Chapter 59Elodie

I didn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw their faces. Cold. Calm. Certain. The Black Howlers had not come to threaten me—they came to confirm what they already suspected.

That scared me more than anything.

Morning came too fast.

The bell rang across the school grounds, loud and sharp. I forced myself out of bed, my body heavy like I had been carrying stones all night. Lysa was quiet now, not restless, not calm—watching.

Today will not be easy, she said.

I ...