Elara POV:
The pack feels different when we return, the lingering tension has settled. I feel it the instant my feet touch familiar ground, the recognition rolling through me in a slow wave. Velarys lifts within me with quiet approval, her presence warm and certain.
Caelan feels it too. He doesn’t comment on it, but his hand finds mine without thought, fingers warm and steady, the contact effortless and reassuring rather than possessive.
“Lake,” I murmur, already angling us in that direction.
He glances down at me, one brow lifting slightly, the corner of his mouth curving with that familiar, knowing look that still manages to send a slow, anticipatory wave of heat that curls low in my stomach.
“I thought you might say that,” he replies, his voice low and amused, already matching my
