The air around me was thick, like the forest itself could feel the storm coming. I could hear my footsteps crunching over leaves, but all I really heard was the question pounding in my head.
Had he been with someone else?
It wasn't just the scent. It wasn't just the way Darius had changed—the silence, the guilt in his eyes, the way he flinched when I got too close. It was the space between us, like a wound that hadn't healed.
And I couldn't take it anymore.
I found him by the river, sharpening his blade. Like always, he acted like he didn't hear me coming, but I knew he had. Darius always knew when I was near. Even now, his shoulders tensed, but he didn't turn around.
That alone made me angrier.
"You hiding from me?" I said, my voice harder than I expected.
He set the blade down. "No."
"Then look at me."
He turned. His face was calm, too calm. Like he was waiting for an explosion.
I gave it to him.
"What happened while I was gone?" I demanded.
He didn't answer.
