|| Lilac's POV ||

The room felt too quiet after everyone left. The weight of my confession still hung in the air, pressing against my ribs like a stone. I had told them everything— well most of it, Kael’s betrayal, the hollow absence of Runa—and yet, the relief I expected hadn’t come. Instead, a new kind of fear slithered in, whispering that even now, fate was slipping through my fingers.

Alaric’s warmth lingered where his hand had been, his reluctance to leave etched ...