"Family isn't always born, it's chosen, claimed, and teased into existence, one laugh and one bite at a time."
Elias's POV
The Eastern Chamber office wasn't supposed to feel like a tavern after hours. And yet, somehow, it did. Marcus had claimed one armchair as though he owned the place, lounging like a general who'd already won every battle before breakfast. Beside him, Juno leaned in, whispering something low enough to make Marcus's lips twitch into a rare smile. Across the table, the Thorne brothers, Gavriel and Rell, were already bickering, their voices overlapping in that uncanny way siblings had when they didn't care about being understood so much as heard. And, naturally, poor Riven sat wedged between them, jaw tight, trying not to claw anyone's face off while both Thornes looked at him like he was dessert.
