The Compound felt different after breakfast.
Not hostile.
Not suspicious.
Just… alert.
Like every Serpent had been told something important, and that something was me.
Lucien walked beside me through the main corridor, his hand resting lightly on my lower back. The touch wasn’t possessive — it was grounding, steady, a silent reminder that he was there.
But the Compound noticed.
Every Serpent we passed paused.
Not to stare.
Not to judge.
But to acknowledge.
Lucien Blackthorn didn’t walk beside anyone.
Except me.
Rhett followed a few steps behind, silent and watchful.
Cole walked ahead, scanning every doorway.
Jax wandered somewhere between them, humming under his breath.
We reached the training hall — a massive room with mats, weights, punching bags, and reinforced walls. Se
