Rhea pov.
The floor was covered in long, swirling shadows as the candlelight flashed against my chamber's stone walls. It was too quiet in the room. Ever since the competition, I had been plagued by a persistent feeling of uneasiness. After proving myself, I should have felt triumphant, even empowered. Rather, I felt as though I were a pawn being maneuvered across an invisible board.
With a sharp gasp, I combed through my tangled hair. Sleep had eluded me because my mind was too preoccupied with Kael's unreadable face, the warriors' whispers, and the indisputable fact that something inside of me was shifting. quicker than I could manage. More quickly than I could comprehend.
The silence was broken by a gentle sound.
Muscles coiling like a drawn bowstring, my whole body tensed. It wasn'
