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And how?

Ashlani and Voiler both drifted to sleep on Voiler’s bed. I waited until I knew they wouldn’t wake before sneaking out of the room and creeping out of the castle. Blood still smeared the walls, the smell of death lingering as I walked further and further.

Air. I needed air.

It was too close to the Transcendent to let myself fall apart.

The moon shone down in full force from above. My feet moved automatically into the forest, and before I knew it, the trees above had swallowed me in darkness.

Right now, running into those woods and never returning sounded pretty damn appetizing. This had all gotten too messy, too complicated.

I should have listened to Lord. I should have shut out every single fucking person who tried to talk to me in Moira. I should have kept my head down like I was told, not partner with the fallen angel.

Shame, anger, betrayal. It all fueled my blood. I ripped through the thick forest, stomping forward as if every single step away from the academy would fix this mess.

I heard him behind me a few moments later.

It wasn’t unexpected. To be honest, I was surprised he didn’t bust down Ashlani’s door to get to me.

I didn’t turn around as Wolf approached, stopping just a few feet behind me. Every sense of mine became aware of him: of his breathing, of his scent, of the soft breeze from his wings as he tucked them behind his shoulders.

“I thought I told you to leave me alone,” I breathed.

“You did.”

“Then what didn’t you understand, Wolf? Or are you here to torture me some more with your pretty fucking lies?”

He huffed. “You think my lies are pretty?”

I spun around, teeth clenched. That charm was useless now. The soft spot inside of me that used to light up at that smile was iced over, guarded with knives.

“What do you want from me?”

Wolf’s smug smile slowly dissolved from his face. He looked so naked without it, so vulnerable. “You need to know the truth,” he admitted.

“Stop.” I held up my hands. “I honestly do not have the strength to hear any more bullshit from you, Wolf.”

He shook his head. “It’s not bullshit.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that? How am I really supposed to believe that you’re going to tell me the truth about everything? You knew about the vampyre attack! You–you helped them? I have no fucking clue why you would do something like that!”

“Because,” he said, stepping forward and lowering his voice, “I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks now, Huntress. It’s been fucking killing me that I wasn’t honest with you, and I know it’s too late. I know I fucked it all up. But if you’re going to hate me anyway, I want you to hate me because of this.”

I froze. “Because of what?”

“I only told you half of the truth before when I explained why I fell as an angel. It’s because of my father, yes, but it’s because of what he turned me into.”

“What are you talking about?”

He closed his eyes, his entire body tense. I was about to curse at him, was about to brush past him and leave him here in the forest, but some invisible force made me freeze.

When he opened his mouth again, I saw them.

The razor-sharp vampyre fangs protruding from his teeth.

I gasped, stumbling backward.

“He forced me to turn. He used dark magic from the archangels andforcedme to be his sacrifice. But angels are of a pure bloodline, and vampyres are not.” Pain laced every word that tumbled from his lips, as if the words alone hurt him to speak. “I didn't think I would survive the transition, but I did. He forced me to turn into a vampyre, Huntyr. And when I woke, my wings were black. I was fallen. I could not be an angel and a vampyre. He turned me into an abomination.”