SKYE POV - CHAPTER 59
The moment Xander’s phone vibrated in his hand, I knew the fragile calm Blue Lake had held over the past few days was about to fracture. Scarlett and Jesse had just emerged from their ritual, their hands still faintly marked from the promise they had sealed, a quiet testament to the bond forming between them. Though no pack bond connected them to me, I could sense the subtle difference in their stance—the way Scarlett held herself, upright, yet not braced against some unseen weight, the way Jesse’s shoulders finally relaxed, as though the world was no longer crushing him from all sides. Their ritual had not awakened a bond that pulled at me, but it had awakened something in them, something that made the air around them… heavier, expectant.
Xander answered, his expre
