At The Prime Zone estate.
Holden stood in the living room, still wearing the black-and-silver uniform that had cost him everything. The Aegis Ward hummed softly along the walls. Maeve's door was closed. She'd gone to bed an hour ago, unaware of what had happened at the academy.
He stared at his hands.
They were steady. He'd trained them to be steady. To not shake when it mattered. To calculate and strike and survive no matter what.
But tonight they felt useless.
He replayed the courtyard scene in his head for the hundredth time. Renna's red eyes. The crack in her voice. Emric's quiet disappointment. The way they'd walked away without looking back.
Maeve's words echoed like a curse.
He grabbed a glass from the kitchen counter and threw it at the wall.
Crash!
The sound was sharp and satisfying. Crystals sprayed across the floor.
He stood there, breathing hard, staring at the mess.
It didn't help.
Nothing helped.
