Chapter 73

The taunting gift.

Elara’s POV

After the meeting, we headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. We all sat on one big table, and somehow Astrid had chosen the seat beside Rourke, while Mira stirred a big pot of meat stew.

“You need this for more strength during the training, everyone,” Mira said as she dished generous portions into our bowls.

We dug in the second the food hit our plates. Small chatters filled the room, everyone saying one or two, except Astrid, who was unusually quiet. She even ate in small bites, her gaze lowered, her mind clearly elsewhere, and something about that made me turn to the person who sat beside her—Rourke and I noticed he was staring hard at Astrid with an intensity that reminded me uncomfortably of the way Kieran sometimes looked at me. No one else seemed to notice, so I decided not to burst their little bubble. I made a mental note to ask her about it later.

The mood was calm, almost too peaceful, until Tobias got