Chapter Forty-Five
The walk back to the packhouse was a blur. Rowan couldn't stop thinking about how the day had gone. She had laughed. Actually laughed. Not the dry, sarcastic huff she usually gave Lyra when she was being ridiculous. Not the occasional amused smile she'd allow herself when Evelyn said something unexpected. Laughed. The kind that left your chest aching and your face hurting. And Kael had laughed too. Everything had felt so easy. So normal. Almost like Fernhaven had never happened. Almost like there hadn't been anger and hurt standing between them. Lyra and Evelyn still weren't back from their dates, leaving the suite strangely quiet. Rowan had intended to unpack a few things. Maybe read. Maybe train. Instead, she'd spent the last hour sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceil
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