Ronan’s POV

Sleep didn’t come easily anymore.

Not since that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Arden standing in that training cell, calm, sharp, composed to the point of madness. Most people fold when pressed. He didn’t. He didn’t break eye contact, didn’t flinch, didn’t give me the satisfaction of knowing whether I’d actually cornered him.

And that, somehow, was worse than being lied to.

The academy was quiet after midnight. The combat rings are silent, lights ...