The last of the wine had been poured. The plates were empty now, the lanterns above still glowing soft and golden, casting warm light across the clearing. The air held a gentle hush, like the world itself was holding its breath for them, allowing this one stolen moment of peace to stretch a little longer.
Rose leaned back against the ancient willow, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her goblet. Her mates sat nearby, watching her not with the concern they usually wore in battle—but with heat.
There was a shift in the air.
Not tension. Not danger.
Desire.
It coiled quietly at first—Alex’s lingering gaze on her lips, the way Marcus’s golden eyes dropped to the curve of her neck, the faint tremble in Leo’s jaw as he clenched it, holding himself back. Rose felt it between them—this unspo
