Chapter 132

••• Victoria’s POV ••• The rope was tighter than before. Or maybe my wrists were just more swollen. The raw skin around the bindings throbbed with each heartbeat, the pulse of it sharp and cruel. I could no longer tell where my flesh ended and the rope began. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Each breath I took was shallow, stale with dust and mold, but it was proof I was still here. Still fighting. Still dangerous. I shifted, slow and deliberate, letting my body sag just enough to ease the strain on my arms. The moment the pressure lightened, the burning edge around my wrist lessened—but not by much. It wasn’t enough. I had to keep moving. I had to keep wearing this damn knot down. Inch by inch. Pain hissed up my arms like fire ants crawling beneath my skin. I embraced it. Focused on it. It was real. It meant I wasn’t broken yet. Lya stirred faintly in the back of my mind. Not words this time—just a ripple of presence. Support. Fury. Hunger. She was as exhausted as I was, her strength bu