Chapter 179

Zarek

Love is a liability.

I learned that long before Kaelen ever dared to say the word out loud.

The moment it happens—when it leaves the mouth instead of remaining a controlled, internal weakness—it becomes something others can use. I felt it when the bond between them flared, sharp and incandescent, like a signal fire lit far too high to be ignored.

A declaration.

Public in the way that matters