Not dramatically.
No rustle. No slam.
Just… gone.
The sheets are still warm where she lay. Her scent lingers—some mix of ozone, mech grease, and somethinghers—like heat and sharp edges softened at the core.
I sit up slowly, rub the back of my neck, and stare at the empty space beside me.
And for the first time in years, I feelcold.
Not from the air. The climate control is fine.
But from theabsence.
The ache.
She didn’t leave a note. Of course she didn’t. That’s not her style.
And I won’t chase her down the corridor demanding answers. I won’t stand outside the command room like some desperate cadet hoping for a smile.
I won’t say a word.
Because this is what Iam, right?
A warfighter. A pilot. A weapon.
Not a partner.
Not a future.
Just… firepower.
But as I sit there, bare feet on the cold metal floor, hands curled into fists and lungs tight from something that’s not oxygen depletion, I know one thing for certain.
I’d chase that warmth to the ends of the stars.
If she let me.
CHAPTER 13
ARIA
The orders drop like a guillotine.
Direct deployment. No backup. No delay.
Me and Naull.
Intercept. Neutralize.Survive.
I stare at the command slate in my lap, fingers trembling just above the surface, the words blurry around the edges.
Alpha-Titan. Megafauna class.
A new designation. Something that’s never shown up in Rhavadaz’s scans before. Bigger than anything we’ve seen. Bigger than anythingWhiplashhas handled. Bigger than our best guesses—and our worst nightmares.
Outside the workshop, the base is quiet. Not with peace. With dread.
