Midnight had no moon.
Just black sky, black river, black snow falling on black stone. The old oak stood like a dead man with his arms up, waiting.
My boots sank with every step. The dagger in my hand felt too light. Damien walked two steps behind me. Didn’t speak. Didn’t need to. His shadow said _I’m here_ louder than words.
“Wait,” I told him at the tree line.
He stopped. Nodded once. Then vanished into the dark like he was born from it. Beast of the North didn’t hide. He hunted.
I stepped into the clearing alone.
Bella was already there. Silver Fang cloak. Same braid she wore the day Kyle rejected me. She looked tired. Or she was pretending to be.
“Selena,” she breathed out my name like a prayer. “You came.”
“I came,” I said. The dagger stayed down. For now. “You said you’d help
