Because of him, my life spiraled into a series of breaking points—each one more violent, more soul-crushing than the last. If he hadn’t walked out, everything could’ve been different.
You are nothing to me. Just take a look in the damn mirror. You are not mine.
He was right. I wasn’t his. Not really. But I was a child. A child who deserved parents who would fight for her. Love her. Protect her.
Instead, he left.
Because of him, I believed I was unworthy of love.
Because of him, I believed I deserved the chains, the abuse, the silence.
Because of him, I thought no one would ever come for me.
Because of him, I hurt myself—just to feel anything besides the ache of being me.
Look at you, falling apart in front of the big bad wolf.
Back on the rooftop, he looked down at me like I was the filth on the bottom of his boots. If his words hadn’t made his hatred clear, his expression certainly did. He loathed me. Every breath I took was a reminder of something he wanted to forget.
I told him then that I was his biggest mistake.
My only mistake with you was staying as long as I did.
Now, here he was—his chest rising and falling as if he were barely holding himself together. His eyes flicked from Fallon to Rhodes, then back to me.
One hand gripped the doorframe, knuckles white. The other still clenched the broken knob of the wooden door he’d just shattered—no doubt with his air element. A breeze cut through the terrace, cool and sharp, whistling between us. It made my blood run cold. It silenced the fire burning in my veins.
And then I saw it—the same look, but reversed.
Captain Thorne stared at me like I was without a doubt his biggest mistake.
The five words that have kept me breathing echoed through my mind.
I am meant for more.
I would no longer cower. I would no longer crumble. I would no longer fall apart in front of the big bad wolf.
Iwasthe wolf.
Shouts rang out from the corridor behind Captain Thorne—sharp, angry voices growing louder. The spell broke. And for the first time, his expression cracked. Not with rage. Not with disdain. But with guilt. Regret.
“Go,” he said, voice rough as gravel, the command catching on something in his throat. “Hurry.”
He was letting us go.
Rhodes tugged my elbow, snapping me out of my trance. I swung a leg over the parapet and descended, not daring to glance back. Above me, the rustle of sprouting vines and snapping wood echoed—Fallon sealing the door with her element before following. Rhodes came last.
River met us at the base, pressing her snout into Fallon’s side to check for injuries as she dismissed the vine ladder into the night air. Tatum emerged from the shadows of the treeline, waving us over urgently.
“Let’s get back to the Hollow,” Lakota said in a low voice. “We found a divot in the mountains big enough for the four of us to stay hidden. We’ll regroup tomorrow night.”
As we slipped into the dense veil of forest, I allowed myself one last glance at the towering silhouette of Mageia’s castle. Its spires pierced the night sky like jagged spears. My gaze rose higher, searching the stars—until I found one that shone brighter than the rest.
I closed my eyes and nodded once.
Then the eight of us, and River, vanished into the dark as the War College’s sirens sounded behind us.
Our journey back to the Hollow was far more urgent than the one that brought us out. If the castle hadn’t been under full lockdown before, it certainly was now. Thank the elements we slipped away before the sirens could announce our intrusion.
