Elsie’s POV

I was on my knees, gasping for air, but the room was finally still. The dark energy was gone, and all I could feel was the pounding of my heart and the ache in my chest. My body was screaming at me to stop, to give up, but I couldn’t. Not now.

Freya stepped forward, her sharp heels clicking against the stone floor. Her cold, calculating eyes swept over me, and then her lips curled into a smile. “Well done, Elsie,” she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “You’ve proven yourself. But don’t forget who you are, and more importantly, who you belong to.”

I forced myself...