SILAS POV
The silence in the office thickened until it felt like a fifth presence standing among us, heavy enough to press against my lungs. Robbie’s words did not drift into the room; they drove themselves into my chest and lodged there like a blade I could not pull out. I stared at her, waiting for the punchline, waiting for Heat to scoff, waiting for Hudson to admit he had misread the letter. Anything at all that would quiet the roaring inside my skull.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They only watched me fracture.
The metallic taste on my tongue spread slowly and I realized I had bitten the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood. Seiryu surged forward at the scent, scraping fire along my ribs, demanding control. He did not care about logic or alliances or consequences. He cared
