*Chapter 45:
ALESSIA
The air inside the tower didn’t move, It sat heavy and stale against my skin, the kind of stillness that settles after something old has been disturbed and isn’t sure yet whether to wake or keep sleeping. Every step up the spiral stairs sent dust falling from the walls and the smell of wet iron into my throat, and the carvings along the stone glowed faintly as we passed, not with warmth but with recognition.
The tether in my chest pulled harder with each step, dragging me upward like I was already halfway claimed, and I didn’t fight it, because fighting was what got us here. Azriel stayed a half-step behind me the whole climb, his hand brushing mine every few seconds like he needed to feel that I was still here. Behind us, Asher and Axel moved in sync, quiet and r
