Dawn came too early.
It always did.
The faint gold bleed of sunlight filtered through the curtains as I rolled out of bed, dragging a hand over my face. My body ached from yesterday’s drills and Valora’s particular brand of distraction. I pulled on my running gear—black shorts, a fitted shirt, and new sneakers, trying to shake off the image of Rivan sitting on that fallen oak, his cryptic words about a “red wolf” echoing in my head.
What the hell did he mean?
Rivan’s voice had felt too real. The red wolf. What the hell did he mean by that?
I pushed the thought aside, grabbed my running gear, and slipped out into the hallway. The academy’s dorm corridors were still half-dark, the kind of quiet only broken by the hum of magic in the air. My steps echoed softly against the marble floors
