastern routes while Rowan listened with full attention, his expression sharper and more alive than it had been in weeks. Then she said something softly.
And Rowan smiled. Not politely. Not diplomatically. Genuinely. The sight cut through me
