*Belinda’s POV*
I stood in the center of the cabin, the crumpled letter clutched so tightly in my fist that my knuckles turned white.
The air felt thin, like the walls were closing in around me. My heart was not beating with guilt. It hammered with pure, icy fear.
Serena was gone. She had not just packed a bag. She had taken the evidence. She had taken the truth.
"Find her!" I screamed at my guards, who huddled by the door looking confused and clumsy.
My voice echoed off the wooden beams, sharp and desperate. "I do not care how you do it! Drag her back here! If she reaches the Council, we are all dead!"
One of the guards shifted uncomfortably, his head lowered. "We cannot track her, Mother-in-Law. She left no scent. That guard of hers scrubbed the trail clean."
I felt rage boil up
