Chapter 11: The Teacher’s Secret

Rory's POV

The first thing he said wasn’t my name.

It was a warning.

“Don’t let anyone see your arm.”

I froze at the entry, my breath catching. Professor Elias Ward stood by his desk, his tall frame outlined by the shifting candle light, his sharp eyes already locked on me. They weren’t cold like they usually were; they burned with something sharper than fear.

My voice trembled. “You knew?”

His gaze flicked to my sleeve where the rune still burned faintly under my skin. “I felt it before you walked in. The air moves when you use it. Others will feel it too. You must hide it.”

I tugged my sleeve down, heat racing to my face. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“No one ever does,” he mumbled.

I stepped closer, heart beating. “Why do you care? You never look at me. You never say more than you have to. Why now?”

His jaw clenched, and he turned away as if he couldn’t bear my eyes. “Because if you don’t learn control, you’ll be dead before the season ends.”

The words cut sharper than a blad