(Maria POV)
Every punch she threw, every bruise she earned—it was more than training.
It was armor.
She smiled when Luca praised her. She listened when Joseph explained the strategy. But every time they looked away… she memorized weak spots.
Escape routes. Pressure points.
Because she wasn’t preparing to be theirs.
She was preparing to survive them because she had to claim her freedom.
*
One night, after a brutal sparring session with Joseph, Maria sneaks into the war room. She’s supposed to be too exhausted to move, but adrenaline and freedom were enough to fuel her enthusiasm.
She finds files, maps, and notes on the rogues and about Xavier. One symbol keeps appearing, a silver crescent within a circle of flame.
Her hand brushes over it, and she feels something shift inside her.
