Mira’s POV

I heard the door open. I recognized his steps. Kael. He came in alone. He waited until the others were gone. He pulled the chair closer. He didn’t speak right away. Then, softly, “I didn’t want you to remember.”

He took a breath. “You were seventeen. You were already stronger than most alphas. You didn’t know it yet. You were reckless. You charged into a Hollow Claw ambush with me and two scouts. You shouldn’t have survived it.”

He paused again. “They caught you ...