Lorien POV
My breathing came in sharp, uneven bursts far too fast for something as simple as walking. Panic clawed at my chest, coiling tight like a vice, and the edges of my vision began to blur. The only thing tethering me to the present was the slow, deliberate motion of Auren’s thumb tracing steady circles against the back of my hand. Back and forth. Calm. Controlled.
“You abandoned your people.”
The melodic voice rang out, light but cutting through the silence like a blade. I blinked through the sting in my eyes, forcing myself to focus on the queen, who had stopped mere feet away from us. Auren slowed, and I followed suit, only to realize by the weight of her gaze fixed squarely on me that she was speaking to no one else.
“Why did you cross the border?” she asked.
My eyes flicke
