Kamrynn’s POV
The warmth of the Pack House did little to ease the chill that clung to my skin. My clothes were damp from the rain, sticking uncomfortably to my body as I stood in the quiet of the room they’d given me. It was familiar, yet foreign-so much had changed since I was last here.
I peeled off the wet fabric and reached for the dry clothes left on the bed. As I pulled the soft, warm fabric over my skin, my mind was already elsewhere. Lorien.
He would try to leave soon. That much I was sure of. He wasn’t the kind of man to linger in places where he had no purpose, and moreover, there was the issue of his rut. Now that he had delivered me here safely, his reason for staying was gone. But I couldn’t let him leave. Not yet. Searching for Sherelle on my own would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and Lorien-having worked with Sherelle-was my best chance at finding her. Whether he liked it or not, he was staying.
Just as I finished adjusting the hem of my shirt, a soft knock came at the door.
I turned. “Come in.”
The door creaked open, and for a brief second, I didn’t recognize the figure standing there. Then she spoke, and my breath hitched.
“Hi, Kamrynn. Long time no see.”
Lysaa.
A stunned moment passed before my body moved on its own. I surged forward, closing the distance between us in an instant, wrapping my arms around her in a fierce, desperate hug. My throat tightened.
“Oh, Lysaa,” I breathed, holding her close. “You have no idea how worried I was about you.”
Being in Blue Bell, far from the Obsidian Pack, I had spent countless nights haunted by the thought of what might have happened to her. Had Calvin punished her? Surely he wouldn’t rest until he found out the truth about my escape. Had she been hurt because of me?
Now, feeling her warmth, I let out a shaky exhale. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Lysaa chuckled lightly. “I’m tougher than I look.”
We pulled back from the embrace, and that was when I saw it.
The breath in my lungs turned to stone. My entire body seized, my blood running ice-cold as I stared, horrified, at the empty, sightless gaze that met mine.
Her eyes.
Her beautiful eyes were gone.
A shudder racked through me, my heart thundering in my chest. “Lysaa…” My voice trembled. “What… what happened to your eyes?”
She smiled-smiled-as if this was nothing. As if this was just some minor inconvenience. “It’s okay, Kamrynn. I’m alright.”
No. No, she wasn’t.
I took a sharp step back, shaking my head. My stomach twisted violently, bile rising in my throat. “Who… who did this to you?”
Lysaa hesitated.
And then I knew. I knew before she even said it.
“Calvin,” I breathed, my voice barely a whisper, yet sharp as a blade.
Lysaa sighed, her expression unreadable. “He blinded me,” she admitted, “banished my family, and threw me in prison.” She swallowed. “For helping you escape.”
Something inside me snapped.
A cold, black rage surged through me, so potent I could barely see straight. My hands clenched into fists, shaking at my sides. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating. I couldn’t breathe past the sheer fury clawing up my throat.
I trusted him.
I believed-even if only for a moment-that maybe, just maybe, Calvin had changed. That he was capable of change.
But I was wrong.
He was still the same heartless monster he had always been.
“This,” I growled, my voice like thunder, “is unforgivable.”
“Kamrynn-” Lysaa reached for me, but I was already moving.
“No.” I shook my head, my pulse hammering in my ears. “He has to pay for this.”
“Wait!” Lysaa stepped in front of me, hands raised. “Kamrynn, listen to me-”
“I will not listen! Not this time.” My voice rose, raw with fury. “He did this to you, Lysaa! He blinded you. He destroyed your life. And I’m supposed to just stand here and do nothing?”
Lysaa’s lips parted, but no words came out.
Exactly. Because there was no excuse for this.
With one final, determined step, I pushed past her.
“Kamrynn, please!” she called after me. “Don’t do this-”
I turned back only for a second. “It’s going to be fine,” I said, though my voice was far from calm.
And then I was gone.
I stormed down the hallway, the sound of my footsteps pounding against the wooden floors, my heartbeat a war drum in my chest. My body burned with the need for vengeance.
Dear goddess help me cause if I don’t murder this man today…