The wind howled through the crumbling stone walls of the fortress, echoing the turmoil that raged inside my heart. It had all come to this—the moment I’d feared. The traitor wasn’t some distant enemy, some faceless figure in the shadows. It was someone I had trusted. Someone I had loved.
“Falkor,” I whispered the name like a curse as if saying it aloud would make the betrayal easier to bear. But it didn’t. Every syllable was like a dagger in my chest.
Lucian was beside me, his presence a steady force in the chaos. I didn’t need to look at him to know that he felt my pain. His hand brushed against mine, and I squeezed it as if clinging to him would somehow anchor me in the storm. He didn’t speak, but the silent support in his touch was enough.
The great hall was dimly lit, the fire in th
