Auren POV

A tight, unfamiliar knot coiled in my chest as I stood before the door to my bedroom. I’d never been this uneasy about seeing anyone before, but the way Lorien had fled my office earlier left a lingering weight I couldn’t shake.

I didn’t even know what the hell I was supposed to say to her or how to fix what had happened. She’d stormed out clutching the ruined pie like a lifeline, leaving behind smears of chocolate on my desk, the fork and plate still sitting there like ...