<h4>Chapter 262: The Missing Friend</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    Fifteen minutester, I finally stepped out of Kieran’s office.


    The moment the door clicked shut behind me, my phone buzzed again in my pocket, almost angrily, like it was scolding me for ignoring it for so long. A dozen unread messages lit the screen - Mallory, Kyros, even from Ria. All of them were asking where I had disappeared to.


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    I replied with a quick ’On my way’ and slipped it back into my coat.


    But as I made my way toward the dining hall, my thoughts were still tangled up in what I had just learned from Kieran.


    All this time, I had thought my mate... love life... was messy. Messy enough to keep me lying awake at night, questioning my own sanity. But after tonight, I realized I had been looking at chaos through a keyhole. Kieran had opened the door, and the storm on the other side made mine look tame.


    I couldn’t decide whether to feel sorry for him... or worry about how he’s going toe out of this situation without hurting anyone.


    The warm, savory smell of roasted herbs and bread hit me the moment I stepped into the dining hall. The ce was buzzing with chatter, clinking utensils, and bursts ofughter that almost made it feel like a safe, normal evening.


    My friends had already imed a table near the center, and they waved when they spotted me.


    "Finally!" Mallory called as I slid into the seat beside her. "Where were you? We thought you had been kidnapped."


    I forced a small smile. "Went to discuss something with Professor Kieran," I said vaguely.


    Dinner was... hearty. Warm bread rolls, thick stew, roasted vegetables, and sweet cider that left my cheeks tingling. The only one missing was Rowan. He had disappeared earlier in the evening, same as always. No exnation. No hint of where he went.


    It reminded me of the first couple of weeks at the start of the term, when he would vanish almost daily and only return around midnight... sometimester. Months had passed, and I was still in the dark. And maybe I had stopped asking because I was busy dealing with my own life.


    Still, I couldn’t shake the small pinch of worry in my chest.


    Across the room, my gaze caught on Draven. He was surrounded by his friends,ughing at something one of them said, but every so often, his eyes would flick to mine. Our smiles were small, brief, but they lingered in a way that made my heart feel a little too warm.


    Oscar was easier to spot. He was seated at the staffs’ table, looking perfectly at ease among them. And yet, even from across the hall, I felt the weight of his gaze on me more than once.


    Kieran, however, was nowhere in sight.


    When we finally stepped out of the dining hall almost an hourter, my legs felt heavy with exhaustion. The day had been long, and my head was still clouded from Kieran’s revtions.


    Before heading to the dorms, Mallory apanied me as we headed to the study hall to grab my bag from my locker. The halls were quiet, save for the faint scratching of pens from a handful of students still workingte.


    By the time we reached the dorm, I was really tired. I mumbled goodnight to Mallory and Ria, closed my door, changed into my pajamas, and let myself copse onto the bed.


    I don’t even remember pulling the nket over me before sleep took me.


    Hourster... a sound woke me.


    At first, it was faint - just a small, almost muffled noise that blended with the wind outside. My eyes fluttered open to darkness, the shapes of the room barely forming as they adjusted.


    "Rowan?" I called softly, my voice still heavy with sleep.


    Silence.


    I frowned, reaching for my phone on the bedside table. The screen’s glow lit up the dark - 12:40 a.m. I darted a nce at Rowan’s bed and found it empty with the sheets still untouched.


    A knot formed in my stomach.


    He still hadn’te back.


    I sat up, hesitating for only a second before slipping out of bed. The sound came again - closer this time. And I immediately realized where it wasing from.


    I crossed to the balcony door, pulled the curtains aside... and froze.


    Snow was falling in thick sheets, swirling in the wind, and there, sitting hunched against the railing, was Rowan.


    My heart stuttered.


    I shoved the door open without thinking, the icy air hitting me like a wall. "Rowan!"


    He didn’t answer. Just... groaned. A low, pained sound that sent my pulse into overdrive.


    I rushed to him, crouching in the snow. My breath caught as my eyes adjusted to his face.


    He was injured. Badly.


    A gash split across his cheekbone, his lip was cut, and his skin was pale under streaks of blood. The heavy, metallic scent of the blood hit me like a second wave of cold.


    "Stars, Rowan-" My voice cracked. "What happened to you?"


    He didn’t answer, only shook his head slightly, wincing at the movement.


    Panic wed at my chest, but I forced myself to pull it together. "Come on. We need to get you inside."


    It took all my strength to help him up, his weight heavy against me. We staggered through the balcony door, the warmth of the room a stark contrast to the freezing bite outside. I shut the door quickly, locking out the wind, then guided him to his bed.


    When I flicked on the bedsidemp, the sight made my stomach twist harder.


    Though he hade back with bruises before, it was never like this. His shirt was torn, the fabric at his side was stained dark red. His hands were scraped raw. There was even dried blood at his temple.


    "Rowan," I whispered, my hands hovering uncertainly before I forced them to work, checking his face for deeper cuts. "You are bleeding everywhere..."


    His eyes, shadowed and unfocused, met mine for just a moment before drifting away again.


    I swallowed hard, realizing this was far worse than anything I had seen him return with before.


    And I didn’t know if I was more terrified of the injuries... or the reason behind them.