AARON
Despite the peace of the forest surrounding the packhouse, my mind was anything but calm; the weight of fatherhood, the inexplicable nature of my daughter's existence, and the impending threats from forces we hardly understood it was all too much. But as I looked down at Aurora cradled in Lyna's arms, everything seemed to fade away. Her tiny fingers twitched, her violet eyes fluttering open briefly to meet mine before she fell back asleep.
“How are you holding up?” Lyna’s voice cut through my mind.
As I sat in the rocking chair we had set up by the window, I looked up at her. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, and she was radiant despite the exhaustion lining her face. “I’m not sure,” I confessed, stroking her hair. “One minute I’m terrified out of my mind, and the ne
