The marsh was restless long after the creature vanished. Ripples shivered across still water, reeds bent without wind, and the fog clung to the earth like heavy wool. Selene’s pulse beat hard against her ribs, her magic trembling at the edges of her senses. Whatever hunted them had withdrawn, but its shadow lingered. Rowan’s claws had finally retreated, though his chest still rose and fell in quick, punishing breaths. Sweat clung to his skin, highlighting the thick muscles in his arms, the scars across his chest. He looked like he could run a mile or tear a tree apart—anything to keep the beast in him from breaking loose again. Lucien, by contrast, stood utterly still, leaning against a crooked willow. If not for the faint smear of black blood drying on his sleeve, one might have believed he had never lifted a hand in the fight. His silver eyes, however, glimmered sharp and restless—calculating, assessing, anticipating. It
Last Updated : 2025-12-10 Read more