Do you realize how powerful that makes you?
I stared at the screen.
They chose your rider.
They had a biological imperative that basically screamedMINE, and they had looked it in the eye and said,No, she signed a contract that says 'distance'.
I curled tighter into the ball.
It’s too big, Cal. If I lean into this, there’s no Exit Card. You don't walk away from a triple match.
Do you WANT to walk away?
Be honest. Not safe. Honest.
I closed my eyes.
I visualized the colors.
Alfie: Molten copper and silver sparks. Indigo velvet.
Kit: Deep, grounding earth tones. Unshakable grey-stone.
Euan: Precise, cold blue lines that warmed to gold when he looked at me.
I saw the three of them in the lounge, looking at me with that devastating, open hope.
Do I want to walk away?
The Exit Card was in my back pocket. I could feel the corner of it pressing against my hip.
I visualized taking it out. I visualized handing it to Rowan.
The image made my chest hurt. It made the colors go dull, flat, monochrome.
I don't know.
But I didn't pack my bag.
There you go.
Stay in the bunk. Let them sweat for a minute. They dropped a bomb, they can wait for the dust to settle.
But Z?
If three Alphas fight biology to respect your boundaries... maybe it’s time to lower the drawbridge.
I locked the phone and pressed it to my chest.
In the silence of the bunk, I could hear the faint vibration of the bus engine. Or maybe it was just the blood rushing in my ears.
We’re just down the hall.
Furniture if you need it.
I wasn't ready to go back out there. Not yet. But I didn't lock the door.
EIGHTEEN
