Aria Vale
They lock me in a room.
Not a cell, exactly, but close enough. It's in the administrative wing of the academy, a small chamber with stone walls, a narrow bed, and a single barred window too high to reach. Two guards stand outside the door, their footsteps echoing in the hallway whenever they shift positions.
I'm a prisoner in everything but name.
I sit on the bed, wrapped in the ceremonial robe someone gave me, and try to process what happened. My hands won't stop shaking. Every time I close my eyes, I see the shock on everyone's faces. The fear. The anger.
And Lucian's silver eyes, wide with realization.
The mate bond thrums between us like a living thing. Even now, separated by walls and distance, I can feel him. His emotions bleed through the connection, confusion and fu
