As Liam spoke those words, Mabel stilled.
It wasn't an obvious reaction—nothing in her posture gave it away at first—but there was a subtle shift. Her hands, which had been resting on Nyxie and Smoke, tightened unconsciously.
Liam noticed.
And without quite realizing it himself, a faint hint of concern surfaced in his gaze.
"You alright?" he asked, his tone still calm, though there was a quiet sincerity beneath it—subtle, but present.
That was enough to pull Mabel out of her brief lapse.
"What?" she responded, blinking once as if returning to the moment.
"You're holding them a bit too tight," Liam said, gesturing lightly toward Nyxie and Smoke.
Mabel lowered her gaze.
He was right.
Her fingers had curled more firmly into their fur than she intended. Almost immediately, she loosened her grip, her touch returning to something gentler.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to," she murmured softly to them.
