My heart pounded as Severus’s voice boomed across the Lunar Combat Arena, sharp and vicious. “Val Rhen, I challenge you for cowardice!” The crowd’s roar hit me like a wave, their eyes hungry for blood.

I stood frozen, my boots rooted to the dirt, the memory of Cassian’s stare last night—Then prove it—burning in my mind. I’d thrown that challenge at him after the rogue attack, daring him to expose my secret.

Now, here I was, cornered again, my Rank 22 status a fragile shield ...