Kael’s POV
An hour.
An entire hour I’ve been searching this godforsaken place, and still nothing. No trace of her beyond the lingering stench that makes my wolf want to claw its way out of my skin.
I pace the empty inn room like a caged animal. The bed sits unmade, sheets tangled from where we slept. The window hangs open, curtains fluttering in the evening breeze. Everything exactly as I left it when the bewitched inn owner lured me downstairs with her glazed eyes and honeyed words.
“Elara!” I roar for what feels like the hundredth time, though I know it’s useless. She’s not here. She hasn’t been here for over an hour.
The thick, cloying, unfamiliar magical scent clings to everything. It coats the back of my throat like oil, making me want to retch. Whoever did this was powerful. Pro
