جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 410

Aurora’s P.O.VThe wind rustled through the tall pines as I stood at the edge of the clearing, arms folded tightly across my chest, trying to keep my breathing steady. The morning sun filtered through the leaves, casting golden patterns on the forest floor, but the warmth it brought couldn’t reach the chill that had settled in my bones. Maggie was a few feet away, pretending to be focused on adjusting her stance, one hand brushing the hem of her hoodie like she was casually swiping away dirt.Ashton was sitting on a nearby log, twirling a twig between his fingers like he always did when he didn’t know how to fill the silence. None of us said it aloud, but I knew they were all acting—pretending today was like any other. Like last night hadn’t happened. Like I didn’t see the way they flinched when I looked at them for too long.I tried to do the same. I tried to act like I didn’t feel my heart sink every time Maggie smiled too quickly or Ashton avoided my eyes. I tried to be the Aurora

Aurora’s P.O.VThe moment I heard that shattering sound, my heart skipped a beat. I turned instinctively—and there she was. Maggie. Her knees buckled as she fell, her face contorted in pain, her hand gripping her arm so tightly it was turning white at the knuckles.“Maggie!” I gasped, a sickening twist curling in my stomach as I saw the crimson beginning to stain her sleeve.Blood. There was so much of it.“Ashton!” I called, already rushing forward, my boots skidding against the floor as I dropped beside her.“Maggie, hey—hey, look at me. You’re okay. I’m here,” I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady, though my hands were already shaking. Ashton was at my side in seconds, and Alice too. Maggie was whimpering, her face pale and glistening with sweat, her body twitching every time she tried to move.Alice sighed, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and kneeling beside her. “This is why precision matters,” she said, not unkindly, but firmly. “The spell obeys intent. It doesn’t ca

Aurora’s P.O.VThe door shut behind Jade with a low thud that seemed to echo longer than necessary, and then… silence. Ashton stood with his jaw clenched and hands slightly trembling at his sides, a mixture of guilt and anger in his eyes. I could see it — the way he wrestled with the weight of things he couldn’t control. I let the silence sit for a few seconds longer, because even though I wanted to break it, I also didn’t want to rush into the moment and startle him.“I don’t blame you,” I finally said, my voice low, careful. “What happened… it’s not your fault.”He looked at me, startled, maybe even a little relieved, but still struggling. “Aurora, I—” he started, but I raised a hand gently, stopping him.“It’s Jade. He’s the one who’s changing,” I said, pressing the truth between us like a blade laid bare on the table.“Lately, it almost feels like…” I paused, searching for the right word, something that wouldn’t give too much away without alerting Ashton. “It almost feels like he’

Aurora’s P.O.VThe night was quieter than usual. The stars hung above the treetops like scattered lanterns, their soft glow casting long shadows across the damp forest floor as Caleb and I made our way to the old greenhouse at the edge of the estate. It had once been a place of life and bloom, but now it was Alice’s makeshift lab—dark, filled with the earthy smell of herbs and the sharp tang of metals and spell-bound runes. I could feel the tension buzzing in the air, thicker than the fog that was starting to crawl along the ground. My pulse quickened slightly as I opened the rusted door and saw Alice hunched over her workbench, candles flickering around her as she arranged vials and handwritten notes.“Are you sure this is safe?” Caleb asked, his voice low, a little hesitant, even though he was trying to sound confident.Alice didn’t look up at first. She was too focused, her gloved hands steady as she adjusted the angle of a large crystal orb to reflect moonlight directly into the b

Aurora’s P.O.VIt was eerily quiet in the woods, the kind of silence that felt like it was waiting to pounce at any moment. The air was damp, heavy with the scent of pine and earth, and the crunch of leaves under our boots seemed much louder than it should’ve been. I glanced at my watch—one forty-five AM, exactly when we had planned to slip out. Alice was walking close beside me, her breath clouding in the cool air, her voice low when she whispered.“Are you sure no one saw you leave? Caleb can be… ridiculously observant when he wants to be.”I gave her a quick look, pulling my jacket tighter around me. “Relax, I was careful. I waited until the guards rotated. Caleb didn’t see me, nobody did. Trust me, if he had, he’d already be blowing up my phone with questions.”She still looked uneasy, her gaze darting back toward the faint glow of the pack house in the distance.We stopped near the thick cluster of trees where the shadows seemed deeper, darker. My stomach tightened, and I leaned