Kade steps up beside me, his right hand resting on Asher’s shoulder. Through the mate bond, I feel his profound, suffocating anxiety, mirrored by my own. But beneath the anxiety, his tactical mind is a fortress of cold, lethal calculation.
He’s right, Luna, Kade projects, his mental voice grim. If it’s a countdown, we’re out of time. We need the full translation.
I look at Kade, my eyes shining with unshed tears. If we push him too hard, we lose him. I won't trade my son for the world, Kade.
I know, Kade replies, his mental voice fierce, unyielding. But we don't have to trade him. We anchor him. We hold the line inside his head, just like we did in the trench. Together.
I look back at Asher. He is staring at me, his mismatched eyes wide, the geometric lattice pulsing in time with his h
