Serenity's POV
I freeze when I see him. Kaelen.
The sight of him standing there, framed by the cold architectural perfection of the Dravenhart estate, hits me like a physical impact. My pulse spikes, a chaotic, staccato rhythm that makes my chest tighten until it’s hard to draw a full breath. In that single moment, relief and tension collide with such force that I feel momentarily dizzy. I am relieved he is here, alive, a solid presence in a world that has felt like shifting sand since I left the forest—but that relief is a dangerous thing. It makes me want to drop the mask. It makes me want to reach for him.
Instead, I hold my ground. The truth I came to reveal—the weight of the silver ring, the memories of the night, the warnings Darian screamed at my back—remains a dagger hidden in t
