Wheeling Gull Isle hell hath no fury

They should’ve figured out things together, Caracal thought, but he didn’t refute his son. It was a rather wise thing to say. It made the young father wonder if Judah was acting distant because he was trying to be pragmatic. He was suddenly very glad he’d decided not to badmouth Heda and Dinah.

But just as he came to accept his son’s level head and maturity, Judah’s arms finally came around him. Caracal wanted to weep. Instead, he froze in surprise before hugging Judah more tightly than he’d ever hugged anybody in his whole damn life. He sobbed out a single note at the reminder, “I love you.”

Love you too, Ju, his papa said, still clinging to him for as long as his son would let him.

When the boy finally pulled away to do his filial duties, Caracal gazed after him with more gratitude than he could ever fathom. But Judah’s insistence on staying by his side only put the rest of the family’s behavior in stark contrast.

Caracal would do everything in his power to hide it from Judah but now… now, he was getting angry.