KIRA

I sat in the gardens for hours, my mind replaying everything.

Dante’s journal entries. Cain’s accusations. Sera’s “concerns.” The fight. The way I’d forced my mate to submit with a single command.

The way he’d looked at me afterward—not with fear exactly, but with something worse. Understanding. Like he’d known this moment would come eventually.

“You’re thinking too loud.”

I looked up to find Adrian approaching, his expression unreadable.

“How did you find ...