Wren never expected her life to change the moment she set foot in the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College. But everything shifted when she met Liam Mairi. Loving him was effortless, bright, and full of promise. Losing him was shattering.
His dea...
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Basgiath felt like it was holding its breath. The winds off the mountains were sharp enough to sting, threading icy fingers through the cracks of the stone courtyard where we stood in formation. Frost clung stubbornly to the edges of the barracks roofs, glittering in the morning light like the world itself was bracing for the Squad Battles to come. Every step we took echoed against the walls, a reminder that these halls had carried far too many cadets to their deaths.
Violet brushed against my shoulder, murmuring something about how she hated the way her breath smoked in the cold, and I smiled. She'd become family in all but blood. But when I tilted my head, it was Sawyer who caught my eye—steady, solid Sawyer—already watching me like he knew what I was thinking. He always did. If Violet was the sister who pulled me into trouble, Sawyer was the anchor I ran to when the weight of it all pressed too heavy. My best friend.
February had slipped away in a blur, Vi disappearing more and more into Riorson's shadow. I missed her, but I couldn't begrudge her happiness. Selfishly, I'd taken the spare time to steal Liam for myself. Now, as March rolled in, all I could think about was how close we were to the Squad Battles. How close I was to surviving a year I'd been certain would kill me.
The death roll ended with a name I didn't know, Vedie, Second Wing, and the silence afterward was brittle, like thin ice over a pond. Violet and Rhiannon whispered about it, voices tight, when Ridoc broke the quiet with a grin that was much too wide.
"Alright," he announced, "new game. If you were ranking riders purely on looks, who's your top three?"
Sawyer groaned beside me, muttering, "For the love of gods..."
I swung my head toward Ridoc, incredulous. "You're seriously doing this right after a death roll?"
"Exactly," he said with a grin sharp enough to split his face. "Life is short, Wren. Might as well sort out who's worth drooling over before we all get our heads chopped off."
"You are unbelievable," Violet said flatly, but her mouth twitched like she was fighting a smile.
Ridoc leaned back on his heels, smug. "I'm not unbelievable. I'm a visionary. This will be the only time in history where the words Imogen and sexy are spoken in the same breath."
Sawyer nearly choked, Rhiannon slapped his arm, and I buried my face in my hands.
"Gods, Ridoc," I mumbled. "You need help."
"Oh, I've needed help since the day I bonded," he said cheerfully. "Now...." Ridoc tapped his chin like he was deep in thought. "Top three, huh? Easy. Number one? Wren Blackwell."
My head snapped toward him, but he was already grinning wolfishly at Liam. "No offense, Adonis, but you've got to know you're dating the most unreasonably attractive girl in Basgiath. Every guy here wishes they had a shot."
