SERAPHINA’S POV
The tension in the kitchen had teeth.
Maya still had her arm looped through mine, her body warm and grounding. But every inch of me had gone cold as I stared at my brother, his shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows, oozing polished calm as he set down silverware like this was any normal night.
Like we weren’t estranged, and he wasn’t one of the chief orchestrators of my misery.
"Hey," he repeated.
I blinked. My throat felt suddenly too tight. "You…you live here now?"
Maya nudged me lightly. "I invited him for dinner. He wanted to see you. Talk."
I turned to her slowly and tried to keep the accusation out of my voice, but I couldn’t help feeling ambushed. "Why?"
Maya shifted, suddenly uncharacteristically nervous. "Because he has regrets, Sera. He wants to apologize to you, make things right.” She leaned in. “I don’t want my mate and my best friend at loggerheads.”
