Olivia’s POV
The forest was quieter than usual that night. No crickets chirped, no owls hooted. The silence pressed against my ears like a warning. Lucas’s hand brushed mine as we walked, our steps crunching softly over the damp earth. Marcus and Ava trailed behind us, their watchful presence a reminder that even here, away from the council’s eyes, we were not free of danger.
Every shadow seemed to hold Emily’s smirk.
I had thought, after the council meeting, that my fury would cool. That once the torches dimmed and the elders’ eyes no longer bore into me, I would be able to breathe. But fury doesn’t fade when it’s rooted in humiliation. It sharpens, hones itself into something steadier than fear ever could be.
And yet… beneath it all, something else stirred. A question that gnawed at
