NORA POV
The night air was cold, but the tremor of power still pulsed through me. Beneath the shivering moonlight, I cradled Liana—light itself seeming to radiate from her tiny body. Everywhere around us, the once-threatening shapeshifters now lay silent, their moon-silver armor dulled and lifeless.
Kalen knelt beside me, keeping one guard at knife’s length from Liana. His eyes were bright with wonder—and fear. I knew that look well. The look that says, we changed the world tonight.
I rose, holding Liana close to my chest.
“It’s over,” I whispered to the night. “The threat’s gone.”
Valya’s voice cut through the calm. “Not gone. Disabled. They’ll wake.”
We had weapons—words and magic—but this win had been unparalleled. And tonight, there was no celebration. Just a mother, a daughter—
