Semua Bab The Academy of The Ascendant - Book 1 Marked by Starlight: Bab 21 - Bab 22

(Lyra’s POV, with Riven, Cassian, Talon)They didn’t speak to me the next morning.Not one of them.Not Cassian, who watched me like I’d betrayed him.Not Talon, whose silence felt heavier than words.And not Riven.Especially not Riven.The air between us was charged, vibrating like glass right before it cracks.But it was Cassian who found me first.I was walking through the old practice hall — half-abandoned, scarred by past duels — when the flames answered his approach before he spoke.“Was he worth it?”I didn’t turn. “Excuse me?”“You know what I’m asking.”My fingers curled at my sides. “You don’t own me.”“That’s not an answer.”I spun around. “And you’re not my mate yet.”The silence that followed wasn’t empty.It was burning.Cassian stepped close, fire licking up his arms, his voice low and sharp. “You gave him something that should’ve been ours.”“No,” I said. “I gave him something that was mine.”He looked like he wanted to say more — do more — but stopped himself. Barely