I said my goodbye to Finlay, but my heart wasn't in it. I felt a heavy weight in my chest as I turned away from the wildflowers and the only bit of sunlight I’d seen in days. I marched back toward the castle, back to my decorated prison cell, with Alec trailing behind me like a shadow I couldn't shake. The walk back felt longer than the walk there. Every step toward those stone walls felt like I was stepping back into a freezer.
Just as I reached the door to my room, hoping to slip inside and hide, I was intercepted. Monsieur Aurelien was standing there, blocking my path. He didn't look like a man; he looked like a storm cloud.
Before I could even lower my head to bow to him, he snapped.
“What were you doing outside of your room?”
His voice was like a whip, sharp and tinged with a dark
