ISKERA
"Have you really forgiven your family?"
Vane breaks the somewhat comfortable silence in the car as Jamin drives us toward the regions assigned to the Alpha King.
"Do you really think they have turned a new leaf, that they have changed, and will protect you from henceforth?"
Instead of the mocking quality I expect to hear in his voice, there is genuine curiosity.
It's as if he is trying to understand me—to actually pull back the layers of my allowance of Seren, my considering her request, and my sudden permission to let them attend the final meeting with the Alpha King.
For a second, I think about ignoring him, or telling him it's none of his business, but the sharp remark won't leave my lips.
Instead, I find myself considering the civility that should exist between us.
I can be civil while maintaining my distance, I decide, my fingers absentmindedly playing with the heavy weight of his ring around my finger.
