Chapter 107

Kaia pov

Caleb exhaled slowly, the kind of breath that came from a place deeper than anger—deeper than instinct. His shoulders dropped just a fraction, but I could still feel the storm coiled inside him, waiting.

“You’re asking me to stand down,” he said, not looking at me yet.

“I’m asking you to stand with me,” I corrected gently.

He turned then, finally facing me. His eyes were dark, stormy, searching my face as if trying to read every crack my father had left ...