جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 400

Caleb’s P.O.VI watched Damien’s expression closely, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, heart pounding even though the room had gone utterly silent. The air felt heavy — like the weight of everything we’d just thrown at him was threatening to crush the walls in. He didn’t speak at first. His brows were drawn, jaw tight, eyes locked on the floor as though searching for answers in the pattern of the wood grain. I knew that look. He wasn’t ignoring us. He was processing. Sorting through every detail we’d just dumped on him like a landslide of truths that no one ever really wants to hear.When he finally lifted his gaze to meet mine, his voice was calm — too calm. That kind of stillness always unnerved me. “It’s a bit difficult to process, I won’t lie,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. His lips pressed into a thin line, then parted again. “But… from what I understand, it almost seems like Maggie has Jade under some kind of spell. I mean, I’ve known Jade a long time, and he’s usu

Aurora’s P.O.VThe wind outside howled like a beast denied, thrashing through the trees and slamming against the walls of the packhouse with desperate fists of cold. Another storm. They always came at night now, as if the very world knew that peace didn’t belong to us anymore.I lay curled up beside Caleb, the warmth of his body the only thing anchoring me in the present. My fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt as if holding on could somehow slow the unraveling of everything around us. The window panes rattled with each gust of wind, and the dim light of the lantern on my nightstand flickered, casting dancing shadows on the ceiling above us."I can’t stop thinking about them," I whispered into the quiet, my voice rough from hours of unspoken worry. "Maggie and Jade. I can’t save one and lose the other, Caleb. I can’t."He wrapped his arms tighter around me, the scent of cedarwood and home grounding me for a breath. "I know, Aurora. But we can’t run in every direction at once. Alice

Aurora’s P.O.V “Is that so?” Caleb raised his eyebrows in interest. “Do you really want to know how ‘I’ slayed those demons?”“Yes, yes!” Gone was any trace of sleep, and now, Riley was grinning ear to ear, eager to know all about Caleb’s great adventures. “Please!“Alright! Listen up, and listen well.”I watched as Caleb’s lips curled into a sly grin, that boyish sparkle returning to his eyes as he leaned forward, popping himself up on his elbow. The firelight danced over his features, and I knew that familiar glint meant a story was coming. Riley’s tiny frame was tucked under the blankets, only his wide, eager eyes peeking out. Caleb nodded solemnly, as if accepting a royal decree from the young prince, and began.“Well,” Caleb said, his voice dipping into that theatrical tone he used when he was about to pull us into a world far from this one.“It was a cold night, just like this one. Me and my friends, we were wearing full armor—heavy, clunky, but we were brave. And in our hands,

Aurora’s P.O.V"I need you to tell me exactly where you saw it, Riley," I asked him softly, crouching beside him so we were at eye level. I tried to keep my voice steady, calm, but I could feel the tremble hiding in my bones. My fingers clutched the edge of the nightdress as if it would anchor me.He looked up at me with those wide eyes, the ones that always made him look younger than he was. His lips parted, hesitated. "Outside the window," he whispered. "It was just… standing there. Looking in at me."A breath left my lungs before I could stop it. I didn't even realize I was holding it in. The image — that thing outside Riley’s window, watching him — burned itself into my mind like a brand. My spine stiffened, and I shivered, involuntarily."Looking at you," I repeated, almost to myself. "It saw you."Riley nodded slowly. "It didn’t move. It just stood there like it was waiting for something. I pulled the blanket over my head and I just… I hoped it would go away."Caleb’s voice cut

Aurora’s P.O.VHe turned slightly, just enough for me to see the pinch in his brow. “I know,” he said, quietly at first.“I’ve been thinking the same thing.”“Then why are we still having this conversation?” I pressed. “We keep him close. End of discussion. At least until we figure out what we’re really dealing with.”Caleb nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing a bit, and for a moment, I thought that was it—that we were on the same page for once. But then, something shifted in his expression. His entire body stilled, his eyes losing focus, like he was staring through the walls.I narrowed my eyes. “Caleb?”He didn’t answer. Not right away. His mouth parted just slightly, and I could see the subtle flicker of connection behind his gaze. The pack link. He was listening. Communicating.So I waited.The silence was thick, stretching longer than it should have. I kept my arms folded, refusing to fidget, even though every instinct inside me wanted to shake him and demand what w