Chapter Nineteen
Gabriella’s POV
The night after the fire did not end.
It lingered—heavy and restless—like smoke that refused to lift.
By dawn, the courtyard was gray with ash, and the air carried the scent of scorched pine and damp stone. Wolves moved silently through the ruins of the southern ridge, their paws stirring thin trails of soot as they doused the last of the glowing embers. Every so often, one would pause, lift their nose, and scent the air, as though the wind might tell them why.
The keep itself had survived, but the world beyond its walls had changed. I could feel it in the bond—the hum had shifted. It wasn’t steady anymore; it rippled, uneven, as if something vast had touched it and left an echo behind.
Mark and Rhael stood near the gate, speaking in low, clipped t
