The third night arrived like a held breath.
The forest was unnaturally still, as though even the wind feared disturbing what was about to unfold. The fractured truce line glowed faintly along the edge of the property, unstable but holding — for now. Beneath the earth, Elena could feel the ancient presence shifting again, restless, testing the cracks in its prison.
Three nights.
And now the final one.
She stood alone in the clearing where everything had changed — where her power had surged, where love had tangled with magic and torn something open. Moonlight poured down in liquid silver, bathing her skin in pale light. Her heart beat steadily, but the weight inside her chest felt almost unbearable.
Footsteps approached from opposite sides.
Rowan emerged first from the trees, shoulders
