The drive back to Blackpine Emergency Clinic was silent.
Rain had finally stopped, leaving the roads slick beneath the headlights of the black SUV. No one spoke. Rhys drove with both hands tight on the steering wheel while Elias scanned the tree line through the passenger window.
Kael sat beside me in the back.
Close enough that our shoulders brushed every time the vehicle rounded a corner.
Far enough that neither of us acknowledged the kiss.
I stared out the window, trying to convince myself it hadn’t happened.
It didn’t work.
The warmth of his mouth still lingered, refusing to disappear no matter how many times I replayed the dream, the mark, or Redthorne’s voice.
Kael broke the silence.
“You’re thinking too loudly.”
I looked at him. “Is that an Alpha thing?”
“No.”
“What, the
