🦋 ALTHEA
East. That was where I was going. Even if it shattered me to leave now, after I had felt even a sliver of a moment that I truly belonged among their ranks.
But I forced my head forward and sprinted on.
Straight into the dense wood where the nightmares retreated, where the shadows were thickest, where no one would expect me to go. I hoped I would disappear before Thorne would notice that I was gone.
My wound screamed with every step, fresh blood soaking through my clothes, but I didn't stop.
Behind me, a howl erupted.
Thorne.
The sound was fury and betrayal and anguish all wrapped into one devastating note that tore through the night like a blade.
He knew.
He'd seen me run.
I pushed harder, branches whipping past my face, roots trying to catch my feet. My lungs burned. My side wept blood. But I could hear him now—not just his howl, but the impact of his pursuit.
The ground shook and trees splintered like dry wood.
