Through the haze, I had heard Wren scream my name. Heard the sharp clash of steel as Kai fought back. But it hadn’t mattered. They hadn’t been who my father wanted. And I had already lost the one thing that he desperately needed. Everything after that was a blur. The journey back, the weight of the chains, the cold of the underground tunnels. Now, I was here. And Wren and Kai weren’t.
