Selena was sitting by the window when the knock came.
She did not answer immediately. The anger from breakfast still rested quietly inside her chest like a small stubborn flame that refused to die.
The memory of Loretta's smile replayed again and again in her mind. The careless sweetness in her voice had carried something sharp beneath it. A suggestion that had not been spoken openly, yet had been impossible to ignore.
And the scent.
Kael's scent had been on Loretta.
That thought alone carried weight.
Another knock sounded, patient and respectful. It was the kind that waited for permission rather than demanding attention.
Selena inhaled slowly and straightened where she sat.
"Come in."
The door opened and Edris stepped in first. Ronan followed behind him, both men moving with the quiet control that always seemed natural to them.
