Malric’s Pov

Ava’s words hit me like a thunderbolt.

“What?” I snapped, my voice echoing off the stone walls. “You mean, you knew where she was? You knew all this while?” My fists slammed against the wooden table, rattling the bottles and scrolls resting there. “And you didn’t think I deserved to know?”

Ava flinched but stood her ground, her calm eyes betraying a hint of guilt. “Malric, listen—”

“Don’t tell me to listen!” I growled, my voice harsh, my chest burning with the fury I’d been holding for weeks. “You watched me tear down every den, every lair, every bloody forest looking for her and you stood there, knowing...