The next day, the mist over Ashen Hollow seemed thicker, heavier, as if it mirrored the tension hanging in the air between Lena and Rylan. Lena hadn’t slept much the night before. Her anger at Rylan’s betrayal, the revelations about the prophecy, and the weight of her newfound responsibilities churned in her mind, refusing to settle. But now, as morning crept in, she felt a dull ache in her chest—an exhaustion that went beyond physical.
She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon, but there he was, standing just outside her cottage.
Lena stood by the window, watching Rylan from a distance, her emotions torn. She could still feel the sting of his deception, the way he had kept her in the dark about why he had truly come to Ashen Hollow. But there was something in his posture now—his shou
