Nevara
Thoren’s jaw tensed. “I don’t want to talk about my father right now.”
His voice was measured, but I heard the strain beneath it. Like a wire pulled too tight.
“We will,” he added, quieter. “Just… not tonight. Right now, I’m trying to enjoy dinner. Can we do that?”
I froze mid-chew. “Enjoy dinner?” I asked, swallowing the dry piece of roasted meat that suddenly felt like ash on my tongue. “You want me to sit here and make polite conversation? Pretend we’re… what, old friends catching up after a decade apart?”
He didn’t answer.
“Just overlook the fact that you rejected me without a word? That you disappeared? That you left me to burn alone?”
Thoren’s gaze didn’t flicker, but I saw something stir behind his eyes. Regret? Guilt? Something dark.
“And where’s your mate?” I presse
