Chapter Twelve: The Shifting Tides
The weight of Darius's words hung in the air like a storm cloud, casting a shadow over Evelyn's thoughts. As Alaric led her through the winding paths toward the hidden enclave, her mind raced with the realization that the life she had once known—one that she had so desperately tried to escape—was now closing in on her with a force she couldn't ignore. She was part of something far larger, far more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.
Alaric's silence as they walked only made the tension thicker, his shoulders tense, his eyes scanning the forest with an alertness that made Evelyn's own instincts sharpen. Whatever was coming, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach. There was no escaping it. Not anymore.
