The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery light across the dense forest. The night felt colder than usual, an unnatural chill that seemed to seep into Leona’s bones. She had always been a creature of the night, but tonight, the darkness held a different weight—one that carried the burden of her past and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
Zane stood beside her, his tall frame a quiet presence in the shadows. He had led this mission with his usual calm and precision, but there was a sharpness in his eyes tonight, a flicker of something darker. He knew what this mission meant to Leona, knew the personal stakes involved. She wasn’t just fighting for freedom—she was fighting to confront the remnants of her past.
The team, a small but well-trained group of Zane’s most trusted warriors,
