Chapter 56

Lila’s POV

Rowan’s jaw was set like concrete as he steered the car, his left foot tapping the floor mat in an anxious ping-pong rhythm. I wasn’t afraid of his silence—after all, Damien’s brother had been one of Rowan’s closest packmates—but I had zero clue how to fix whatever storm was raging inside him. So I squeezed his hand and let the tick-tick-tick of his foot fill the space between us.

We pulled into one of those health-food drive-throughs—because apparently depression requires quinoa bowls and kale chips—and I didn’t even flinch when Rowan ordered enough grub to feed three werewolves on a growth spurt. Buddha bowls, protein smoothies, twenty avocado slices. The cashier probably thought he was opening a lost-and-found for Tupperware. He stacked it all on the back seat, his grip on my hand unwavering, then peeled out of the lot and parked in a random spot. Finally, he let go of my hand and dropped his head onto the steering wheel, inhaling ragged breaths like