Ariane:
The silence that followed our meeting was so thick, like breathing in tar or smoke.
It wasn't just quiet. It was the kind of stillness that settled, heavy as snowdrifts, wrapping around us like blankets.
The fire popped softly, casting warm flickers across their tense faces, and still, outside, snow whispered against the windows in featherlight flurries as if the night itself were holding its breath for whatever was coming for us.
No one moved while my words still hung in the air—sharp and necessary, now, echoing like a prayer through the heavens.
Fenrin finally stirred, her voice rough with fatigue. "We're going to need something stronger than coffee tomorrow, I fear."
Bruin leaned over, his broad hand a warm, steady weight on my shoulder. His nod was quiet and solid. "We'v
