KAEL
I pushed open the heavy door to my bedroom and let the mask fall. The polite smiles, the steady voice, the calm assurances I’d worn all day for the elders, the council, the grieving families… they shattered the moment the door clicked shut behind me.
Grandfather was stable, at least. That was something. The doctors said the deep Feral bites and the massive blood loss had forced his body into a healing coma; he’d wake when he was ready. Soon, they promised.
But the sight waiting inside my room turned exhaustion into raw fury.
Selene paced by the window like a caged animal. Living in the same packhouse as her was punishment enough most days. Tonight, after everything, I had no patience left for her games.
I didn’t speak. I didn’t even look at her. I crossed the room in long strides
