Chapter 2As soon as Eleuthereia left them to search for allies, a silence fell between Tuxtax and Rixa. Tuxtax drew his wings around himself in a protective shroud, keeping his eyes on the ground as they traveled through the forest. He hoped Rixa would think he was concentrating on tracking Rhea’s aura, but in fact his pride still stung in pain of his friend’s harsh words.
“I’m sorry about what I said earlier,” Rixa said, reaching out to squeeze his winged shoulder.
Tuxtax dodged his friend’s touch. “You were right. I’m not worthy. I’ll never shift. I’ll never be a warrior. I’ll never be worthy of my soulmate.”
“You don’t know that, Tax.”
He kicked a pebble at his feet and watched as it skittered forward. “I do. I met him. He saw what I looked like, and he turned away from me. I gave h
