POV: Magnus
I found Celeste in the garden the following morning, sitting alone beneath the shade of the old oak tree where she often took her tea in solitude. She looked up as I approached, her expression shifting quickly into the careful pleasantness she wore like armor around everyone in this house.
"Alpha," she said, setting down her cup. "Twice in two days. Should I be concerned?"
"Sit," I said, though she had not moved to stand. I lowered myself onto the bench across from her, studying the woman who had spent twenty years learning to survive in a house that never fully valued her. "I know what you did, Celeste. Not guessing anymore. Roxana told me everything last night."
Her composure flickered, just slightly, before settling back into place. "Everything," she repeated carefully.
