Morning brought little relief from the anxious tension that had settled over me since Cassius's serious warning, though practical necessity eventually forced my attention back toward ordinary daily concerns regardless of lingering unease. Mara mentioned over breakfast that the shop's monthly supply order needed reviewing, and I offered to help sort through the paperwork, grateful for mundane distraction that might quiet my circling thoughts about Vittoria's potentially dangerous attention. Something about organizing simple inventory numbers felt reassuringly ordinary after days of complicated pack politics and hidden hierarchies.
We spent a quiet hour together reviewing invoices and supply costs, Mara explaining various aspects of running the shop that I hadn't previously considered durin
