Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Chapter 47

The morning light was stronger now, streaming through the cracks in the stone walls and painting the hut in shades of gold and gray. Nyra sat on the edge of the makeshift bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, her silver hair falling loose around her shoulders. She hadn’t bothered to tie it back yet. It felt good to let it down, to feel it brush against her skin. It was getting longer. Thorne would have teased her about it.

You’re thinking about him again, Luna said, her voice soft and knowing.

"I always think about him," Nyra murmured. "Every day. I wonder if he’d be proud of me. If he’d approve of... all of this."

All of this meaning our mate?

Nyra felt the blush creep up her cheeks before she could stop it. "Among other things."

Thorne would have loved Soren. They would have been insufferable together. Can you imagine? Your brother and your mate, ganging up on you, teasing you mercilessly?

Nyra laughed despite herself. "Thorne would have challenged him to a sparring match the moment they met. He always wanted to prove he could fight anyone."

And Soren would have won.

"Absolutely. But Thorne would have made him work for it." She smiled at the thought her brother and her mate, circling each other in the training grounds, both of them too proud to back down. "He would have liked Soren. Eventually. Once he got over the fact that someone was taking his little sister away."

Speaking of taking, Luna said, her tone shifting to something decidedly more mischievous, can we talk about last night?

"Luna."

I’m just saying! Our mate certainly knows how to satisfy us. Those hands. That mouth. The way he—

"Luna!"

What? I’m giving an honest review. Five stars. Would mate again. Highly recommend.

Nyra buried her face in her hands, but she was laughing. "You are the most inappropriate wolf I have ever met."

I’m the only wolf you’ve ever met.

"That doesn’t make it better."

I thought it was very romantic. The way he held you afterward. The way he kissed your forehead. The way he looked at you like you were the most precious thing in the entire world. Luna’s voice softened. He loves you, you know. He hasn’t said it yet, but he does. I can feel it through Kael.

Nyra’s heart swelled. "You can?"

Mates share a bond. Kael and I are connected now, just like you and Soren are. I can feel what he feels. And he feels... everything. Protectiveness. Desire. Fear of losing you. And love. So much love he doesn’t know what to do with it.

"He told me he was afraid to admit what he felt."

He’s been afraid his whole life. Afraid of being known. Afraid of being seen. His father is the king of the entire kingdom the most feared Alpha in the realm. Can you imagine growing up under that shadow? Never being able to show your face, never being able to trust anyone, never knowing if people wanted you for you or for your crown?

Nyra was quiet for a moment. "He told me about his sister. Freya. He said she’s thirteen and hasn’t discovered her wolf yet. He talked about her like she was the most precious thing in his world."

He’s protective of the people he loves. It’s one of his best qualities. And one of his most infuriating.

"He does have a habit of trying to protect me when I don’t need protecting."

He’ll learn. We’ll teach him. Together. Luna paused. You know, for someone who spent her whole life believing she was weak, you’ve turned out remarkably fierce.

"I had a good teacher. Several, actually. Soren. Corvin. You." She smiled. "Thorne, in his own way. He believed in me when no one else did."

Thorne knew what you were capable of. He always knew. That’s why he made you promise to take his place. Not because there was no one else, but because he believed you were the only one strong enough to do it.

Nyra wiped at her eyes, which had grown suspiciously wet. "When did you get so wise?"

I’ve always been wise. You just couldn’t hear me before.

"I’m glad I can hear you now."

Me too, Nyra. Me too.

The forest was still and quiet as Team Alpha pressed forward through the underbrush. Valeria led the way, her crossbow ready, her eyes scanning the trees for any sign of danger. The morning sun was filtering through the canopy, and for the first time since they’d entered the Mistwood, the fog was beginning to thin.

"We should reach the academy by midday," Orion said, consulting the map. "If we maintain this pace."

"Good," Valeria replied. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we can send help."

Elias walked close behind her closer than he had before the river, though he was careful not to make it obvious. Silas was at the rear, keeping watch on their flank. And Draven...

Draven was falling behind.

He walked with his head down, his axe dragging in the dirt, his eyes fixed on some distant point that only he could see. His mind was churning with dark thoughts Killian’s face, Killian’s voice, the promise he’d made and failed to keep. Thorne was still alive. Soren was still protecting him. The mission was a failure, and Killian would never forgive him.

He’ll leave me, Draven thought, the words circling like vultures. He’ll find someone else. Someone who can actually do what he asks. Someone who isn’t a failure.

He didn’t see the pit.

One moment he was walking. The next, the ground disappeared beneath his feet. He let out a startled cry as he pitched forward, the dark mouth of a deep ravine yawning open before him—

A hand grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him backward.

Draven hit the ground hard, his axe clattering away into the underbrush. He lay there, chest heaving, staring up at the gray sky and the furious face of Orion looming over him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Orion’s voice was a whip crack, sharp and unforgiving. "You nearly walked straight into a pit! You would have died, Draven. Your body would have rotted down there, and no one absolutely no one would have cared enough to come looking for it."

Draven opened his mouth. No words came.

"Get your shit together." Orion grabbed the front of his tunic and hauled him to his feet. "I don’t know what’s going on in your head, and I don’t care. But if you’re going to walk with this team, you walk with your eyes open. Understood?"

Draven nodded, still shaken.

"I said, understood?"

"Yes," Draven managed. "Understood."

Orion released him and retrieved his axe, shoving it back into his hands. "Good. Now stay close and watch where you’re going. I won’t save you twice."

They resumed walking. Draven’s heart was still pounding, but his eyes were open now. Focused. He couldn’t afford to die. Not yet. Not before he made things right with Killian.

Soren pushed through a thick wall of underbrush and stopped at the edge of a rocky outcropping. The forest stretched before him in every direction endless trees, rolling mist, no sign of the academy or any landmark he recognized.

He had been scouting for nearly an hour, and he had found nothing.

The map is useless, Kael said flatly. The terrain has changed too much since it was drawn. The earthquake must have altered the landscape.

"I know." Soren ran a hand through his hair. "There’s no clear path east. Every time I think I’ve found one, it dead-ends or circles back."

We could try heading north. Follow the stream.

"That’ll take us deeper into the forest. Away from the academy."

Then south?

"Same problem." He exhaled slowly. "We’re stuck, Kael. Unless the academy sends a search party, we’re not getting out of here on our own."

Then we wait for a search party.

"And if one doesn’t come?"

It will. The Proctor won’t leave us out here. And even if he wanted to, Ragnar would never allow it. Neither would Corvin, for that matter. He’s probably pacing the gates right now, waiting for Nyra to come back.

Soren’s jaw tightened at the mention of Corvin’s name, but he pushed the jealousy aside. Corvin was her mate too, whether Soren liked it or not. And right now, what mattered was getting her back safely.

He turned and made his way back to the hut.

Nyra was sitting on the bed when he walked in, her silver hair loose around her shoulders, her expression expectant. She looked up at him, and the hope in her eyes made his chest ache.

"Any luck?"

"No." He sat down beside her, his shoulder brushing hers. "The terrain’s too broken. The earthquake changed everything. I couldn’t find a clear path out."

Her face fell. "So what do we do?"

"We wait. The academy will send a search party. They have to. The Proctor won’t leave us out here."

"And if they don’t? If they think we’re dead?"

"Then we figure out another way." He took her hand, his thumb tracing circles on her palm. "But I won’t let anything happen to you. Whatever it takes, whatever we have to do, I’ll get you back to the academy. I promise."

Nyra leaned her head against his shoulder. "I’m scared, Soren."

"I know." He pressed a kiss to her hair. "I am too. But we’ve survived worse. We’ll survive this."

"Together?"

"Together."

She closed her eyes and let herself breathe. The fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of her mind. But his hand was warm in hers, and his heartbeat was steady against her cheek, and for now, that was enough.

The gates of Shadowmoon Academy were crowded with students and staff, all of them pressing forward to catch a glimpse of the returning team. Word had spread quickly Team Alpha had been spotted approaching from the eastern treeline.

Corvin pushed through the crowd, his heart hammering. He had been waiting for this moment since he’d woken up in the healer’s wing. Nyra would be there. She had to be there. Soren would have kept her safe.

The first figures emerged from the treeline. Valeria, her dark hair pulled back, her expression unreadable. Orion, his sword still drawn. Silas, Elias, Draven—

No Soren. No Nyra.

"Where are they?" Corvin’s voice cut through the noise. He pushed forward, his eyes scanning the group. "Where are Soren and Thorne?"

The team was silent.

Valeria met his gaze, and for once, there was no smugness in her expression. No cold satisfaction. Just exhaustion and something that looked almost like regret.

"Where are they?" Corvin demanded again, his voice rising.

Orion stepped forward. "We got separated. There was an earthquake. The ground split. Soren and Thorne were on the other side of the chasm. We couldn’t reach them."

"We had to leave them behind," Silas added quietly. "We didn’t have a choice."

The crowd erupted into murmurs. Corvin stood frozen, the words washing over him like ice water.

Separated. Left behind.

"No," he said. "No, that’s not—Soren wouldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let him—"

"We don’t know if they’re alive," Valeria said, her voice flat. "But if anyone can survive out there, it’s Soren Thornridge."

"And Thorne?"

Silence.

Corvin turned on his heel and walked away before he did something he would regret. His hands were shaking. His chest was tight. Nyra was still out there. Lost. Alone. Possibly dead.

If anything happens to her, I will burn this academy to the ground.

He didn’t know where he was walking to. He just knew he couldn’t stand still.