-Soren-
Something's wrong.
Alexia's laugh has gone quiet. Her smiles feel forced, never reaching her eyes. She used to light up when she saw me, even if it was just for a moment.
Now, she looks away.
She makes excuses to leave early during meals, claiming she needs to study or help Kaia. She stops waiting for us outside classes, slipping into the crowd before I or Finn can catch up.
The shadows around me twitch, restless, sensing the change even if I try to ignore it.
I find her in the gardens, kneeling in the dirt, planting herbs with Kaia. Zeus is sprawled nearby, head on his paws, watching her with worried eyes that match mine.
"Lex," I call, stepping closer.
She looks up, the sun catching in her curls, but her eyes dart away. "Hey, Soren."
"I haven't seen you around much." I try to keep my voice casual, but it comes out rougher than I mean.
"Busy," she says, pulling at the soil, tucking a vine back into place.
Kaia glances at me, her jaw tight, before she mutters, "I'm going to grab more compost."
When Kaia walks away, it's just the two of us, the bond between us humming, quiet but there.
"You've been avoiding me," I say softly.
"I haven't," she lies, her hands trembling as she presses dirt around the base of a sprout.
"Lex." I kneel down, reaching for her hand, but she flinches, pulling back before I can touch her.
That hurts more than I expected.
Her eyes meet mine, wide, "Don't."
"Don't what?" I ask, voice low.
"Don't pretend like everything is okay."
"I'm not." I pause, watching the way her fingers curl into the dirt. "But I don't understand. Did I do something? Did we do something?"
She shakes her head, voice barely above a whisper. "It's not you. Not really."
"But something has changed," I press gently. "Talk to me, Lex. Please."
She closes her eyes, taking a shaking breath. "Everything's…heavey. Like I'm walking through fog, and every time I try to breathe, it chokes me. And now, I don't know who I can trust."
"You can trust me." I say it instantly, because I mean it with every piece of me.
She looks up, searching my face like she wants to believe it. "Can I?" she whispers.
That question - like a blade between my ribs.
"Yes," I say, voice cracking. "You can."
But she just shakes her head, standing quickly, wiping her hands on her pants. "I have to go."
She whistles softly, and Zeus gets up, following her as she walks away, leaving me kneeling in the dirt, the sprout she was planting wilting slightly under her chaos as she leaves.
I find Finn that night, pacing outside the dorms, his jaw tight.
"You too?" he mutters when he sees me.
"What?"
"She's pulling away," he says, rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't get it. One minute she's fine, the next she's gone."
The shadows around me flicker, reacting to the frustration building in my chest. "Something's wrong."
Finn's eyes narrow. "With her?"
"No." I shake my head. "With everything."
He leans against the railing, staring out into the night. "Kaia said something to me earlier. That Alexia's been watching Jasper more closely. Like she doesn't trust him."
I stiffen. "You don't think he did something?"
"I think Asher did. And Jasper knows." Finn's voice is low, heavy. "And Lex knows it too. That's why she's backing away."
I turned toward him slowly. "You think she heard something?"
"Yes, she's not angry. She's hurt." Finn runs a hand through his hair. "And when Lex gets hurt, she hides."
A cold knot coils in my gut.
"If Asher's behind this…" I say quietly.
"We'll find out," Finn finishes. "When and if we find out they did something, we stop it."
The shadows gather tight around my shoulders as I nod. "Before we lose her for good."
That night, I lay awake, the shadows crawling along the ceiling, restless, agitated.
The bond with Alexia is there, warm, flickering, but it feels strained, like she's trying to shut me out.
I close my eyes, remembering the way she looked at me under the orchard trees, the way she kissed me, the way the chaos settled around us when we were together.
She's scared.
I don't know why, but she is.
And if she's scared, something's wrong.
And I'm going to find out what it is.
Even if it means confronting Asher.
Even if it means confronting Jasper.
Even if it means tearing everything apart to protect her.