Book 2: Chapter 1. Back from the Flames

Ty’s POV

I didn’t plan on coming back to this place.

Not after the betrayal. Not after I clawed my heart out of my chest and handed it to a boy who spit on it.

But here I am—duffel bag slung over one shoulder, boots dragging on scorched earth, and five years of rage simmering beneath my skin like wildfire waiting for a spark.

“Yo, Ty! You heading out?”

The voice jolted me out of my thoughts. One of the trainees from Dragon’s Academy jogged up, his smile too soft for the war I was carrying inside.

“Yeah,” I said flatly. “Finally going back.”

He clapped me on the back. “Damn. After five years? Bet your family’s gonna lose their minds.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, though my voice betrayed none of the