The car rolled to a stop, and Jonathan killed the engine with the weariness of a man who had already lived three lifetimes before breakfast. The siblings emerged—Jonathan with the grace of someone escaping a hostage situation, and Azura clutching the big bag like it contained the Holy Grail wrapped in tissue paper.
She was ready. More than ready. Her fingers twitched with the overwhelming urge to sprint into the house, find Selena, and shower her with snacks, clothes, and possibly a tearful apology speech that would make Hallmark movies look emotionally restrained.
But first—Adrian.
She had to dump the alpha before she could cling to the female lead.
Think of it like taking a shower, Azura. You can't roll around in Selena's protagonist halo if you're still covered in Adrian's alpha stink. Clean break first. THEN redemption arc. The order of operations is CRITICAL.
