Rafael's Point of View
The night air is cool against my skin as Jace and I slip into the tree line, leaving the faint glow of the school’s patrol torches behind. The forest is darker here, thicker, every sound sharper in the silence. Leaves crunch beneath my boots, and I grit my teeth at the noise. We are supposed to be shadows, not clumsy trainees.
Jace moves quietly beside me, a head taller but light on his feet. He does not talk, does not need to, we have done enough sparring, enough running drills together that I know how he thinks. Still, the silence between us feels heavier tonight.
“This is it,” I mutter under my breath, eyes scanning the path ahead. “Our first real run. Not just training, not practice. We screw up, the wolves slip through.”
Jace tilts his head towards me, his e
