Kurtis’s POV
“Do you think you can keep shutting me out, Lyra?” I said, my voice sharper than I intended as I cornered her in the hallway. My body blocked her escape, my hands pressed flat against the wall on either side of her.
Her breath hitched, and she looked up at me, her eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. “I didn’t want to hurt you,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Hurt me?” I barked out a bitter laugh, my frustration boiling over. “You think this doesn’t hurt? Watching you carry this weight alone, letting Alice control you, knowing you don’t trust me enough to share it? That doesn’t hurt?”
Her lip quivered, and she tried to look away, but I grabbed her chin gently, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Talk to me, Lyra. Tell me what’s going on.”
She swallowed hard, tears
