ELODIE’S POV
The gates were different, That was the first thing I noticed. Not just bigger. Not just stronger. Changed. Reinforced in a way that felt… deliberate. The walls rose higher than I remembered, lined with guards that stood too still, too alert, like they were expecting something at any moment. Their eyes followed everything. Me. Damon. The wolves that moved with us.
Nothing slipped past them, this wasn’t the same place I had left. This was a fortress and Damon. Had turned it into one. My chest tightened slightly as we passed through the entrance, the heavy gates closing behind us with a sound that echoed too loudly in my head. A cage. Just like before. Only this time— It was dressed differently.
“Walk.”
Damon’s voice came low beside me, his hand still firm around my wrist. N
