POV: Kael
The sacred spring still shimmered behind us as we made our way back to the village. I could feel it—her presence, the bond, no longer a buried ache or faint echo. It pulsed, alive beneath my skin, every step tethering me closer to Aria.
She walked just ahead of me, her fingers brushing the leaves beside the trail. The moonlight gilded her in silver. I could feel the exhaustion rolling off her, but she didn’t stumble. She didn’t falter.
I’d never known anyone so fierce in her silence, so determined in her brokenness.
And now… now she was mine.
Except, nothing about this was simple.
Not when I could still hear the whispers of the curse like oil in my thoughts. Not when I could still taste the blood legacy my ancestors had cursed us with—one that didn’t just destroy bonds, but
