The next morning, the air at Blackthorn Academy was thick with unspoken tension and darkness, as though the walls themselves had absorbed every argument, every glance charged with meaning. I avoided the dining hall entirely, opting instead to disappear into the woods that bordered the campus.
The forest was my sanctuary—a place where I could breathe, away from Lyra’s smirks and Damon’s piercing eyes. The crunch of leaves underfoot was a soothing rhythm, but even here, my thoughts wouldn’t leave me alone.
I couldn’t stop replaying Lyra’s words from the night before. “You’re too weak to keep him.”
Was she right? Was I so wrapped up in my fears and insecurities that I was pushing Damon straight into her hands? The thought was unbearable.
I barely registered the sound of footsteps behind m
