I spent the rest of the day with Sofia, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. But the guilt was eating away at me, making it harder and harder to keep up the act.

As the sun began to set, I knew I had to get out of there before I cracked under the pressure. I made an excuse about needing to check on some pack business, and Sofia nodded understandingly.

"I'll be fine," she said. "I'm just going to rest for a bit."

I nodded and smiled, feeling like a traitor. As I left the guard's quarters, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking further...