Daniel barges into the cabin that afternoon without knocking, the door slamming open hard enough to rattle the walls and send a sharp crack through the quiet like a challenge, and I barely have time to look up before his presence floods the space, furious and unchecked, his eyes already locked on me like I’m the root of everything that’s gone wrong. The bond reacts instantly, heat flaring low and steady in my chest, and Axel and Atticus move at the same time, stepping forward in front of me with bodies angled protectively, shoulders squared and ready, not aggressive yet but unmistakably prepared.
“So it’s true,” Daniel snaps, his voice loud and raw, cutting straight through the room without restraint, “you actually went through with it.”
His gaze flicks sharply between the three of us, l
