The tension in the hallway was sharp. Jason and Sage were still arguing, their voices raised and overlapping in a clash of anger, guilt, and exhaustion.
Alexander approached them, his expression calm now.
Jason was mid-sentence, gesturing in frustration. “I can’t believe you’re standing there just…”
Alexander’s voice cut in smoothly, low and steady. “I’ve decided,” he said, stopping a few feet away from them. His gaze was cold and focused—the kind of focus that came only when anger was buried too deep to show on the surface. “I’m going after her.”
Jason turned toward him, eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re not thinking straight. We can’t just—”
“I’m not asking for permission,” Alexander interrupted, his tone deceptively calm. “I’m telling you what I’m going to do.”
For a brief moment,
