Mark’s POV

The forest had shifted. The way the mist curled around the trees, the way shadows clung to the ground, it was like the world itself had leaned in closer. I could feel it in my bones, in the air vibrating between us, in the way Rissa’s hand stayed close to mine.

She had claimed the thread, asserted herself in a way I had never seen before. The hunters had retreated, but the forest still felt alive, aware, watching. The pulse of danger had not left. It had simply moved, ...