(Winter’s POV)
When Winter woke this time, the difference was immediate.
There was no weight pressing her down, no lingering ache clawing at her chest or dragging at her limbs. Her eyes opened cleanly, awareness settling into place without resistance as she drew in a slow breath—and held it. Nothing pulled back. Nothing answered. The bond was gone.
Completely.
Winter exhaled, the sound quieter than she expected as she sat there for a moment, testing it—not physically, but internally. There was no echo of pain, no hollow space where something had been ripped away. Just...clarity. Freedom.
Frost stirred immediately, stretching beneath her awareness with something that bordered on eagerness. Finally, she said, her tone sharp with energy that hadn’t been there before. We’ve been idle for
