"You can’t be serious," I muttered under my breath, eyes narrowing as I stared at the cryptic message. It wasn’t just a warning—it was a promise of something far worse than anything I had yet to face. Betrayal had been a bitter taste on my tongue, but this... this was something different. This was the universe itself turning against me.
"Lyra," Damian's voice cut through the tension, grounding me, "what’s going on?"
I didn’t look at him. Instead, my focus was fixed on the parchment in my hands. The ink was fresh, the writing fluid and elegant—too elegant. It couldn’t have been Marcus, and yet, it had his stench all over it. The message didn’t just warn me about the betrayal in my ranks; it hinted at something far deeper, more insidious. "You have no idea what you’re walking into. There a
