Rockan’s Pov
As Lyra walked into my room after collapsing from the terror of seeing my scar with a look of unsettling sobriety, I braced for the inevitable rejection. What destroyed me wasn't her fear—I had grown accustomed to it. What destroyed me was that Tyris reached her first while I stood frozen, watching her eyes widen with revulsion as she backed away like I was some monstrous thing from nightmares.
The scar had always been my weakness, though not for the reasons others assumed. I cared nothing for whispered conversations or averted gazes—those reactions served me well, adding to the reputation that made supernatural creatures tremble. The scar's true power over me lay in moments like these, when someone I cared about looked upon it and saw only horror. Yet something extraordinar
