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Because he was walking toward them now.

Not storming. Not brooding. Just… moving. Steady and unhurried. Like he belonged. Even though he clearly didn’t believe he did.

“Evening,” he said when he reached their table, voice lower than usual, like he wasn’t sure if he was interrupting or trespassing.

Calla, bold as ever, waved a hand. “Pull up a chair, Alpha. We don’t bite.”

He hesitated.

Calla winked. “She might. I’m polite.”

Lyra nearly choked on her cider.

Jace didn’t look at her. Not directly. But his voice was smoother than she expected when he said, “I’ll buy your next round. Least I can do for interrupting girls’ night.”

“You’redefinitelyinterrupting,” Calla said. “But we’ll allow it.”

Lyra couldn’t stop watching him.

Not when he flagged down the server and ordered their drinks like it was something he did all the time. Not when hishand brushed the back of her chair briefly, and her magic flared in her fingertips, hot and startled.

He didn’t say anything else. Just sat nearby, posture alert but not defensive.

Like he was trying.

And for the first time, she wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or impressed.

Probably both.

An hour later, the café buzzed with music and laughter. Lyra nursed her second cider—more spice than bite—and found herself watching the small stage more than usual.

“I should go up there,” she muttered.

Calla perked up. “Do it.”

“I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

Lyra chewed her lip. “I could charm the mic a little. Give the song a little… sizzle.”

Calla smirked. “Chaos witch karaoke. The crowd’s not ready.”

Lyra set her drink down and stood. “Well, I didn’t come here to blend in.”

As she stepped onto the stage, murmurs rippled through the room. She heard someone whisper her name, caught Milo darting between tables like a smug little shadow.

She feltJace’sgaze land on her.

Heavy. Intense. Like his eyes had weight and heat and memory.

The lights dimmed slightly, magic tuning itself to her presence.

The mic hummed with her touch.

She sang.

It wasn’t flashy. Not loud. But it was real.