Connor stared at him, breathing unevenly, his expression a war between fury and something dangerously close to affection.
"You can't do things like this," he said, voice trembling at the edges. "You can't adjust the universe because you… because you…"
"Because I love you," Uno supplied.
Connor flinched like the words hit him in the ribs.
Victor leaned toward Elias and whispered, "Is this what our early relationship looked like?"
Elias didn't even look up. "No. Ours had more attempted murder."
Uno, however, was focused only on Connor. "You are a dominant alpha," he said quietly. "You have the right to choose your own future. I only wanted to make sure the future did not choose for you."
Connor shut his eyes. "I hate it when you talk like that."
Uno stepped closer. "And yet you stay."
Connor didn't move or speak; he just breathed, slowly, like he was recalibrating an entire worldview.
