Kaelon’s POV

I watched Aaron, still sitting across from me, staring at his plate with an expression that could only be described as disbelief. He let out a bitter laugh, and I felt my gut twist at the sound.

It wasn’t the laugh of someone finding humor in the absurd; it was the laugh of someone teetering on the edge of frustration and resignation, about to snap.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, shaking his head, as though what I had said was beyond the realm of possibility. His voice was low, but sharp, a tone that I knew far too well—the one he used when he was...