Tears welled in Tala’s eyes as she ran down the narrow, torchlit corridor, her footsteps echoing against damp stone.
She stopped before the hidden cell, breathless, her chest heaving with urgency. Inside, she found me curled upon the cold ground, my skin pale, my breaths shallow, the chill of the stones seeping into my bones.
“The prince…” she whispered, her voice broken. “He has decided to make it public. He will claim Calista as his mate and reject your bond.”
Her words cut like a blade.
My lips trembled, but no more tears would come—I had already wept myself dry. My voice, frail and threaded with exhaustion, slipped into the silence.
“Tala… I don’t care anymore about what he does. All I want is to leave this cruel place. Please—help me escape.”
The air reeked of dampness and mol
