The Hunt ended, but the echoes of it clung to Alina like smoke. She’d expected the Shadow Court to celebrate their victory, feasting and drinking until dawn. Instead, the ride back was filled with silence, broken only by the stamping of hooves and the occasional hiss of whispers. Every glance slid toward her wrist, where the mark still pulsed faintly, betraying her power.
Kael rode close, rigid in the saddle, shadows flickering along the edges of his armor as if responding to his mood. His eyes never left her. Watching. Measuring.
Riven, by contrast, lounged on his mare as though nothing could touch him. He hummed under his breath, a smirk tugging at his lips each time someone dared speak of Alina too loudly. When she finally caught his eye, he winked, as if all of this—the fear, the hun
