Freya‘s pov.

Day after day, training after training, I kept my distance from Dorian. He tried to get me to talk, tried to figure out what had changed, but I was done with his lies. I gave him the same rehearsed response every time—I’m fine—but the truth was, I had only one goal now: to become stronger and leave this place for good. To never see his face again.

Every night, I walked to the lake, and every night, I saw the same cloaked figure standing across the water. We ...