KRISTEN'S POV

Morning came like a soft breath through the half-open curtains, spilling golden light across the sheets tangled around us. For the first time in weeks, I woke without tension in my chest — no alarms, no reports, no nightmares of blood and betrayal. Only Eliana, asleep beside me, her hair a dark spill over my arm, her breathing steady against my skin.

I could still feel the weight of her words from the night before.

“Yes, Kristen… I’ll do it. I’ll be your ...