Selena.
The mont the rogues started moving towards , I knew I was in trouble.
The second group of rogues did not circle like the first. They closed in slowly, deliberately, their steps asured, their eyes sharp and calculating. There was no laughter this ti. No teasing.
Only intent.
My heart pounded against my ribs, loud enough that I was sure they could hear it. Lyra stirred beneath my skin, her presence pressing forward, alert and tense.
We cannot take them, she warned.
I swallowed hard, forcing my claws out anyway.
"I am not backing down," I whispered, though my voice trembled.
The first rogue lunged.
Everything happened at once.
A blur of movent cut through the trees. A force so fast, so violent, it sent two rogues flying before I even understood what was happening.
Then I saw them.
Kael.
Edris.
Ronan.
They ca out of nowhere like shadows breaking into light, their bodies moving with lethal precision. Claws tore through flesh. Teeth snapped. The forest filled with snarls, growls, and the sickening sound of bone eting force.
For a second, I just stood there.
Stunned.
They were not supposed to be here.
They were not supposed to follow .
Kael slamd one rogue into a tree, his movents sharp and controlled. Ronan moved like sothing unleashed, silent and deadly, striking before his opponent could react. Edris was pure force, his blows brutal, unforgiving.
It was over faster than I expected.
Blood stained the ground. The rogues either lay still or fled into the darkness, limping and broken.
The three of them stood there, untouched.
Not a single scratch.
My chest rose and fell unevenly as I stared at them, my thoughts scrambling to catch up with what had just happened.
They had followed .
They had been there the whole ti.
Watching.
Sothing twisted in my chest.
Kael turned to first, his expression hard. "Co here."
The words were not a request.
I did not move.
"I said, co here," he repeated, his voice sharper now.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides. "No."
Silence fell between us.
Edris let out a low breath, running a hand through his hair. "Are you serious right now?"
"I am not going with you," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
Ronan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You almost got yourself killed."
I lifted my chin. "I handled it."
"You handled the first group," Kael snapped. "Not them."
So they had seen ? They have been watching .
"I did not ask for your help," I shot back.
The words hung in the air, heavy and unyielding.
Edris took a step closer, his gaze dark. "You think this is a ga?"
"No," I said quietly. "I think I can take care of myself."
His jaw tightened. "Clearly not. You were seconds away from getting your face ripped off by those rogues."
"I was doing just fine before you showed up." I insisted.
"That is not what we saw," Ronan said, his voice low and controlled, though there was sothing dangerous beneath it.
I shook my head, frustration rising. "Then maybe you should have stayed hidden and kept watching like you were already doing."
That hit.
I saw it in the way their expressions shifted, in the brief flicker of sothing sharp and unreadable in their eyes.
Kael’s voice dropped. "You knew we were there?"
"I did not need to see you," I said. "I could feel it." I lied, and it was a good one because they believed it.
Silence followed next.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Edris let out a short, humorless laugh. "So that was your confident. You knew we were there and would co out wherever the danger got real. So that is why you walked right into danger?"
"I did not walk into anything," I snapped. "I don’t need your help."
"And look where that got you," Kael said.
I stepped back, putting space between us. "I am not going back with you."
Ronan’s gaze hardened. "You do not get to make that decision."
My breath caught slightly. "Excuse ?"
"You heard ," he said.
Sothing cold settled in my chest.
"I am not yours to command," I said, each word deliberate.
Edris’s patience snapped.
Before I could react, he moved.
One second I was standing there, the next I was off my feet.
A sharp gasp left my lips as he lifted over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
"Put down!" I snapped, imdiately struggling against his hold.
He did not.
"Edris!" I kicked, my fists hitting against his back. "I said put down!"
"Stop moving," he said flatly, adjusting his grip as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience.
"I am not going with you!" I shouted, twisting in his hold. "Do you hear ? I am not coming back!"
Kael and Ronan said nothing as they started walking.
Like this was already decided.
Like my words ant nothing.
Fury burned through , hot and sharp. "You cannot just take like this!"
Edris’s hand pressed more firmly against the back of my legs, holding in place. "Watch ."
I struggled harder, kicking, twisting, doing everything I could to break free, but it was useless.
He did not even slow down.
"You had no right to interfere!" I continued, my voice rising. "I did not ask for your help!"
"And if we did not?" Kael cut in without looking back. "You would be dead."
"I would have handled it!"
"No," Ronan said quietly. "You would not have."
The certainty in his voice made sothing in falter.
Just for a second.
Then the anger ca rushing back stronger than before.
"You do not get to decide that for !" I snapped.
Edris exhaled sharply. "You are exhausting."
"Then put down!" I shot back imdiately.
"No."
I hit his back again in frustration. "I hate you."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
For a mont, no one spoke.
Not Edris.
Not Kael.
Not Ronan.
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything else that had been said.
But Edris did not stop walking.
And no one let go.
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