Kora’s POV
The night after Edward confronted me about leaving the house, sleep refused to come. My thoughts kept circling the same image — that black wolf, its red eyes glowing like dying stars, and the echo of its words: You are the bridge.
Bridge between what? Between life and death? Between Aaron’s curse and Edward’s love? Between who I was and who I was becoming?
By dawn, I was still awake, sitting by the window, staring at the trees that swayed under a restless wind. The forest didn’t hum anymore — it throbbed. I could feel it pulsing beneath my skin like a second heartbeat.
Edward had left early to meet with the council again. He didn’t kiss me goodbye this time. Just a brief glance, full of quiet fear he tried to hide, and then he was gone.
For the first time, I didn’t try to s
