Aiden’s Perspective

The screen remained frozen on the final frame, Rue standing amid fallen shadows, her silhouette steady.

Percy broke the silence first.

“She did exactly what I expected,” he said calmly, though there was unmistakable pride in his voice. “Rue doesn’t run from danger, she confronts it.”

I turned toward him sharply.

Percy’s gaze never left the screen. “Before she even left the safe zone, I deployed agents to shadow her route. Just to make sure someone was there ...