Rowan’s POV
I sat in my private study, the blue light of the laptop screen reflecting in my eyes as I scanned through pack logistics. I was trying to focus, but my mind was a chaotic mess. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her—Isla. I saw the way she looked at me on that empty street, her eyes brimming with those pathetic, shimmering tears.
“They will send me to the mines. Please let me go.”
Her voice echoed in my head, a desperate, broken whisper that I couldn't seem to shake. I gritted my teeth and shook my head aggressively, trying to physically rattle the memory out of my skull.
“Crazy girl,” I uttered to the empty room.
I turned back to my work, but my fingers hovered over the keyboard. My curiosity—or maybe it was my irritation—won out. I opened a new tab and typed a single wor
