Tyla’s POV
The first thing I notice when we cross back into the mortal realm is how quiet it is.
Not peaceful.
Hollow.
The doorway seals behind us with a sound like a held breath finally released, and the Veil is gone—no silver wind, no watching pressure, no sense of being weighed and measured.
Just night.
Cold air hits my skin hard enough to sting. Pine and ash and blood. The forest stretches around us, familiar and wrong all at once, shadows lying where they shouldn’t, moonlight fractured like it passed through cracked glass before touching the ground.
Arthur’s hand tightens around mine.
He feels… different.
Not weaker.
Not stronger.
Balanced.
His presence no longer crowds the air with raw Alpha dominance. It’s still there—coiled, dangerous—but no longer sharpened by constant
