Chapter 14

THIRD PERSON'S POV Jason returned home late that night, exhaustion weighing down his broad shoulders like an anchor. His once-proud posture was slumped, and the sharp lines on his face seemed more pronounced beneath the dim light of the chandeliers. As he shut the door behind him, the tension he carried into the house was palpable, thick enough to suffocate the warmth that had once thrived within these walls. Laura, his wife, noticed immediately. She had been waiting for him, her heart restless ever since whispers of Olivia's suffering in the dungeons had reached her ears. Without a word, she poured him a glass of water as a dutiful mate and set it in front of him, her delicate fingers brushing against his rough, calloused hand. He relaxed a bit under the subtle, soft touch of his mate. "You look exhausted," she murmured softly, watching him with the careful concern of a woman who had spent years learning to read her husband's moods. Jason sighed heavily, running a hand down his face.