And then came the blow. Luca's fist lashed out, striking Lucian across the jaw with a brutal crack that made Kael flinch. Blood spilled from Lucian's mouth as he staggered back a step, but he didn't fall. He simply looked back at his brother, eyes wide but resolute.
"How could you?" Luca shouted, voice cracking with pain more than fury. "You know what this place means to him! You know what this place is to us! And you let her in?"
Lucian didn't answer. He just stood there, jaw clenched, blood trailing from his lip.
Kael still hadn't spoken. He stood by the wall, pale and still, looking like he might collapse from the sheer weight of what had just happened.
The room still thrummed with leftover violence—Lucian's split lip, Selene's curled form on the cold floor, like she wanted to disappear, and Luca's ragged breathing echoing through the air like thunder that hadn't fully passed. But then… Aeron stepped forward.
