Chapter 54: Shadows of the Past
The night air hung heavy over the ridge, thick with the scent of pine and secrets. The moonlight spilled through the trees like liquid silver, tracing the path that wound toward the old cabin where Elena and Damien had sought refuge. The echoes of everything that had happened—every whispered promise, every danger that had trailed them here—seemed to live in the stillness.
Inside the cabin, a small fire crackled in the hearth. Elena sat on the edge of the couch, her arms wrapped around herself, staring into the flames. Her thoughts refused to quiet. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw flashes—the figure at the tree line, the gleam of something metallic, and Damien’s tense expression when he thought she wasn’t looking.
Damien stood by the window, his s
