Seraphina’s POV
Caleb imdiately shifted his attention from Damien’s death glare to Ophelia, and his entire deanor transford. The polite but guarded expression he’d been wearing lted into genuine warmth as he stepped forward with that easy smile that had chard half the pack.
"It’s a pleasure to et you, Ophelia," he said, offering his hand with old-fashioned courtesy. "Sera has told so much about you during our drive. She’s incredibly lucky to have such a devoted friend."
Ophelia practically glowed under the attention, her cheeks pinking with delight as she accepted his handshake and held it just a beat longer than strictly necessary.
"Has she now?" she said, her voice taking on that slightly breathless quality it got when she encountered an attractive male. "And here I thought she was keeping all the good-looking n to herself. Though I can see why," she added, glancing aningfully at Damien before turning back to Caleb with renewed interest. "You have the most incredible eyes."
I watched in fascination as Caleb’s smile beca even more genuine, crinkling the corners of those brown eyes Ophelia was admiring.
"You’re very kind," he said with just the right amount of modest charm. "Though I have to say, yours are absolutely stunning. That shade of brown is extraordinary."
Damien made a sound that might have been a growl, but Caleb and Ophelia were too busy gazing at each other to notice. I could practically see Ophelia lting under the complint, her whole face lighting up with pleasure.
"Oh, you flatter ," she said, but she was clearly eating up every word. "Tell , Caleb, what do you do up in the northern territories? Besides rescuing damsels in distress and driving them safely ho, of course."
"I work in repair shop," Caleb replied, his voice taking on an enthusiastic note as he spoke about sothing he clearly loved. "My family has been stewarding the northern territories. It’s challenging work, but incredibly rewarding."
"That sounds fascinating," Ophelia breathed, and I could tell she actually ant it. "You must be incredibly strong to do that kind of physical labor."
I bit back a smile as I watched my best friend work her magic. Within minutes, she had Caleb describing his work with passionate enthusiasm while she hung on his every word, asking intelligent questions and making appropriately impressed sounds at all the right monts.
anwhile, Damien was standing beside like a barely contained storm cloud, his jaw clenched so tight I was surprised his teeth didn’t crack.
"So," Caleb said eventually, his gaze reluctantly leaving Ophelia to include the rest of us, "I hate to interrupt such lovely company, but I should probably start thinking about finding a place to stay for the night. I’ll need to head back north first thing in the morning."
"You’re staying in the city overnight?" Ophelia asked, her disappointnt clear in her voice.
"Just tonight," Caleb confird with what looked like genuine regret. "I have etings with suppliers first thing tomorrow morning before I head ho."
That’s when the idea struck . Caleb and his family had welcod into their ho when I was a stranger in need. They’d fed , sheltered , and helped discover truths about my heritage that I might never have learned otherwise. The least I could do was return the favor.
"Caleb," I said, stepping forward before I could second-guess myself, "you should stay here tonight. It’s the least I can do after everything your family did for up north."
The effect was imdiate and dramatic. Both Damien and Caleb spoke at exactly the sa ti, their voices overlapping in perfect synchronization:
"No."
The unified rejection was so emphatic and so perfectly tid that it would have been comical under different circumstances. As it was, I found myself staring at both n in confusion.
Caleb was the first to recover, his expression smoothing into polite refusal. "That’s very generous of you, Sera, but I wouldn’t want to impose. You’ve already dealt with enough disruption, and I’m sure you just want to get back to your normal routine."
His smile was warm and genuine, the kind that made it clear he truly didn’t want to be a burden. But beside him, Damien’s reaction was entirely different. Where Caleb was politely declining, Damien looked like he was about thirty seconds away from bodily throwing his perceived rival out the nearest window.
"Absolutely not," Damien said, his voice carrying that dangerous alpha authority that made my wolf want to bare her throat in submission. "If Caleb needs accommodations, I’m sure there are plenty of hotels in the city."
"But that’s so impersonal," I protested, looking between them in bewildernt. "Caleb, your parents opened their ho to when I was a complete stranger. Letting you sleep in our ho for one night is nothing compared to that kindness."
"If Caleb is staying," Damien said, his silver-blue eyes never leaving the other man’s face, "then so am I."
"Damien," I said carefully, "my apartnt is tiny. We can’t possibly fit everyone—"
"Then perhaps we should reconsider the entire arrangent," he said smoothly, though I could hear the steel beneath his polite tone. "I’m sure Caleb would be more comfortable in a hotel."
"Actually," I said, warming to the idea despite the obvious complications, "it could work. Caleb could share Adrian’s room—there’s a trundle bed we never use. And Ophelia could stay with in my room. It would be like a sleepover."
"You know what," Damien said, his voice taking on a suspiciously reasonable tone that imdiately put on high alert, "if space is such an issue, why don’t I offer an alternative solution?"
He turned to Caleb with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, all sharp edges and dangerous charm.
"My house has six bedrooms and more guest space than I know what to do with," he said with mock generosity. "Plenty of room for a weary traveler to stretch out and get a good night’s rest before his long journey ho. I insist."
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