The darkness around Ivy felt endless.
Cold.
Silent.
And in the center of it all… Rowan stood waiting for her.
Alive.
Whole.
Smiling the way he used to before the war, before the pain, before the blood that had changed everything between them.
“Ivy,” he said softly, holding out his hand.
Her chest tightened.
For one terrifying moment… she wanted to believe it.
Wanted to run to him.
Wanted to forget the battlefield, the packs, the crown, the weight of the world crushing her shoulders.
But her wolf growled low inside her mind.
Not real.
Seraphine’s voice echoed faintly through the void.
“This trial shows the truth of your heart.”
Rowan stepped closer.
“You’ve suffered enough,” he said gently.
His voice was perfect.
His scent was perfect.
Everything about him felt exactly l
