MAETHYS POV
All he did was stare at my words.
They hung between us, heavier than I’d meant them to be, fragile in a way I hadn’t expected.
I wondered if I’d said something wrong—if I’d pushed too far, spoken out of turn, forgotten my place.
Old instincts crawled up my spine, urging me to retreat. To apologize.
But then he did something. Something I had hoped was the answer, but hadn’t believed in.
“You’re right,” Valik said. His voice was steady. Certain. “Let’s get them.”
I didn’t understand what I was hearing.
I stared at him, searching his face for hesitation. For him to weigh the lives of his pack against the ones I had chosen to protect.
He wasn’t indulging me.
He believed me.
And that realization hit hard.
My chest tightened, breath catching somewhere beneath my r
