Chapter 40 - The Weight Of Choice

• Alina
• The silence of the cavern is oppressive. The fire crackles softly, casting flickering shadows on the stone walls. I'm alone, my arms wrapped around my knees, my heart beating irregularly.
• Ezra's gone. I watched him disappear into the forest, his dark, determined gaze etched in my memory. He's going to hunt him down. He's going to confront Damon. But this time, I feel something has changed. Ezra's anger is different - wilder, rawer.