And nodded.
His smile was hesitant, flickering with disbelief.
And just like that, everything shifted again.
One moment, we were laughing.
The next—Tae was standing at the edge of a promotion.
And we were about to lose him.
Chapter
Thirteen
Istood frozen, still trying to make sense of the words hanging in the air.
Tae. Ascending.
He was a lowborn… technically. But we all knew the truth. He was a noble, born to a house that had quietly slipped from grace, demoted and forced into Thrall Squad as punishment for something that had nothing to do with him.
This wasn’t just a promotion.
This was his chance to reclaim not only his station—but toleapranks. To rise above what had been stripped from him.
I glanced at Riven, and she was staring too, with her arms crossed.
We both knew what this meant.
And yet… Tae smiled, slow and warm, and turned to the Stormforge lieutenant.
“I’m flattered,” he said. “Truly. But I belong with Thrall Squad.”
He glanced back at us, at Riven, at me, at the others waiting just outside the room.
“They’re my family.”
I blinked, stunned.
So did Riven.
Then, with a sudden burst of movement, she stepped forward and threw her arms around him in a quick, fierce hug.
“I knew you weren’t a total jerk,” she muttered, her voice choked with something unspoken.
Tae laughed, the sound surprised and real. “You say that like it hurts.”
She pulled back, rolling her eyes.
The Stormforge lieutenant nodded once, his expression unreadable, but I saw it in the small shift of his jaw. He was disappointed.
But impressed.
“I’ll let my squad leader know,” he said. “You’ll be missed.”
And with that, he turned and left, his cloak snapping behind him like thunder in retreat.
We stood in silence for a beat, the weight of what Tae hadchosensettling around us.
