Mara sensed something was wrong the moment she walked into the building. It was in the way the guards whispered to one another, in the way the elevator lights flickered, in the uneasy quiet that clung to the top floor. Her steps slowed as she approached Cassian’s office. The hallway felt colder than usual. The air felt thicker.
The door to his office was open.
Cassian never left it open.
She stepped inside, pulse rising. Cassian stood near the window, hands braced on the glass, jaw tight. He did not turn when she entered, but the tension in his shoulders told her everything.
Someone had crossed a line.
“Cassian,” she said softly.
His voice came out hard. “You should not be here.”
A chill ran through her. “Something happened.”
“Yes,” he said. “Something happened.”
He turned then, a
