Aeris’s pov
The wind whipped through my hair as I urged my horse faster, every beat of its hooves echoing the frantic rhythm of my heart. My people bled on the battlefield behind me, their cries mingling with the clash of steel and the roar of war. And yet, it was my heart that hurt the most—the pain of betrayal, of having trusted Arabella, and the sinking realization that my own blood had brought us to the edge of ruin.
I shut my eyes for a brief moment, hoping to block out the harsh reality that unfolded before me. But I couldn’t escape it—not here, not now. Nathaniel was nowhere to be seen on the battlefield, and I had known then, deep in my gut, that something darker, more treacherous, was happening. The moment my instincts screamed, I knew I had to run. Run to save the kingdom that
