Kael's POV
I stormed through the palace gates, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs as though trying to break free from my chest. Hood and Garrick hurried after me, neither daring to speak a word, perhaps because they could already sense the brewing storm inside me.
I was walking so fast that by the time I reached the outer walls, a sheen of sweat had broken across my brow, but I didn’t care.
Lyria was missing. And to me, nothing else mattered.
We reached the open fields that led toward the Elders’ quarters and the adjoining market. My boots crushed the grass beneath me, my strides long and brutal.
The air smelled of damp earth and the faint sweetness of ripe fruits carried from the market stalls beyond, but even the familiar scents only irritated me further. Every breath I took was heavy with regret and anger.
I should have insisted she take a guard. I should have marked her last night, sealed our bond in blood and spirit. I should have—
"Kael," Hood said, panting lightly besi
