Kiel
I was supposed to be focused. Supposed to be here, standing with my Beta, listening to every word that left his mouth. But the truth? My head wasn't in it. My body might've been in the strategy room, the map stretched out on the table, the scent of ink and parchment sharp in the air—but my mind… my mind was elsewhere. On her.
Always on her.
No matter how much I tried to convince myself to stay away, Josie was like gravity, dragging me back into her orbit. Even when I told myself I was angry, even when I swore to keep my distance, she lived in my thoughts, in the hollow of my chest, in every damn heartbeat.
My Beta's voice finally cut sharp enough through the fog for me to focus. "Kiel," he said, frustration bleeding into his tone, "I need you to take this seriously. You can't keep drifting like this."
