Aria’s POV
The forest was alive with the soft sounds of morning—birds chirping, leaves rustling in the breeze, the faint hum of energy that seemed to pulse just beneath the surface of everything. Normally, I’d find it calming, grounding even. But not today.
Today, every sound felt amplified, every shift in the air a reminder that I had to learn this. Fast.
“Focus,” Arlo’s voice cut through the quiet like a whip, sharp but not unkind. He stood a few feet away, leaning against a tree with the kind of casual grace that only he could pull off. His long coat swept around his ankles, his hands gesturing lazily as if what we were doing was no big deal.
It was a big deal. A huge one.
“I am focusing,” I snapped, closing my eyes again and trying to drown out my nerves.
“Sweetheart,” he said, h
