Everyone filed out of the kitchen first, the omegas rushing ahead with trays, the council members murmuring among themselves. Clara, still stinging from Ethan’s public reprimand, lingered with a stiff jaw and eyes like sharpened glass. But even she knew better than to test him again. With a tight swallow of humiliation, she turned and stalked toward the dining room.
The door swung shut behind her, leaving Ethan and Alicia alone. Ethan hadn’t moved his arms from around her. If anything, his hold tightened, warm and unyielding. Alicia shifted, uneasily under his embrace.
“I should go,” she whispered, hands resting gently on his forearms. “They’re waiting.”
“Mm.” Ethan lowered his head to her shoulder, utterly unbothered. “Should I just carry you? You’ve been up since before dawn. Your leg
