Sienna’s heart thundered in her chest, her body pressed against the cold, jagged rocks as she struggled to regain her breath. The energy had sent her sprawling to the ground, but her mind was too clouded with fear and confusion to focus on the pain. Ryder’s figure, now a silhouette in the oppressive dark, was still etched in her mind. His words, that hollow apology, echoed through her thoughts like a phantom, taunting her with uncertainty.
“Ryder…” she murmured to herself, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
But what had happened to him? She had thought that by following him here, by seeking him out in this forbidden forest, she might be able to save him. But now, it seemed as though the darkness had already claimed him. And whatever it was that had consumed him… it wasn’t something s
