Adina’s POV

The wind inside the clearing had a rhythm slow, steady, alive. It carried a pulse that seemed to beat with my own heart, whispering through the trees like a melody from another time. The moment my bare feet touched the glowing soil, I felt it, the vibration beneath the ground, soft but strong, like the earth itself was breathing.

Nathan stood a short distance away, watching me with that quiet, focused gaze of his. Sunlight slid across his face, catching on the faint scar along ...