VALIK POV
Trig leads us through the buildings like he’s walked this path a hundred times—fast, quiet, certain. I follow at his shoulder with Maethys close enough that her sleeve keeps brushing mine, close enough that the space between us feels like a lie.
At some point my hand finds hers.
I don’t think about it first. I just take. Like my wolf has been asking me to since the moment I carried her to the hospital when she first came crashing through the trees. Like if I let go, she’ll vanish.
Her fingers slide into mine without hesitation.
That’s the part that hits the hardest.
Not because it’s dangerous—but because it’s simple. We came here for answers about something tied to her alone, something dark enough that it followed her across borders, and I can feel the threat of it like pre
