My heartbeat slows.
My mind sharpens.
And the truth clicks into place:
I am scared for her.
I am furious for her.
I am invested in her.
More than I should be.
More than I planned to be.
More than I’m ready to admit out loud.
But I’m also something else.
Determined.
If Adrian thinks he can get in her head again?
If he thinks he can control her from a distance?
If he thinks he can break her open and crawl back inside?
He hasn’t met me yet.
He hasn’t met Atlas.
He hasn’t met Finn.
He hasn’t seen the way she already has us orbiting her gravity.
He hasn’t seen what we turn into when someone we care about is threatened.
“Come at her again,” I whisper into the dark arena.“And you’ll learn what a team really is.”
My breath fogs the air.The lights hum above me.The ice stretches out in front of me—quiet, waiting.
I push off and take one final lap, a slow one.Not to think.
To settle.
To seal the promise forming in my chest.
Whatever comes next—whatever Adrian tries, whatever fear curls back up Wren’s spine—I will be there.Finn will be there.Atlas will be there.
She won’t have to face him alone.
Not anymore.
