Chapter 40

• The night was quiet, the air thick with the scent of pine and earth, and yet, it felt as though the world was holding its breath. Elara’s mind, though still heavy with doubt, began to find a fragile peace as she stood beside Damien. The decision had been made—she had chosen him, and in that choice, she had found a path that she hoped would lead her toward the answers she so desperately sought.
• But even as she pressed herself closer to him, feeling the reassuring beat of his heart against her, there was an undercurrent of tension that she couldn’t ignore. She felt it in the way the forest seemed to hum, vibrating with an energy she couldn’t understand. She felt it in the air around them, in the very earth beneath her feet. Something was changing.
• Damien’s hand was warm on her back, grounding her, but his body was tense. His usual confidence, the unshakable Alpha presence that had always been there, seemed diminished, replaced by a quiet concern.