Fact.
The door opened.
I turned sharply, not because I was startled but because my body had been waiting for a target.
Ellis stepped in. I've known him since we were kids, always tagging along when Alaric came to visit Caelin. He'd always been kind, outspoken, and friendly.
Now he looked like a man who had rehearsed what he was about to say and already regretted all versions of it.
“How are you feeling?” he asked carefully.
I stared at him.
“How should I be feeling, Beta?” I replied, my voice even enough to make him shift his weight. “Rested? Rejuvenated? Grateful?”
His gaze dropped to the floor.
“I know,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t the right— I just wanted to update you.”
“Then update me.”
He inhaled once, straightened.
“We have two elite squads airborne. They
