To Derek Faulkner, the sound of Serena Ashford’s voice was more than just a melody; it was the only symphony that mattered in a world filled with the discordant screams of the Northern Front. It was the sound of a reprieve he wasn't sure he deserved.
"Yes," Derek whispered, his voice thick with an emotion he usually kept buried under layers of military discipline. "I’m here. I’m really here."
He had walked through the Deadlands, faced the horrors of the Gorge, and earned the title of the Reaper of the Northern Front, but standing in the sterile, white-tiled hallway of Riverbend General Hospital, he felt more vulnerable than he ever had on a battlefield. He knew Serena. He knew the depth of her pride and the jagged edges of the scars he had left behind when he disappeared years ago. He ha
