Cassian POV

I paced the length of my room like a caged animal, thoughts crashing against each other in a storm I couldn’t contain. Maelor sat in the corner, still as stone, his eyes fixed on me with quiet intensity. He didn’t speak, but his silence was heavy, weighted with the kind of concern that made the air feel oppressive.

He looked at me as though he expected me to fracture completely, to lose control and tear the room apart. And maybe he wasn’t wrong. Because how could anyone ...