Camila's POV
"That depends," he said, crossing the room to kneel in front of me. "On whether or not we can control it before the Council finds out how powerful you really are."
There was something else in his tone, something he wasn't saying.
"And if we can't?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, his hand found mine.
"I'll protect you."
"You keep saying that," I said, my voice quiet but firm. "But we both know that this is bigger than protection. This is about the truth. And you're still holding back."
Nathaniel looked away, but only for a second.
"There's someone," he admitted. "Someone I trusted once. He was part of the Council's Shadow Guard, an elite hunter. And he… trained me."
"What happened?"
"I betrayed him."
I stilled.
Nathaniel stood then, pacing. "He found out about you, about the prophecy. He wanted to hand you over to the Elders. I refused. We fought. I nearly killed him. I should have. But I couldn't. He was like a father to me."
