On the walk back to the Alpha house, Elena motioned for Kai to come up beside her instead of trailing behind with her guard.
“Kai,” she called.
He jogged forward. “Yeah?”
“First… I want to apologize for what happened in training today. I lost control. If you hadn’t been on your A‑game, you could’ve gotten hurt.”
Kai shrugged with an easy smile. “You haven’t used your powers in forever. You’re out of practice. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. And that’s why we train — so when you’re under real stress, this stuff becomes second nature.”
His kindness eased the knot in her chest. “Thank you. Really.” She hesitated before adding, “The other thing is… unless there’s some tactical reason for you walking directly behind me, I’d appreciate it if you walked beside me.”
Kai grinned. “Absolut
