CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
The scent of pine and earth is thick in my nostrils, sharp and invigorating as we survey the expanse of our new territory. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Kyle, feeling the familiar warmth of him even through the cool mountain air that whispers across our skin.
"Alright, let's get moving!" I call out to our team, a mix of adrenaline and resolve fueling my command. "Perimeter sweep first, then we start setting up defenses."
My heart thrums with purpose, and as I glance at Kyle, I catch the fire in his brown eyes, the same intensity I remember from our childhood days together. It's been five years since he left, five years of wondering if he ever thought of me, of us. And now here he stands beside me, no longer a boy but a man who's seen more than I can fathom. A man
