Caspian's Pov

The forest pressed close around us, dark and cold. My men spread out on either side, bare feet soft on the grass. Their breaths fogged in the air. The wounds on my ribs still burned, but the ache in my chest was worse. I had left Nyx behind. Every step away from that fortress felt like a betrayal. Kyle walked beside me, his mind filled with questions.

“Alpha,” he said at last, “why didn’t you take Luna Nyx when you had the chance?” He said it quietly, ...