The morning light crept through the window of the cabin, illuminating the weight of the decisions made the night before. Elena sat on the edge of the couch, still trying to process Adrian’s arrival and his ominous warning. Across the room, Luca stood with his arms crossed, the intensity of his focus making the space feel even smaller.
Adrian paced, his boots scuffing against the wooden floor. “If you’re going to stay, you need to prepare. This isn’t a group that backs off easily.”
Elena swallowed the lump in her throat. “What are we preparing for exactly? An ambush?”
“Something like that,” Adrian replied, his tone clipped. “They won’t come in guns blazing—not yet. They’ll test your limits, figure out your weak spots.”
“They’re not getting near her,” Luca said, his voice low and dangero
