ISOLDE

We should have listened to Rowan.

The thought cut through me like a knife, bitter and merciless. I had believed he was only being cautious, maybe even exaggerating. After all, it had been moons since anyone whispered about danger in the forest. I thought the silence meant safety.

But I was wrong. And now my sister was lying broken because of me.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, hot against my cold skin. My chest ached with every breath, not just from the fight but from guilt ...