POV: Lydia
I stumbled into the resistance safe house three hours before dawn.
Perfectly timed. When guards were tired. When skepticism was weakest.
I'd made sure my wounds looked fresh. Ripped my clothes. Smeared dirt and blood across my face. Practiced the trembling. The fear. The desperate gratitude of someone who'd escaped hell.
"Help," I gasped. "Please. I need help."
Two guards appeared. Weapons drawn. Suspicious.
Good. Too easy would have been suspicious.
"Who are you?"
"Lydia. Lydia Kane." I let myself collapse. Not fully. Just enough. "From Silverfang. I was... the Primordial took me. Changed me. Used me."
"How did you escape?"
"Kade. He..." I let tears come. Real tears from real pain. Just not the pain they thought. "He broke through. Told me the truth. About everything.
