The sun was warm on Talia’s skin as she sat on the bench outside the pack house, a book resting unopened in her lap. A soft breeze teased at her hair, but her mind was far away, lost in thoughts she hadn’t shared with anyone — not even Aria.

Footsteps crunched lightly against the gravel, and when she looked up, Damon was walking toward her. He wasn’t smiling like usual. He looked… nervous.

“Hey,” he said softly, stopping a few steps away. “Mind if I sit?”

Talia eyed him for a second, then moved her book aside and nodded. “Sure.”

He sat beside her, quiet for a while. The silence...