Ethan's POV
I drove hard through the forest road, the tires kicking up dust and pine needles as I neared the Academy. The closer I got, the heavier the feeling in my chest became—a mix of anger, worry, and something I didn't want to name.
The morning light slanted through the trees, sharp and cold, glinting off the hood as if even the sun was watching in silence.
Then, through the blur of trees, something made my stomach turn.
A body lay sprawled off the side of the road—lifeless, blood staining the dirt beneath it. His throat had been torn open, clean and deep. The metallic tang of blood reached me even through the closed windows.
I slowed down, heart pounding. Rogues.
The same pattern as the guards we'd found this morning.
My grip tightened on the wheel until the leather creaked. If rogues had reached this far into Silverfang's borders, then Soraya was in danger. Real danger.
And the thought of her alone—without me there to shield her—gnawed at something primal inside me.
