The last of the reports dwindled, papers gathered into neat stacks. One by one, the Alphas and Lunas began to rise, voices lowering into polite farewells as the meeting dissolved. Celeste sat still, her thoughts a tangled storm. The map’s circles still burned in her mind, rogues striking outward, too precise, too deliberate.
Her focus broke when a hand extended into her line of sight.
“Celeste?” Silas’s voice was low but steady, patient in the quiet chaos. His palm waited, open, grounding. “It’s time to go.”
Her lips parted, startled, before she slipped her hand into his. Warmth surged at the contact, steadier than she expected. “Oh. Right.”
Across the chamber, Blair’s eyes locked on their joined hands. Her smile was tight, brittle at the edges, her nails biting crescents into Grayson’
