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We have to keep her from crossing into the forest.

“Idril!”

Caelan tries again to get her attention, but out of nowhere a gust of wind sweeps the sound away, carrying it in the opposite direction.

What the fuck just happened?

My skin prickles with unease. My steps pound against the grass, harsher with each stride as I push myself further, harder, faster. It feels like the training yard has tripled in size. An endless chasm fights against us, just as determined to keep us from the Omega as we are to reach her.

We’re sprinting, Caelan leading the charge, but just barely. Vae curses next to me, panting like he can’t get a full breath. I’m about to ask him what’s wrong, but on my next inhale, I feel it.

The air’s thicker than before—more difficult to breathe.

Anger rages, and I funnel it into pushing my body harder, when all I really want to do is scream.

I keep my eyes on Idril. Seventy feet away.

Sixty.

Her small frame shrinks the faster we run. We may as well be miles away, for fucks sake!

Thirty feet.

She’s mere steps away from the tree line. The branches sway, casting menacing shadows that strain and reach for her with insidious fingers.

Her name falls from my lips, a pleading shout that’s ripped from my throat and explodes into the night. Against all odds, it reaches her seconds before she takes her final step into the forest.

I recognize the sweatshirt she’s wearing as one of Caelan’s. It’s a stupid thought, but it grounds me. Pushes back the eerie sense that the world is spinning out from under me.

The hem brushes against her thighs as she stumbles to a stop. She spins around, and for one long moment I wonder if she can even see us. Then her eyes land on me, and she flinches, like she’s been pulled from a deep slumber.

“Sweetheart, what in the Fates are you doing?” Caelan’s voice is soft. Kind. The kind of tone you use when you’re trying to coax a frightened animal away from something dangerous.

Idril’s gaze snaps to Caelan’s, and her expression smoothes out. The light of the moon shines down on her, making her skin and hair glow like it’s lit from within. Her eyes are such a bright, light blue, softening on Caelan with tenderness and love that makes my chest hurt.

She’s so beautiful. So fucking impossibly otherworldly and genuine that I almost don’t feel worthy enough to look at her.

I’m suddenly overcome with the most profound feeling of loss. Like I’ve just had my entire future stolen from me. Ripped from my hands, despite having no clue I was holding it to begin with.

The pain of loss is so fucking real I have to stop and bend over. Focus on sucking down lungfuls of air while blinking back tears.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Why are you all running?” Idril’s gentle voice sounds like it’s miles away.

“Come out of the forest, sweet girl,” Caelan pleads, extending a hand.

Vae steps up beside him with a gentle smile. “It’s cold. Why don’t we go back in?”

Idril frowns. It’s so fucking obvious that she can tell they’re babying her. Placating her. She’s smart… far smarter than I think any of us ever gave her credit for.

She knows there’s something they’re not telling her.

“It’s not safe in there.” I step forward, ignoring the curses my brothers hiss at my back. “I don’t know what’s going on, or why I feel the way I do, but we all feel it. I know it sounds ridiculous, and I have nothing concrete to explain how I know this, but⁠—”

She raises a hand, effectively cutting me off. I brace myself for the questions. The arguments. The push-back.

I’m not expecting her to incline her head in acquiescence.