Fin stepped forward and extended his hand. "Glad you're okay."
Gavriel shook it. The handshake between a Shadowclaw Alpha and a Drakenfell Gamma was brief, professional, and carrying precisely the amount of respect two men could exchange without it becoming a moment. Fin's grip was firm. Gavriel's matched it. The matching was a test and a greeting wrapped in five seconds of palm-to-palm contact.
"Thanks," Gavriel said. The word was steady. His voice was steady. Everything about him was steady, which was a performance so complete that only Elara and the wolf inside his chest knew it was a performance.
Serena reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace.
