For a few seconds after Rowan spoke, I didn’t move.

It wasn’t because I didn’t understand what he had said. It was because I understood it too well.

"You’re leaving with me."

Not a request. Not even a suggestion. It was the kind of statement that didn’t leave space for negotiation, and under different circumstances, I might have reacted immediately, might have pushed back without thinking, simply because I refused to be told what to do.

But this wasn’t just about control.

It was about everything he hadn’t said.

"I don’t think you get to decide that," I replied, keeping my voice steady, even though something in my chest had already started to tighten in a way I didn’t like.

Rowan didn’t step closer, but his presence still felt like it had.

"I’m not deciding it for you," he said. "I’m telling you what happens if you stay."

"That sounds exactly like deciding."

"It’s a consequence."

The distinction irritated me more than it should have, because it carried just enough truth to make it difficult to dismiss.

Behind us, Lucien let out a quiet breath that almost resembled amusement, though there was nothing light about it.

"You always did have a talent for phrasing things as if they were inevitable," he said.

Rowan didn’t even look at him.

"This doesn’t concern you."

"It concerns me the moment she stepped into my city," Lucien replied calmly.

"That’s not your territory to claim."

Lucien tilted his head slightly.

"Everything here is."

The certainty in his voice didn’t feel exaggerated. It felt factual.

And that— Was a problem.

I looked between them again, and for the first time since Rowan had arrived, the situation stopped feeling like something external that I had been pulled into and started feeling like something I needed to actively control before it spiraled further.

"Stop," I said.

Not loudly.

But firmly enough that both of them paused.

"I’m not an object you can argue over," I continued, my gaze moving from one to the other. "And I’m definitely not a territory."

Lucien’s expression shifted, just slightly, as if he approved of that.

Rowan, on the other hand, didn’t react at all.

Which somehow felt worse.

"I didn’t come here to be protected," I said, turning fully toward Rowan now. "And I didn’t come here to be managed."

"You came here to run," he replied.

The words were simple.

But they hit.

Because they were close enough to the truth that denying them outright felt dishonest, even to myself.

"I came here to think," I corrected.

"You’re not thinking," Rowan said quietly. "You’re avoiding."

That landed harder. Not because he raised his voice, but because he didn’t.

I crossed my arms slightly, grounding myself before responding.

"And what exactly am I avoiding?" I asked.

Rowan held my gaze.

"Everything that changed the moment you touched me."

The world didn’t stop. But it felt like it did. My breath caught slightly before I could control it. The memory came back instantly. His hand around my wrist. The sudden shift in reality. The vision that had felt too real to ignore. And the way something inside me had responded to him in a way that didn’t match anything I had ever experienced before.

"That wasn’t just me," I said quietly.

"I know."

"You didn’t tell me what it was."

Rowan didn’t answer immediately. And in that pause— Something cracked.

I took a step closer.

"You knew something," I continued, my voice steadier now, sharper. "Back in the forest, when it happened. You weren’t surprised. You weren’t confused. You just... accepted it."

"That’s not true."

"Then what is?" I pressed.

Rowan exhaled slowly, and for the first time since I had met him, there was a visible hesitation in the way he chose his next words.

"I didn’t have enough information to explain it," he said.

"That’s not the same as not knowing."

"No," he admitted. "It’s not."

Lucien watched the exchange without interrupting, but I could feel his attention shift, more focused now, as if this part interested him more than anything that had come before.

That didn’t help.

"So you did know something," I said.

"I suspected," Rowan corrected.

"And you decided not to tell me."

"I decided not to tell you something I couldn’t confirm."

"That’s not your decision to make."

"It is when it puts you at risk."

The answer came faster this time. Sharper. More honest. I shook my head slightly.

"You don’t get to protect me by keeping me in the dark."

"And you don’t get to walk into something you don’t understand and pretend it won’t matter."

The words collided between us, neither of us backing down, neither of us softening the edges.

And suddenly— This wasn’t just about the city.

Or Lucien.

Or even Kael.

It was about trust. And the fact that we didn’t have it.

"You followed me here," I said, my voice lower now, more controlled. "Not because you had to. Because you chose to."

"Yes."

"And you still won’t tell me everything."

Rowan held my gaze.

"No."

The honesty of it hit harder than any denial would have. For a second, I didn’t know whether I was more angry or more unsettled. Because part of me understood why he would hold something back. But another part— Didn’t accept it.

"Then maybe I shouldn’t go anywhere with you," I said.

The words came out steadier than I expected. More final.

Lucien shifted slightly, just enough to signal interest.

Rowan didn’t move at all. But something in his expression changed. Not visibly but undeniably.

"You can stay here," he said after a moment. "You can stay in a city that isn’t built for wolves, surrounded by people who won’t see the danger until it’s too late."

His voice didn’t rise. It didn’t need to.

"Or you can come with me and deal with something you don’t fully understand—"

His gaze sharpened slightly. "—with someone who is at least being honest about that."

That stopped me. Because he was right. In a way I didn’t want him to be. Behind him, Lucien let out a quiet breath.

"Interesting," he murmured.

Neither of us acknowledged it. I looked at Rowan for a long moment. Really looked this time. At the control he maintained even now. At the things he said. And the things he didn’t.

And somewhere in all of that— I realized something I hadn’t allowed myself to consider before. He wasn’t hiding things because he didn’t trust me. He was hiding them because he didn’t trust the situation. That didn’t fix it but it changed it.

"What happens if I don’t go with you?" I asked finally.

Rowan didn’t hesitate.

"Then you become part of something Lucien is already watching."

Lucien smiled faintly.

"That’s one way to phrase it."

Rowan ignored him.

"And the next time Kael moves, you won’t be in a position to choose anything."

The weight of that settled into me slowly. Carefully. Because this time— It didn’t feel like pressure. It felt like reality. I exhaled. Long. Slow.

Then met his gaze again.

"I’m not following you," I said.

A pause. Then—

"But I’m not staying here either."

Rowan’s expression didn’t change. But something in his posture did.

"I’ll come with you," I continued, my voice steady now, grounded in something that finally felt like my own decision, "on one condition."

He waited.

"You stop deciding what I can handle."

A brief silence followed. Then Rowan nodded once.

"Fair."

Lucien watched the exchange with quiet interest, his gaze moving between us as if committing the moment to memory.

"Well," he said softly, "this just became more complicated than I expected."

I didn’t respond. Because for the first time since I had entered the city— I wasn’t reacting anymore.

I was choosing.

And somehow, I knew— This was only the beginning.