The clearing no longer felt like the same place.
Even after the newcomers had stopped at the edge of the trees, the air remained altered, as if the forest itself had accepted the presence of something older than instinct. Luna stood beside Ethan, though she no longer felt like she was being protected in the usual sense. Instead, she felt as if she were standing at the center of a decision that had already begun long before she arrived.
The leader of the strangers remained still, his attention fixed on her with quiet precision. There was no hostility in his gaze, but there was also no warmth. It was the kind of observation that came from someone who had seen too many versions of the same outcome and no longer allowed emotion to interfere with judgment.
Luna broke the silence first, her v
