Arden's/Aria's POV
The world had become a different place. The air itself felt changed, charged with a new and dangerous current. It was the charge of his declaration. The echo of his voice saying those words to the entire academy still vibrated in my bones. *She is under my protection.* He had not said my name, but he might as well have.
He had drawn a line in the sand with Zeke’s face, and everyone had seen it. The walk from the training grounds was a silent procession. Cadets parted for us, their eyes wide, their whispers hissed behind hands. They did not look at me with pity or suspicion anymore. They looked with a new, wary fear. I was no longer just the strange new cadet. I was Kai Thorn’s declared interest. His territory.
He walked beside me, his shoulder a solid, warm presence
