Evan’s face darkened as his gaze fell on Hailey’s shallow cut. He dropped to his knees, gently lifting her hem to check the wound, his eyes hardening with unspoken blame as he looked up at Lenora.
“Hailey, are you alright?” Raymond asked, leaning toward her, his attention fixed solely on the girl.
Without waiting for an answer, Evan swept Hailey into his arms. “I’m taking you to the healer,” he said firmly, ignoring her weak protests. Together, he and Raymond hurried out, leaving Lenora staring after them.
Raymond turned once at the doorway, his voice sharp with condemnation. “Lenora, how could you? You have everything already, yet you’d take even this from her?”
For a heartbeat, Lenora could only gape. Take from her? Hailey had been the one who refused to let go. Her wolf snarled inside, furious at the injustice.
“That award was mine, Raymond,” she said, her voice trembling with controlled fury. “I bled for it. She clung to it like it belonged to her, and now you’re calling me the thief?”
Her words echoed, but Raymond’s face only hardened. “It’s just a token, Lenora. Hailey’s safety is worth more than any trinket. And if she’s hurt because of you, the least you could do is apologize.”