“Oh, you’re here too, Lunessa,” she said sweetly. “You were raised in the outer territories, weren’t you? Ever ridden a spirit-steed before?”
I froze a second, then shook my head. “No.”
That single word sent her friends into laughter.
“Of course she hasn’t! Probably spent her days mucking dens and chasing goats!”
“Careful—she might still smell like a barnyard omega!”
They pinched their noses, wrinkling them in mock disgust.
The laughter stabbed through me like shards of ice.
My fists clenched until my nails nearly pierced my palms, lips tightening into a pale line.
Draven stood nearby… but said nothing. He only frowned faintly before lowering his head again to fasten the last strap on Myrielle’s boot—tender, precise, protective.
I stood behind them, silently begging the moons for the moment to end.
A sudden, violent neigh split the air.
A massive stallion broke free—wild, frenzied, lunatic with moon-energy—charging straight toward the crowd. Its hooves shook the ground like rolling thunder.
“Move!” someone shouted.
Chaos erupted instantly.
My breath hitched—the beast was barreling toward us. Toward me, Draven and Myrielle.
For a heartbeat, Draven’s gaze locked on mine.
Hesitation. Conflict. A flicker of something—fear? Or guilt?
Then he moved. He shoved me aside—hard.
Pain ripped through my shoulder as I hit the ground, my half-healed wounds tearing open along the wolf-marked scars.
Through blurred vision, I saw him lunge—not toward me—but toward Myrielle. He wrapped her in his arms, shielding her as they rolled across the grass.
The stallion thundered past them, its hooves missing by inches.
Screams spread across the field as panic swallowed everything.
I lay curled near the fence, blood seeping through my torn garments, fingers trembling. No one came. No one looked.
When I finally lifted my head, Draven was cradling Myrielle, panic etched into his face, calling her name with a rawness I had never heard directed at me.
Moments later, he swept her into his arms and ran toward the pack convoy, shouting orders. Within seconds, they were gone.
And I was left behind—alone in the dirt.
No one noticed my fall. No one saw the blood. No one cared.
I stared at the burning sky, an eerie calm spreading through my chest.
So this is how it feels… when a heart finally dies.