Kaelen's POV
The moment I see her standing there—inside my home, framed by stone and authority and two alphas who should not be witnesses to anything personal—my instincts clash hard enough to leave me momentarily off-balance.
Serenity.
Not the calm, distant woman I’ve seen on stage or in carefully controlled encounters. Not the elusive presence that has been slipping in and out of my awareness for days now.
She’s here.
My first thought is sharp, immediate, and entirely unhelpful: So this is where you ran to.
The second follows just as fast: No. Don’t assume.
I keep my posture neutral, my expression composed, but inside my mind is anything but. Questions pile up faster than I can sort them. Why here. Why now. Why without warning. And underneath all of it, coiled tight and dangerous,
