Naomi is on her feet in an instant. “What happened?”
I swallow, my vision tunneling, my entire body bracing against the words as I force them out. “They pulled our funding.”
The silence stretches unbearably, heavy enough that breathing feels difficult.
Naomi’s face falls. “No.”
I nod, but it doesn’t feel real. Moments ago, I had a future. Plans. A purpose. And now, in the cruel blink of a single phone call, it’s all been swept away.
I have nothing.
30
Hayden
City hall neverfelt welcoming, but today every step lands like a hollow thud in my bones. Beside me, Zane radiates tension, jaw clenched tight enough to snap, while Porter simmers, fury hidden behind dark eyes.
I don’t know if it’s the weight ofwhywe’re here or the fact that my patience is thinner than ever, but the moment we enter the main office, my shadows hang tight around my shoulders, pressing into my skin as if they’re bracing for a fight.
The Fates are waiting.
Constance, Lorraine, and Agnes sit behind the front desk, their expressions unreadable. They don’t look surprised to see us.
Because, of course, they’re not.
“Well, well. The prodigal sons.” Constance leans forward, voice sweet as poisoned honey. “You sure took your time.”
Zane huffs. “Cut the cryptic bullshit.”
We’ve all dealt with the Fates in our own way. They were cryptic when we were gods, and even more so now as…this. But I’m the one who kept showing up to hear their riddles.
Lorraine lifts a brow. “Such hostility.”
My patience is raw. “You told them,” I hiss, shadows thickening at my feet, “that I found a loophole. That we could sign and get it all back. That was a lie.”
Agnes sighs, feigning regret. “Now, now. ‘Loophole’ was never a wordwechose. You heard what you all needed.”
The air in the room shifts.
Lorraine taps a manicured nail against the desk. “You came for answers. But answers aren’t what we deal in.”
Porter’s fingers twitch at his sides. “Then whatdoyou deal in?”
“Threads,” Constance answers simply, voice full of secrets and implications. “Possibility. The way things could go. The way they should.” Her eyes slide to me, pointed. “The choice you’ve been avoiding.”
Ice floods my veins, every nerve on high alert, a silent warning prickling sharply.
“Choice?” I repeat.
Agnes sighs. “You’ve always thought this was about power. About reclaiming what you lost.” She tilts her head. “But that was never the point, Hayden. Power is only a means to an end. What matters is what you hold on to…and who stands beside you when you do.”
“Precisely. What is it that youactuallywant?” Lorraine asks.
The question hits hard, carving through every defense I’ve built, leaving me raw and exposed. I don’t have time to answer because my phone vibrates in my pocket. Again.
Levi.
I glance down, my stomach twisting at the two missed calls. And then a text:Call me when you can.
