That part lingered differently. Not because of the decision itself, but because of the finality behind it. There had been no hesitation, no conflict, no trace of the softness he had always associated with her feelings for Ethan. Just cold, absolute closure.
That, more than anything, unsettled him.
Because Maya had loved Ethan. He knew that. He had seen it in the quiet pride that colored her voice when she spoke of him, in the subtle shifts in her scent whenever his name came up, something warm and real beneath the careful composure she always wore. It hadn't been loud or dramatic, but it had been genuine.
So what kind of weight, what kind of pressure, would make her let go of something like that so completely?
His jaw tightened slightly.
Something wasn't right. Not just with the pack's fracturing alliances or the tension with Dakota and Kade Nightshade. Something was wrong with her.
And for the first time since this nightmare had begun, the thought came without resistance:
