-Lucien Draven:
I didn't know what I was expecting when I turned to face Ronan. Maybe another glare, maybe some gritted-out insult before he stomped off like he usually did. But this time was different.
This time, I had just watched him fight for me.
Not in the way I was used to—there had been no swords, no bloodshed, no real violence. Just words. Just him, stepping between me and Orin, telling him to back off. Telling him I wasn't single.
He and Elara.
The way he had said it, the certainty in his voice, the way he had refused to let Orin dismiss it… It stuck with me.
And Elara—she had smirked at me.
I felt my lips twitch, just slightly. Because I knew exactly what that meant.
She had noticed.
She had understood.
She and I weren't the only ones who caught it, either. Orin had pushed Ronan, teased him, baited him, and Ronan had reacted just the way Orin wanted. His frustration, his irritation—it was obvious.
Too obvious.
But was it really because of me?
