Chapter 28. Betrayal

“I guess I’m no longer needed,” Uriel remarked, rubbing his chin in that familiar, thoughtful way he always did. He hadn’t changed at all since the last time Gavriel saw him. “Still… just from her reaction, I could tell she went through something. A trauma. Maybe a nightmare?”

He wasn’t wrong. Earlier, Gavriel had been able to feel Althea’s emotions, raw and overwhelming. Fear. Sorrow. Grief so deep it nearly crushed him. She had been spiraling.

But now… there was nothing.

He frowned slightly. It wasn’t normal. Her emotional presence had vanished, like someone had slammed a wall around her soul. Something was off.

“You,” he said, pointing to Melva as she approached with a polite bow. “Go to Althea. Stay with her.”

Melva nodded sharply and rushed inside the tent without hesitation.

Uriel turned back to Gavriel, his tone more casual. “I thought it was just a rumor… but I guess it’s true. The daughter of the man who rebelled against your