He stood near the wall, shoulders tight, gaze cutting from me to Reo and back again. His jaw worked, pulse visible in his throat. He looked like he was deciding whether he could step in if things went sideways.
I liked that he was worried for my Roar.
Once, years ago, Satoshi hadn’t liked Reo at all. Had been territorial of me in a way only men raised in rigid hierarchies ever were—possessive of my attention, suspicious of anyone who stood too close to me for too long.
Somehow, Reo had worn Satoshi down the only way that ever worked.
Consistency.
Loyalty.
Blood spilled in the right places.
So in this moment. . .Satoshi didn’t move because he didn’t trust Reo. He didn’t move because he knewmy temperand didn’t think my Roar should be disciplined anymore.
Rin kept the door open.
Kaoru and Yoichi were already gone.
Reluctantly, Satoshi finally stepped forward, slower than the others, eyes never leaving Reo until Rin cleared his throat softly. Once Satoshi went through, the door closed behind them.
Silence settled into the room.
The air changed.
And I put my gaze back on my Roar. “Go ahead. Drown out the pain.”
Chapter four
The Many Faces of Power
Kenji
“Thanks.” Reo lifted his glass again.
This time, he didn’t stop at a sip.
He took a longer swallow, the kind one only took when no one was watching who might mistake it for weakness. And surely, the whiskey worked its way down, easing the tightness in his shoulders.
After Reo swallowed, he exhaled slowly through his nose.
I inclined my head once. “Take another if you want.”
With no hesitation, Reo took the second sip, smaller than the last but deeper than the first, and then he crossed the room and set the glass down on my desk.
To my surprise, he rolled his shoulder once and winced despite himself. Then he looked at me and huffed a breath thatmight’ve been a laugh. “I forget how heavy your fist is. It’s worse than a steel boulder.”
I didn’t smile.
But something in my chest loosened.
He was still standing.
Still sharp.
Still my Roar.
And that mattered more than anything else in the room.
