VANESSA'S POV
The walk back from the sacred grove was unlike any journey I had ever taken. The very air tasted different-cleaner, sweeter, charged with a vitality that made every breath feel like the first. The forest itself seemed to rejoice; leaves shimmered with a deeper green, flowers bloomed with impossible vibrancy, and the very sunlight felt warmer on my skin. The oppressive sorrow that had clung to the land for centuries was gone, replaced by a profound, thrumming peace.
But the most profound change was inside me.
The mate bond with Adrien, once a steady, comforting hum in the background of my soul, was now a roaring river. It wasn't just stronger; it was deeper, woven into the very earth beneath our feet and the air we breathed. I could feel his exhaustion as if it were my own,
