Chapter 16

• Elyra
• Walking away from Alpha Deric, I walked straight to my chambers, I locked my room with a heavy thud, my heart hammering. I slid down to the floor, the weight of everything pressing heavily on me.
• The fire in the hearth crackled, but it didn’t warm me. Elvira…I told myself not to think of her, but it was impossible. Her presence lingered like smoke, impossible to brush away. Every time I passed her room, my feet paused. Every time I saw the wildflowers outside the garden gate, her favorite spot, I remembered how she used to hum while plucking petals.