Oust had always been a creature caught between two worlds... too proud to accept his father's indifference, yet too desperate for approval to simply walk away.
Joining the guard had seemed like the answer, a way to force recognition through achievement where birthright had failed him. But recognition was a fickle thing, and every slight, every dismissive word, felt like another nail in the coffin of his hopes.
The bear's crude remarks weren't just insults, they were a mirror reflecting back every doubt Oust carried about his own worth.
The humiliation of The Selection still burned in his chest. To lose to a mere human, in front of everyone who mattered, had been devastating enough. But to endure mockery from an outsider was unbearable.
In that moment, all Oust wanted to do was silence the voice that spoke his deepest fears aloud.
