"You refused to go with Ronan on that short vacation," Lucien said, his voice low, almost gentle, as he leaned against the doorframe of her room. His dark eyes studied her face, not accusing, just searching. "And now, out of nowhere, you're heading out on a date with Kieran today. I'm not against it, Leia. I just… want to understand what shifted."
"Umm… nothing really changed," she started, her cheeks warming a little. "The vacation thing… That would've taken me away from the pack for days. I'm not ready to be that far from everyone, from you guys, from Dad and Renzo. It felt wrong. But a date? That's just a few hours. I'll still be close."
