Malric’s Pov The days had turned to weeks, and still, no word of Delilah. The sun rose and fell, but everything in the kingdom stayed cold and heavy, like the sky itself was mourning her absence. I hadn’t eaten properly in days. I looked so unkept But I didn’t care. Because my mate, my Delilah was out there. Somewhere. And every heartbeat that still echoed inside me was proof she was alive. If she were gone, I would feel it. I would know. The bond between us would have died too, but it hadn’t. It still ached, sharp and burning in my chest, like a cruel reminder that she was alive but far away. Ava had been working for days, sketching sigils, drawing symbols that glowed under moonlight. The map to the witches’ domain wasn’t something anyone created easily; it demanded patience, focus,

