Elias’s POV

Training ended, but the noise in my head didn’t.

Supervisors dismissed the students in groups, their voices echoing across the hall. People stretched, complained, whispered, and hurried toward the exits. The air buzzed with nervousness and leftover fear from last night’s alarms.

My heartbeat felt like it was tied to a wire.

Ronan stood in front of me, blocking part of the crowd as if he could shield me from the entire academy with his body alone.

“Elias. Look at me,” ...