Chapter 333

DEREK’S POV The air inside my office was heavy with smoke and tension — thick enough to choke on. I had been sitting there for an hour, half waiting for Kael’s report and half trying to convince myself that the uneasy feeling in my gut meant nothing. But the moment the door creaked open, I knew. Micah stepped inside, his boots silent but his presence loud. There was something… off about him. His posture was too rigid, his eyes shadowed with something I couldn’t quite name. “Where were you?” I asked without looking up from the maps on my desk. My tone was sharper than intended, but I didn’t care. He’d been gone too long. “With Aurelia,” he said simply. The pen slipped from my hand. I raised my head slowly, my wolf bristling beneath my skin. “With who?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. He didn’t waver. “Aurelia.” I stood up. “You did what?” He didn’t flinch, didn’t even look guilty. “I went to talk to her.” My control slipped for a moment. The desk groaned under my grip. “