NATHAN'S POV
The silence after failure was always the worst part.
Not because it was quiet, but because it gave you time to think. Time to replay every mistake, every rushed decision, every moment where instinct overpowered strategy. I stood near the edge of the training grounds with my hands braced against the wooden table in front of me, staring down at the scattered maps without really seeing them, my thoughts trapped somewhere else entirely.
Her face.
The moment I let go of her hand.
The look in her eyes before Damon reached her. My jaw tightened hard enough to ache. I had moved too soon. The realization had settled into me the moment I crossed back over the border with the others behind me and no Elodie beside me. At first, I tried to justify it. Tell myself I had no choice. Tell
