The word settled over me like an iron brand.
A Warden.
It felt foreign, yet something inside me recoiled as if it had always known. As if my body had been waiting to hear it.
Lena sucked in a sharp breath beside me. Even Logan, who had been ready to tear my throat out minutes ago, looked momentarily stunned. The warriors shifted uneasily, glancing between each other as if they weren’t sure whether to attack or run.
I clenched my fists, the fire flickering wildly in response to my turbulent emotions. “You knew,” I said, voice sharp with betrayal. “You knew, and you still tried to kill me?”
My father’s gaze remained steady, cold as steel. “It was necessary.”
The flames at my fingertips surged higher. “Necessary?”
He took a step forward, unfazed by the heat scorching the air between us
