Shelter in the Storm
Chapter 96: The Part He Never Told
The cabin had settled into a heavy quiet — not peaceful, not tense, just waiting. Emery sat across from Brent at the table, Jonah beside her, both of them watching him with a kind of stillness that made it impossible for him to look away.
He rubbed his thumb along the edge of the table, a small, restless motion that betrayed the calm he was trying to hold.
“You want to know everything,” he said.
Emery nodded. “We do.”
Brent exhaled slowly, like he was bracing himself against something old and sharp. “Then you need to understand who Hale used to be. Before all this.”
Jonah swallowed. “Before he turned into… whatever he is now?”
Brent shook his head. “He didn’t turn into anything. He always was.”
Emery leaned in. “Brent… what h
