Lulu
That photo felt heavy in my hands, as if it carried a truth too bitter to swallow.
Elder Ruth — the old woman who was always preaching about ‘blood purity’ and ‘pack honour’ in Emerald Earth — had been caught on camera whispering to a black-robed figure in a dark alley.
It felt like a punch straight to my gut. I’d only just gotten Pyrrha back. I’d only just started to feel Caspian’s warmth again. And now this ugly truth came crashing down on me.
“Lulu, calm down,” Caspian’s deep, low voice murmured close to my ear. He took the folder from my hands before I could crumple it into a ball.
“How am I supposed to stay calm, Caspian?” I snapped, my voice cracking with anger and disbelief. “That’s Ruth. She hated me openly from the moment I set foot in Emerald Earth. I was so stupid — I
