Zane~
"Understood, Father."
The words slipped from my lips—calm, controlled, effortlessly obedient. But inside, Red was roaring with laughter.
"Come on, Zane, why not rub our mate in his face?" he whined.
"Not yet," I murmured, biting back a grin.
A sudden, sharp pulse cut through my mind.
Not from my father.
It was from Jacob.
The mental link between my father and me shattered like fragile glass. The connection severed so fast that my father flinched, as if someone had physically yanked him backward. His eyes flickered with momentary confusion, but before he could question it, Jacob spoke.
"It's time we talked about why I'm here," he said.
His voice was light—too light.
Almost amused. Almost lazy.
But the air around him had changed.
Gone was the playful mischief in his brown eyes, the smirks designed to needle at my patience. Instead, something ancient stirred behind them, like the shifting tides of a vast, unseen ocean.
My father's gaze sharpened.
