Raine’s First POV
The cafeteria was quiet in a way that immediately felt wrong for morning hours.
Chairs stood perfectly aligned. Not a single tray clattered. Not a whisper floated through the air. It felt staged, preserved, too still.
Lucian walked in ahead of me, his stride relaxed but unmistakably purposeful, as though silence itself parted for him. When he reached the table by the long glass windows, he gestured for me to sit. I obeyed before my brain had the chance to argue.
I had barely pulled the chair under me when a server approached straight backed, nervous, carrying a steaming tray.
Pancakes. Syrup. Butter melting slowly in its silver dish. Fresh berries. Juice beading with condensation.
The scent alone pulled a hum out of my stomach, but I forced my expression to stay n
