Elias’s POV

For a long moment, neither of us moved.

The room buzzed with the aftermath of what had just happened; the bent door, the cracked shield panel, the metallic tang of fear still clinging to the air. My pulse thudded unevenly in my neck, each beat vibrating against the half-released collar.

Ronan was still kneeling in front of me, head bowed slightly as he caught his breath. He looked like a man holding back a storm by sheer force of will.

I swallowed hard.

“Ronan…”

He ...