KAEL
The air in the parking lot was thick and a tension so heavy I could taste it. Josh and Mike stood shoulder-to-shoulder by a stone pillar, their postures stiff, a clear wall against my arrival. The silence screamed louder than any argument. I didn't need their bitter, set-jawed expressions to know what they'd been dissecting: me, my decision, and what it meant for them.
I took one look at them, the resentment and fear burning in their eyes and decided to tear the plaster off fast.
"Look," I began, my voice quiet but firm enough to cut the heavy silence. "This is where my road splits. I need you both to hear me: I am not asking either of you to choose a side. And I certainly won't ask you to stand against the Alpha for me. Back down right now. There will be no hard feelings."
Josh f
