AYLA'S POV
The forest had gone silent, but the silence wasn't peace.
Snow crunched beneath our boots as Kael and I led the pack out of the hollow, the echoes of battle clinging to the trees. Shadows no longer moved, yet every pine felt like an eye, watching, waiting.
The bond pulsed faintly in my chest, hot and steady on the surface—but beneath it, I could feel the hairline crack where Veylor had pressed his claws. It was small, almost imperceptible, but it existed. And now I couldn't unfeel it.
Kael's golden eyes cut to me as we trudged through the drifts, his black wolf pacing under his skin, restless and protective. "You're quiet," he said, his voice low and edged with worry.
"I'm thinking," I murmured.
"You're thinking about him." It wasn't a question.
I didn't answer right away. The wind curled icy around us, carrying the faint smell of burned silver and shadow. "He touched the bond again," I finally said, voice low. "I… felt it crack. Just a little."
