Elodie’s POV
Freedom was much harder than I expected. That realization surprised me every day. For years, freedom had been the thing I dreamed about. The thing I prayed for beneath sleepless nights.The thing I imagined every time a guard followed me through the palace or Damon reminded me that my life no longer belonged to me.
Freedom had become an idea.
A destination.
A promise.
Now I had it.
And somehow I still found myself waking up afraid. I sat on the balcony outside my room overlooking Nathan's territory and watched wolves move through the settlement below. No guards followed me. No one tracked my movements. No one questioned where I was going.
If I wanted to leave my room, I left. If I wanted to walk through the village, I walked. If I wanted privacy, I had privacy. The lack
