Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Soren caught Nyra before her knees could hit the blood-soaked moss.

She was limp in his arms, her silver hair falling across her face, her chest rising and falling in shallow, exhausted breaths. The silver light that had blazed around her during the fight had faded entirely now, leaving her looking smaller than she had any right to be. Fragile. Human. Nothing like the warrior who had leaped through the air and driven a dagger into the rogue leader’s throat.

"Magnificent," he murmured again, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

He shifted her weight and lifted her onto his back, her arms draping loosely over his shoulders, her head resting against his neck. She made a small sound half sigh, half protest but didn’t wake. Whatever power Luna had given her, it had taken everything she had.

Valeria stood at the edge of the clearing, her arms wrapped around herself. The scratches on her throat were already healing, her wolf working to repair the damage, but her face was pale and drawn. She looked at Soren with an expression that was difficult to read gratitude, exhaustion, and something else. Something that flickered when her eyes dropped to the unconscious boy on his back.

"Can you walk?" Soren asked.

"I can walk." Her voice was hoarse. "I should thank you. For coming after me."

"You’re part of my team."

"Is that all I am?"

Soren met her eyes. "Valeria. Now is not the time."

She held his gaze for a moment longer, then nodded. "You’re right. We need to get back to the others before more rogues arrive." She fell into step beside him. "When we get back to the academy, I want to have a real conversation. About us. About whatever this has become."

"Valeria—"

"I know." She cut him off, but her voice was gentler than it had been in weeks. "Save your strength. We’ll talk when we’re not bleeding."

They walked in silence through the misty forest, Soren carrying Nyra on his back, Valeria at his side. The sounds of battle had faded, replaced by the eerie quiet of the deep woods. Every shadow seemed to move. Every rustle of leaves made Valeria’s crossbow twitch. But no rogues came.

Halfway through their journey, Nyra stirred. Her fingers curled weakly against Soren’s chest. "Where...?"

"Safe," Soren said. "Rest."

"Did we win?"

"We won. You killed their leader."

A small, exhausted smile curved her lips. "Good." Then she was asleep again, her breath warm against his neck.

Soren adjusted her weight and kept walking.

It took them nearly an hour to find the rest of the team.

The battlefield where they’d left Orion and the others was littered with bodies rogue bodies, thankfully, though the amount of blood suggested the fight had been brutal. Orion was standing guard near a fallen tree, his sword still drawn, his face a mask of exhaustion and barely contained fury. Silas sat on the ground, wrapping a bandage around his forearm. Elias was as silent as ever, cleaning blood from his blade with methodical precision. Draven leaned against a tree, his axe across his knees, his expression dark and unreadable.

Orion saw Soren first. His head snapped up, his eyes widening with relief before immediately narrowing with rage.

"You absolute son of a bitch."

Soren didn’t argue. "Report."

"Report?" Orion’s voice cracked. "You want a report? You abandoned us in the middle of a battle! You ran off into the forest after Valeria without a word, without a plan, without—" He stopped, his voice catching. "Are you hurt?"

"I’m fine. Valeria’s fine. Thorne needs rest, but she’ll recover."

"She?" Orion’s brow furrowed.

"Thorne. He’ll recover." Soren’s voice was steady, but his eyes flickered with warning. "Is everyone accounted for?"

Orion stared at him for a long moment, clearly sensing something he didn’t understand. Then he shook his head and let it go. "We’re all here. Barely. Silas took a claw to the arm, but he’ll heal. Elias is untouched, because of course he is. Draven’s got a few scratches." He paused. "We lost a lot of ground. The rogues kept coming. If you’d been gone much longer..."

"I know. I’m sorry."

Orion blinked. "Did you just apologize?"

"Don’t get used to it." Soren shifted Nyra’s weight on his back. "We need to move. There could be more rogues in the area. We’re heading back to the extraction point."

The team fell into formation without argument. Whatever anger they felt toward their leader, survival took precedence. They moved through the forest as a single unit, weapons ready, eyes scanning the shadows.

Miles away, in a different part of the forest, Corvin was running out of time.

He had found shelter in a small cave little more than an overhang of rock, really, but it was defensible and hidden from the main trails. Lucian lay on a bed of moss and torn fabric, his face ashen, his breathing shallow. The wound on his side had turned an ugly black at the edges, and the smell of wolfsbane was thick in the air.

"Stay with me," Corvin muttered, rifling through his emergency satchel. "I have something for this. I know I have something."

"Take your time," Lucian rasped. "It’s not like I’m dying or anything."

"You’re not dying. Stop saying you’re dying."

"Just... trying to lighten the mood."

Corvin found what he was looking for, a small vial filled with a pale blue liquid that shimmered faintly in the dim light. He had brewed it months ago, anticipating a scenario exactly like this one. Wolfsbane neutralizer. It wouldn’t heal the wound completely, but it would counteract the poison and allow Lucian’s wolf to do its work.

"This is going to hurt," Corvin warned.

"Everything hurts already. Just do it."

Corvin uncorked the vial and poured the liquid directly into the wound. Lucian screamed a raw, animal sound that echoed through the cave and then went limp, his chest heaving, sweat pouring down his face.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Then the black edges of the wound began to recede. Slowly at first, then faster, the healthy pink of healing flesh replacing the poisoned darkness. Lucian’s wolf, finally freed from the wolfsbane’s grip, began to work.

"It’s working," Corvin breathed. "It’s actually working."

"Told you," Lucian whispered. "You’re brilliant. Annoying, but brilliant."

"Save your strength. We’re not out of this yet."

Corvin sat back against the cave wall, his heart still hammering, his hands still trembling. He had almost lost Lucian. He had almost lost one of the only people in this academy who actually mattered to him.

And somewhere out in this forest, Nyra was fighting her own battles. Without him. Without his protection.

Come back, he thought, as if she could hear him. Whatever you are to me whatever this bond means just come back alive.