My heart seized in my chest as Kaelen's voice boomed through Lyra's apartment door. Each knock sounded like thunder, reverberating through my bones. I clutched the kitchen counter, knuckles white, as panic surged through me.
"Don't open it," I whispered desperately to Lyra. "Please."
She shot me a conflicted look. "Sera, he sounds—"
"Seraphina!" Kaelen's voice cracked slightly. "Please. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."
Lyra approached me slowly, her expression gentler than I expected. "Maybe you should hear him out."
I stared at her, betrayal lancing through me. "Are you serious? After what he did?"
"He called me last night after you left," she admitted quietly. "He was frantic."
The pounding on the door intensified. "Lyra, if you can hear me, I know she's there. Let me in. Please."
Something in his tone made my chest ache despite my anger. I'd never heard Kaelen Thorne—powerful Alpha, billionaire businessman—sound so utterly desperate.
