CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
The mountain cabin glowed with warm lantern light as the seven sisters and their father gathered for what felt like the first true family meal.
The long wooden table groaned under simple abundance…fresh trout Jax had caught in the lake, roasted root vegetables from a nearby garden patch, wild greens Sienna had foraged, and loaves of bread Rowan had baked in the outdoor oven.
Laughter rose easily now, no longer edged with the sharp caution that had defined their first days together.
Elena sat at one end, Lila beside her, their shoulders brushing in the old familiar way.
Isabella occupied the seat across from them, still marveling at the texture of real bread between her fingers. Sienna and Mara shared stories of their separate lives.
Sienna’s underwater world of c
