“It’s a brotherhood,” I corrected, sharper than I meant to be.
Her eyebrow lifted. “That doesn’t sound very inclusive. Is this cult just for men?”
I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling. “Okay. It’s a pack.”
The word settled between us.
It carried more weight than anything else I had said, more truth than I should have given. We held each other’s gaze, the moment stretching thin, charged with something I didn’t trust myself to name.
I wanted to reach for her. The urge came hard and fast, instinctive. To pull her closer, to feel her against me, to claim something I didn’t have the right to claim. The thought alone was enough to tighten my chest.
But I knew better.
I forced it down, forced myself to step back from the edge of it.
“Goodbye, Lila,” I said, quieter now.
She nodded,
