Aria’s POV
The morning air was sharp enough to sting my lungs. I liked that about it. It reminded me I was alive, that I’d survived everything that was meant to break me.
The training grounds stretched out in front of me -- a wide circle of dirt and shadow where the sun had barely started to touch. The scent of pine and damp earth clung to everything. Wolves sparred across the field, their growls low and rhythmic. Damon stood at the far end, arms crossed, his black shirt clinging to him from the morning’s drills.
He looked like he was carved from the fog itself -- quiet, immovable, watching everyone and everything at once.
When his eyes found mine, he gave a small nod. “You’re late.”
I exhaled, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. “I had to feed Mira before coming down.”
He grun
