Page 113 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Rest now,she whispered.I will not let you fall.

For once, I believed her.

The room was suffocatingly quiet when I walked in, every one of my squadmates rising from their bunks as if they’d been waiting for me. But instead of suspicion in their eyes, I saw something else—concern.

“What happened?” Riven asked, stepping closer.

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “It was my father.”

Jax’s brow furrowed. “Your father? How the hell did he even get inside the castle?”

“I have no idea who he bribed,” I admitted, shaking my head. “But he obviously has connections.”

“What did he want?” Jax pressed.

And there it was—the moment I’d been dreading. The moment I’d either have to trust them or risk losing the only home I had left. I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of their eyes on me.

“He wants me to spy for him,” I said finally, my voice almost a whisper. “On the guilds... and the castle.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. It stretched and twisted like a noose tightening around my throat. No one moved. No one even breathed.

“What did you say?” Naia’s voice broke the stillness.

“I said no.” My voice cracked, and I forced myself to push through it. “And he disowned me. Every member of the order will avoid me now. They won’t look at me, speak to me... I’m dead to them.”

“Pig,” Ferrula muttered, venom dripping from the single word.

Riven walked over and wrapped an arm around me, her grip solid. “We’re your family now,” she said fiercely. “Your father’s a fool.”

I shook my head. “That’s the thing... he isn’t. I’m surprised he let me go so easily. Usually, being released from the Order is a death sentence.”

Jax swore under his breath. “You’re a rider now. Killing you would be a direct assault on the kingdom’s defenses. He can’t touch you.”

“But what if he already has?” I shot back. “What if he’s the one who had the warder killed?” My chest tightened. “Solei was here last night.”

Naia hissed a curse. “If your father’s working against the crown, we’ll bring him to justice.”

“I wish it were that easy,” I muttered.

“We’ll figure it out,” Cordelle said, his voice softer than usual. He smiled—a genuine smile—and something inside me steadied.

“Together,” he added.

The knot in my chest loosened slightly, and for the first time in hours, I felt like I could breathe again.

There was another knock at the door.

“Fuck me. What now?” Jax hissed before he yanked it open.

Zander Rayne stood there, his sharp gaze locking immediately on me.

“A word, Prospect Rebec.”

I sighed and slid out the door, closing it behind me but staying close enough that the heat from inside still lingered against my back.

“What can I do for you, Lieutenant Rayne?”

“So formal tonight?” he said, his tone clipped. His hands twitched at his sides like he was barely keeping himself from pacing. Whatever this was, he was wound up about it.