Mabella’s POVThe morning light slanted through the healer’s hall windows, carrying the fresh scent of pine and dew from the pack grounds outside. I pushed the heavy door shut behind me with a soft click, sealing us in. Liora nestled warm and heavy against my chest in her sling, her tiny breaths steady after a full feed. My body still carried that pleasant ache from last night—Alfredo’s hands, his mouth, the way he’d moved inside me like a promise carved into flesh. But today was for truth, not pleasure.“You know why I’m here,” I said, settling into the chair across from Vida at her preparation table. The herbs and vials lay half-organized, as if she’d sensed this conversation and paused mid-task.Vida looked at me for a long moment, her skilled hands freezing over a bundle of dried roots. Her eyes flicked to Liora, then back to my face. Something ancient and weary passed through her expression.“Yes,” she told me quietly.“Elan,” I said, the name dropping like a stone between us. Wo
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