Chapter 22

Seris’s POV

“Dammit,” I muttered under my breath as I watched Ronan spin on his heel and storm back into the castle. His departure felt less like a dignified exit and more like an eruption of pure fury. Pissed off didn’t even begin to cover it—his face had turned a deathly pale, lips pulled back in a snarl, jaw clenched so tight I feared his teeth might crack. Yet even that didn’t seem enough to hold all the rage boiling inside him.

I barely caught my breath before Kaien’s soft voice brought me back to the present. “Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” He reached out, fingers brushing gently under my chin, tilting my head as though he could peer right into my soul. His touch was warm, almost comforting against my brittle nerves. “Are you okay?”

I swallowed hard, forcing my pounding heart to settle. “Yes, yes—I’m fine.” I cleared my throat, pushing myself up from the cold stone bench where I’d been sitting. My pulse still pounded in my temples. “Actuall