#Chapter 116: The Link

Lauren The sun cast long streaks of light across the worn wooden floors, painting golden lines through the dust that hung in the air. It should have felt warm, welcoming even, but the sunlight only seemed to highlight the tension stretching between me and Gingi like a taut wire, ready to snap. It had been a week since she started watching my family—watching me—far too closely. Granted, most of her focus was on Mark, but she didn’t hesitate to question the kids about their half-transformations, take blood samples, and make full use of my research lab in Alexander’s manor. She had certainly made herself at home. And the longer she stayed, the more frustrated I became. Gingi had always been cold, but I thought that staying under my roof might thaw her, even just a little. That maybe, at some point, she’d crack a joke, reminisce about our student days, laugh. But no—she was distant, calculated, moving through my home like she was on a mission. Because she was. The Alpha King must ha