Sandoz stirred again, throwing himself into Lara's arms. His sobs were quieter now but just as broken. Lara wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back and threading her fingers through his hair with soothing tenderness.
Reya and Jethru joined her, enveloping the boy in a cocoon of warmth.
Alaric's heart twisted.
He looked away, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest. But it was too late.
That fragile, long-forgotten part of him—the boy deeply hurt and abandoned, the boy who was blamed for his mother's death and loathed because of it- took over him like water in a dam breaking through its barrier.
He stood without saying anything and exited through the back door. He needed fresh air; otherwise, he would suffocate. His strides toward the Narra tree at the far end of the backyard became urgent.
When he finally arrived, he punched the hard trunk with all his strength. Even when his knuckles bled, he did not stop.
